1. Zoe is a chemistry teacher earning a salary of $38000 per year. She also ...
Zoe is a chemistry teacher earning a salary of $38,000 per year. She also tutors part-time, charging $20 per session. Which of the following types of income ...
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2. Zoe is a chemistry teacher earning a salary of $38 - Gauthmath
Zoe is a chemistry teacher earning a salary of $38,000 per year. She also tutors part-time, charging $20 per session. Which of the following types of income ...
Answer to Zoe is a chemistry teacher earning a salary of $38,000 per year. She also tutors part-time, charging $20 per session. Which of the following types of
3. SOLVED: Zoe is a chemistry teacher earning a salary of ... - Numerade
Missing: $38000 $20
VIDEO ANSWER: Jack wants to earn some extra income. His friends told him to invest in their bonds and stocks. How much will james make from investing in bonds …
4. - LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL ...
We are having to do the same job two and three times. The Librarian, I ... These issues also have a considerable impact on the U.S. budget wherein annual federal ...
5. Montana's Public Schools in the News!
Whitefish High School ranked third among Montana public high schools for the second consecutive year, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2023 Best High ...
6. variety172-1948-12_djvu.txt
night when the opening cere- monies, as televised by WJZ-TV (ABC, N. Y.), were found "too dull" by theatre officials to have □ any interest ; for regular Par.
FILMS RADIO VIDEO MUSIC STACE SublUiMa Weekly at X«« West 4«t5i Street, New Tork If, N. T^. by Variety, Ino. Annual nibBcriptton, »1D. Blnsto eoptee, tS eenta nterefl sa aacond olaaa matter December 12, Itol, at tba Foit Office at Mev .Tork; N. T., udder tlie act •( March I, Ult COFKRIOHK, 1948. BY TASIETK, INO. AI.I, BIGHTS SICBSBTED VOL. 172 No. 13 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1. 1948 PRICE 25 CENTS '48 PK BIZ TOPS EXPECTATIONS Billy Rose Fmds • Met's %ow Doll Both Off n On By BILLY BOSS When Variety asked me to cover the opening performance of the Met; I accepted with what the boys around Lindy's .call "alacrity." And for two good reasons: (a) it didn't figure that anybody else would invite me : after the pot-shots I had been taking at the Old Lady of 39th Street in my column, and (b) Eleanor recently bought herself a evening dress, and I knew baby doir wanted to show it off. Monday night, dressed to the nines, the Roses arrived as the house lights were dimming, and were shown to their seats by an usher who looked like a double for W. C. Fields. These seats, incident- ally, were in the last row of the . orchestra— which ought to give you an idea of how Variety (or could it : be Rose?) rates around the Met. The opera, which was the excuse ■for this billion-dollar clambake, was "Otello,'' written by the Hurdy- Verdi Man at the age of 74, and sometimes referred to by Wagt ner fans as "The Moor the Mer- rier." The baton was in the capa- (Continued on page 55) B'way Par Nixes Theatre Tdecast oi Net Opera Opening as 'Colorless' ; ■ .Broadway Paramount theatre was forced to. Abandon plans! for theatre television coverage of the vMetro- politan Opera preem Monday v(29) . night when the opening cere- monies, as televised by WJZ-TV (ABC, N. Y.), were found "too dull" by theatre officials to have ■ any interest ; for regular Par. cus- tomers. . Theatre had arranged , to record on film the first half-hour of the telecast and then . project the film via its theatre tele system. Par had in mind lobby interviews and other "snob appeal" . ; color usually at- 'tendant on the Metopera openings, Instead, WJZ-TV devoted the half- (Continued on page 55) Play Looks Like a Hit, Author Back to Air Plant Hartford, Nov. 30. Robert McEnroe, author of "The Silver Whistle," which the Theatre Guild presented last week at the Biltmore. N. Y., has returned to his research job with United Air- craft, Hartford. He jalready has ideas for his next play, which he'll write in his after-job hours. "Whis- tle," starring. Jose Ferrer, got most- ly good notices in its N. Y. debut. Although . VWhistle" represents McEnroe's iirst production, it's his 12th script. Four of the others have been optioned, the 11th having been held and later dropped by three different managements. Berle's 12G for 3 Days Miami Beach, Nov. 30. Milton Berle will get f 12,000 for three days' work when he opens the Copa City; Miami Beach, Dee. 23. Comic will p i a n e to Miami Beach after his Wednesday, night radio show for Texaco, and work until Saturday night, after which he'll fly back to N. Y. to start re- hearsals on the Tuesday night vaudeo show. Fred Allen s Own Capital Gain Deal Fred Allen « has his own capital gains deal cooking. Irrespective of whether the comic makes a period- ic retirement from radio perma- nent, Allen is contemplating pub- lication of his memoirs in auto- biographical form. -It will be serialized probably in Cosmopolir tan and published in book form by Doubleday. Venture is patterned after Gen. Dwight Eisenhower's deal with the same publisher on the current best' seller "Crusade in Europe." With literary and picture rights it's ex- pected that under the capital gains i setup, Allen can emerge with a | $400,000-$500,000 capital gain. S[[S LEflNER '43 With 1948 In its final lap, year- end reprise of the film business discloses that the 11 months just past were not the debacle some were, predicting. Statistics on both the domestic And foreign f rbnts reveal that the year has been the best the industry has ever experi- enced except for the two out-of- this-world postwar stanzas of 1946 and 1947. Domestically, theatremen are finding comfort in the fact that the boxoffice grosses during the past three months appear to have leveled off at about 15.% less than the same period last year and 20- 25% less than 1946. Theatre re- ceipts have ceased, since late sum- mer, the incessant decline they had been showing for the previous 12 months, and the trade oldie :that business has receded from sensa- tional to merely terrific still holds good. On the foreign side; survey by Variety provides the surprising disclosure that receipts from over- seas will equal— rand perhaps even somewhat surpass — foreign income in 1947; Remittances to the eight majors will run about $90,000,000, (Continued on page 21) Met Eyes Anne Jeffreys Anna Jeffreys, star of "My Ro> mance," at the Adelphl, Nv Y., has been approached by the Metro- politan Opera Co.) but Intends to do nothtng about it for at least an- other year. She feels she's not yet ready for bigtime grand opera, but will en- large her operatic repertoire, and continue training with the idea of trying the Met a season or so hence. Pic Names Sliced In Radio-Guesting Hollywood, Nov. 30. The decline -in picture produc- tion in the Hollywood studios indicates further cuts In the price of radio guest shots. Majority of film names are now actively seek- ing guest shots during production decline,; in order to keep their names before the public. Indications , of how prices of guest shots are tobogganing is seen by the ; fact that "Cavalcade of America" has lowered its top sal- ary from $5,000 to $4,000. Two top dramatic shows, "Ford Theatre" and the Prudential "Family Hour of Stars," have started their careers with a $4,000 top. There are only vtwo dramatic . shows on (Continued on page 53) Blessing In Disguise? It seems strange that, just at this time, when show business is going through a rather strin- gent transition— notably from AM into TV, on the one end, and the constriction of the for- eign film market on the other, that one talent agency should figure so prominently in pyra- miding salaries. The agency is Music Corp. of America. There is no question the National Broad- casting Co. is out to retaliate against MCA which takes the logical position that; as talentr agents, it's not only its business but its obligation to do as well for its acts as possible. It's no secret, of course, that. MCA is in a curious double-ply position of al-so being a principal as weir as an agent, since it has par- ticipation interests in some of the corporate entities under which Jack Benny, et al. can realize a capital gain. Certainly, from the talent's viewpoint, it just a,bout removes the ceilings on anything and everything. The recent maneuvers whereby the Columbia Broadcasting System "bought" surefire headliners like Amos 'n' Andy (Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden) and Jack Benny, and the still current maneuvers involving Edgar Bergen (with Coca-Cola), and Phil Harris-Alice Faye and others with anybody, are writing show business history. It eyidenees vividly that a star is worthy of hire far beyond expectations of any milestone in; the annals of the amusement industry. This radio checker- boarding—of course with an eye to television —makes some of the Hollywood participating deals look like the Gus Sun time. But the blessing In disguise, I.e., a blessing to NBC in particular and show business in gen- eral, looms as a certainty litecause of this sud- den accent on talent. NBC has met more often and more intensively on the problem of talent in the last few days than it has in years. NBC suddenly realizes that, by building a giant net- work around a handful of headliners, it has built a Frankenstein. If Benny, Amos 'n' Andy, et al> are worth that much to .competitors and customers like William S. Paley and Charles Luckman, NBC realizes, as should every aspect of show business, .that, it was remiss in not building more headliners. : For once, therefore; the problem of new, faces, new voices, new f ormats-r-ln short, new talent^is getting some really serious attention. Both NBC and the entire radio-TV indu.stry should hark hack to what happened when the Shuberts invaded vaudeville and raided the then-vested interests. It was only then that the Keith-Albee people gave real attention to encouraging new talent with routes, advances on their production investments, and the like. The bulk of today's radio headliners, the very pawns in this checkerboard-playing With the radio time clock, and the very personalities who are the focal points of these maneuversj were spawned by the Keith-Albee tradition. The challenge to NBC's economy , is in direct; ratio to its talent bulwarks. It's not inconceiv- able that talent and talent agents will get an open-sesame at NBC as never before. The pul- motoring, via new blood, unscheduled as it ttiay be, must redound not only to benefit this par- ticularly targeted network; but generally. As such, it's a boon to all show business. Long may the veterans of the top Hoopers wave, but they must be among the first to welcome newer, fre.sher, more stimulating competition. Jolson didn't stop a Crosby, and Crosby couldn't curb a Sinatra. All miike for sounder boxofllce values. Abel. MCA s Expansion FromlO%ery To Impresarios Music Corp. of America, already one of the most powerful agencies in the entertainment business, now looms as a colossus with interlock- ing interests that will embrace practically every field where ad- missions are paid. Completion of the Jack Benny capital gains deal, and the pact with CBS and Tournament- oi. Champions, finalized last week, gives MCA a foothold in films, ra- : dio and sports. Together with pre- viously acquired Interests, the cor- poration founded by Jules C. Stein appears to be the most powerful factor in the entire realm of en- tertainment. With the Benny and tiBS-tourna- ment . of -.Champions transactions, MCA has aequired a working part- nership with CBS on talent deals, has an entering wedge in the field of sports promotions, and owns a share of Amusement Enterprises, a film-producing outfit headed by Benny. In addition. Stein individually owns a sizable block of Paramount stock, which in turn, is the chief minority stockholder in DuMont television; owns a chunk of the Shipstads & Johnsons' "Ice Follies,'' and important realty holdingSi in- cluding the Winterland, San Fran- cisco, a year-round sports arena; the ownership of the Bankers Trust Building, Ni Y„ which will house its N. Y. offices next year. In addi- tion, MCA owns its own office . (Continued on page 55) 7-Day Music Festival Honoring Gershwin Skedded for London • London, Nov. 30. The greatest British tribute ever paid to George Gershwin and his ■ music is being organized to take place at the famous Royal Albert Hall, in London, next March., Prcs' ent plans call for a Gershwin Festi-" val lasting seven days at the Hall, at which, almost every outstanding musical and singing .star will ap- pear. Organizers are also known to be negotiating with a number of (Continued on page 16) Song Act Sponsored As Singing Pickets Columbus, O., Nov. 30. Entertainment hit the picket line here yesterday (29) when four girls and three monwho identified themselves as a "Progres.sive Parly Caravan" sang at the entrance to the American Zinc Oxide Coi Strikebound since Aug; 13, plant was reopened a week ago, and men returning to work have been at- tacked twice by pickets. • ArtTTIIr Parris, who calls himself "chairman" of the singing sextet, (Continued on page $S} / : ' MISCELLANY Wednesdayr Deeemlier 1, 1948 $22,000,000 Price Tag for 20th s Outright Buy of ABC Network Deal for 20th-Fox to buy the'f American Broadcasting Co. was ttill in the negotiating stage this wdeki with the latest development featuring the upping of the pur- chase price for an outright buy to an approximate $22,000,000. That figure would Include the total ABC assets, including both the radio and television networks. Total valuation of ABC, based cn the current market value of the li689;017 Shares Of stock outstand- ing, is slightly under $15,000,000. Film company could gain a con- trolling interest in the network by buying out the majority stock holdings of the web's board chair- man, Ed Noble.. Latter now holds S3.4% of the total stock; with his holdings valued at approximately $8,097,000. Noble -paid a reported $9,000,000 for the stock several years ago and it's believed -that he; Is seeking a heavier asking price, With $12,000,000 the figure being' discussed in the trade.: Any deal negotiated, of course, would still have to be okayed by the Federal Communications Commission. : News of the proposed purchase stirred up considerable activity in ABC stock early last' week, when It hit the year's high of Since then, it's settled back to normal, hovering betwen 8 and 8V4. Wall Street, nonetheless, looks upon ABC as a good speculative . stock buy, figuring that if 20th pays the $22,000,000 asking price, the mar- ! 4et value of the stock would soar, i Twentieth; meanwhile; plans tol make full use of its top film studio i production personnel in operation I ©f its television network, if and i when the film firm's- projected j takeover of ABC's radio and tele Jessel TV-Minded Georgle Jessel Is one 20th- Fox producer who's ready and eager to tackle television,, if . and when 20th takes over the ABC network. Je.ssel got his first actual In- tro to TV by emceeing the two-hour ABC-TV show Thanks- giving night (25), under Elgin- American sponsoi'ship. He be- came so enthusiastic about the possibilities of the new medi- um that he's already started to work out production ideas, Par-TV No Tipolf On20th'sABCBid . Speeulation in. the film and' tele- vision Industries that the Fed- eral Communications Commission would nix 20th-Fox's proposed pur- chase of the ABC network on the basis of its current freeze on Para- mount TV ■ applications was scotched this week , by trade ob- servers. They pointed: out that there's no similarity whatsoever between the two cases. While the Commission has with- held action on Par's station bids because' of ; that company's alleged control of DuMont television, the decision was based only on the ruling that no single organizatioii can .own more than - five TV out- lets. It has nothing to do with the entry of a film producing-dis-. tributlng. company, into TV owner- no 344th Week! 8,467 Performance* AU-time long run record in the legfitlhiate fheati-e. KEN MURRAY'S "BLACKOUTS OF 1948" El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Cal. And now in world-witte release "BILL AND COO" ■ Ken. M.urray'»'-.? Academy Award Film networks goes through. , . . _ . , , . ^ iu The company has mapped out at ship, "gainst which there are tentative course of action :to be I "^"^s to date, followed if the deal Is successful and gets the necessary okay from the Federal Communications Com- mission. : Twentieth would retain, if possible, the top ABC officials. Including prez .Mark Woods and exec veepee Robert E. Kintner, to handle the radio operation, but would run the TV network with its own tele department toppers, in- cluding Alfred E. ("Doc") Morton, Peter G, Levathes, Irving B. Kahn and research chief Earl I. Spon- able. Believing that tele needs the add- ed programming fillip that could (Continued on page 53) Par now has stations operating in Chicago and Los Angeles and has applications pending for three other stations, which would , give it the maximum of five. DuMont has stations in New York, Wash- ington and Pittsburgh, with two other bids pending for its five. FCC, now considering the two com- panies as under a single owner- ship, is withholding action on. ap- plications of both until Par effects a split from DuMont. Same ' Situation v^would not hold -true witb 20th, since that. company, by buying out ABC, would still own only ABC's five stations. Twentieth has already indicated that if the deal goes through it will abandon the applications it now has pending for five stations of its own. Thus, e would be no conflict of in- DeWolfe's Sock Routine Highlights Third Royal Command Performance London, Nov. 30. Billy De Wolfe contiqued the parade of American stars who . have been socking . British audiences, with a 19-minute routine that high- lighted tbe third Royal Command Performance at the Empire, Mon- day night (29). Other American artists, including Myrna Loy, Joan Caulficld, Virginia Mayo, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Taylor, Alan Ladd, Michael O'Shea and . Ronald Rea- gan, had only walkron parts in the i agreement' show. Patricia Neale, as junior of ' ' the American contingent, expressed appreciation for the Queen's at- tendance and sympathy over the King!s illness: TV, M Ad^tions to Give haugural Of Pres. Truman Record Audience Fred Allen Sez "If Edgar Bergen and Phil Harris join Jack Benny on CBS looks as though I'll end up in Radio City all alone. "With the money Brother Paley is paying for Amos 'n' Andy and Jack, CBS has the biggest giveaway up to now." Lester Cole's M-G Suit Under Way Los Angeles, Nov. 30. Lester Cole's suit against Metro for reinstatement . of . his - (contract and damages for- alleged ' losses amounting to $70,200, opetis today (30) before a jury and Judge Leon R. Yankwich in L. A. .Federal dis- trict court. Coin represents Cole's salary at $1,350 weekly since he was placed on suspension Dec. 2, 1947. Studio asked for. jury trial. Suit is first of series of civil actions by "The Hollywood Ten" for damages and reinstatement of contracts after "contempt of Congress" proceed- ings involving the Hollywood Red probe. If suspension is held in- valid,. Cole will be automatically re- instated. Superior court suits also are on file in connection with "blacklist announced .by- Eric at a decision. BERGMAN'S ROSSELLINI ITALOPIC DEAL STIRS i [her Ingrid Bergman may appear in | under the five owned-and- a film to be produced in Rome by ! 5***^"" """""^ **** ace Italian director-producer i Roberto Rossellini if current nego- ' Industry observers pointed out, tiations with her are successful. ' meanwhile, that if 20th and ABC llya Lopert, New York film im- ! consummate the deal, it may still porter and art theatre operator, \ be months before the FCC arrives trained to the Coast over the week- 1 end to huddle with the star. Lopert has a. tieup with Ro.ssel- 1 ,lini for participating in the fi'nan- 1 cing of his films and for their dis- 1 tribution. Miss Bergman has ex- 1 pressed interestin working for Bos- 1 sellini, and Lopert's efforts now are i directed at sewing up a contract ' with her. . Seymour Peyser, Lopert's at- : torney and a partner in some of his ' enterprises, ' is currently in Italy In confabs with Rossellini. Peyser ' Is a member of the N. Y. law firm of Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin & ^Krim.' Johhston Noy. 25, U847i^ '>Teh;'' TWp, Jdjitt Howatdi^t^aWsd^^^^ and Dalton Trumbo,' have been con- victed of contempt of (Congress, „. ^ . . ..They've appealedv and. trials Of Sir Laurence Olivier, Vivien others are awaiting the outcome o* Leigh and Margaret Lockwood rep- ! appeals, resented Britain in: the brightest stage show presented at this . an- nual event to date. The preem of !j. Arthur Rank's "Scott of the Antarctic'' was well received, the film being an inspiring Technicolor spectacle. Surprise : items ending the show were a film celebrating the bk-th of Princess Elizabeth's son. and a newsreel showing tfae'-ar? rival of the Royal party and guestS' at the show a few hours before. ; Heavy fog, which blanketed Lon- don, failed to dim the enthusiasm of the fans, who cheered the stars as they entered, the theatre and waited long after Unidntght to see the celebrities leave. MCA LINING CARSON UP FOR VAUDE TOUR Jack Carson is being submitted ; for a vaude tour. Dates are cur- [ rently being cleared with Warner ; Bros, for a stand at the Strand the- atre. N. Y. Music Corp. of America , is lining up the tour. I Carson made a previous vaude ' appearance some time ago, at the I Golden Gate, San Francisco, at ' SlO.O'iO guarantee and percentages. JOLSON MAY EMCEE TODD TV MUSICAL Al Jolson may be inaugural emcee on the Sunday, night hour- long vaudeo show producer Mike Todd will launch from the stage of the Winter Garden theatre, N. Y.,; Jan 16. Jolson is considered a natural for the role because of Dock Strike 'Strands^ Quite a Few Showfolk American comedian Harry Green, longtime resident in London, Is. an- other "stranded" in New York via the dock strike and unlike several others who managed plane reser- vations he and his wife are waiting boat passage because of their seven trunks and other baggage, includ- ing theatrical properties. Green has been over there so long that his friend, Winston Churchill, calls him an "honorary British subject." Green has a deal with Warner Bros, to film in England, "Give and Take," the old Aaron Hoffman play, in which he has clicked for long in the West End and the prov- inces. He'll utilize his legit vis-a-vis, Frank Pettingill, in the film ver- sion. Green bought back the rights from Universal, which had it. Ben Lyon and his daughter are + Washington, Nov. 30. With the addition of television and FM for the first time to cov- erage of a Presidential inaugura- tion here, President Truman's in- augural ceremonies Jan. 20 are ex- pected to be witnessed or heard by more people than ever before; Ambitious plans for coverage are currently being lined up by »il media of communications. As al- ways in such cases, the shortage of camera space is the primary -fac- - tor, with representatives of the newsreels and TV already bicker-: Ing over who should get first crack at the most advantageous camera ' positions. Same fight ensued dur- ing coverage of the political con- ventions in Philadelphia last sum- nwr. Present plans call for the Presi- dent and his entourage to review the inauguration parade from a stand on the White House lawn, facing Pennsylvania avenue. A second stand, for: the reels, radio and TV, is to be constructed di- rectly across, on Lafayette Square, . so. that cameras covering the pa- rade will be able to include the President in most shots. : :. Space; has been reserved on the \ stand for the five major newsreels, the March of Time, the All-Amerl- can (Negro) reel. Army and Navy film cameramen, Telenews and the NBC Television newsreel. . Tele broadcasters represented will : be CBS, ABC, DuMont, NBC, the N. Y. Daily News' WPIX and WOIC, the Mutual web's local out- let. Both the reels and TV are to be allowed only four square feet of; space for each outfit's cameras and attendants. If the broadcasters de- sire any additional coverage, they'll be forced to pool their ma- terial from one of the assigned camera positions. Under a ruling of the Public Parks Administration, which con- trols- Lafayette Square, no vehicle heavier than half-a-ton can be parked on the grounds. This throws a crimp into operations of bothfthe reels and TV, with their heavy' soundtracks, and both are pre.s- ently protesting the ruling. As of , now, however, they'll: have to park.' behind the square and feed their lines to there. : ' ' Other camera positions have been set up oq the Capitol grounds, / (Continued on page ' 21) - : - his traditional ties to the Winter ' among others "stranded," awaiting Qarden as star in the Shubert re- boat passage. Bebe Daniels (Mrs. vues there. This stint, of course, Lyon) is on the Coast, and isn't ex- would be in addition: to his Thurs- day night "Kraft Music Hall" AM show on NBC. Todd has set a weekly talent pected to join them' until later. Lyon is with 20th-Fox. Fifi (Mrs. Jack) Hylton is an- other stuck on this side but she budeet on the show nt Kinnnn "oe oui sne «i?ftnn Pr,.pmina u T»n iR to Ship over bathing suits, $U,000. Preeming it Jan. 16 means , wh«ii nntflt,.. »to r V„,i„J Christmas GiU Order Form Please Send VARIETY for One Year To :.(i'lc;ise .I'flnt. ^^aiile)'': Street City .Zone State A €ard with your nam» will actempany . Ih» firit copy of VAUItTY REeULAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES FOR ONE YEAR VARIETY $10.00 VAklETY and DAILY VARIETY $22.00 USRitfY Inc. 184 West 46tli Sf rcct Ntw York 19. N. Y. that NBC-TV, which will carry it, will be . able to, feed it to all af- i filiate stations in the east and mid- rwest, since the : cable linking the I two sections of the country is to" be ' completed Jan. 12. Show will mark jlhe TV debut of both Todd as a '• producer and Jolson as performer. ! Shuberts, incidentally, formally , notified Todd this week that they had read about the proposed show in Vartety and wii-ned against any use of the tag, "Sunday Night at the Winter Garden," to which they claim full copyright. Todd rents I the house on >a four- walls deal from the Shuberts for his "As the Girls ; Go" legiter, incumbent. I football outfits, etc., for the London production of ''High Button Shoes" which Hylton is doing. Bill Little, owner of: the: Albany Club, W.k. West End bistro, flew out Thanks- giving Day, and Mrs. Maurice (Margo); Winnick, wife of the Lon- don maestro-producer, clippered home Saturday (27), she, too, being scheduled to sail on the Queen Elizabeth last week which v,as to ha\e taken tliis large British contingent back to England. The Henry Shereks wore among them, Schreiber's Daughter Plenty Snafu in jParis ' V ■-■ -: ' ■ Paris, Nov. 30. End bf the U. Si 'lohgshtiremeri's Strike Jtairie as a relief to travelers here. With no transrAtlantic liners ir;n»'. G!*:il n „ leaving either Havre or Cherbourg, improving ; fetlll in Coma the walkout disrupted everyone's I • : Hollywood, Nov. 30. Susan Schreiber is "Improving daily" at Cedars of Lebanon hos- pital after being bedridden since fall from a horse Nov. 20. ! Daughter of 20th studio exec Lew Schreiber Is still in a seml-|gers, only 62 coma due to brain swelling suffered i came back in fall, but periods of consclous- , ncss are longer, daily. schedule. Not only were passengers forced to return to Paris after vainly waiting two days in port, but their luggage became mislaid in the bar- .gain. For 550 would-be passen- pieces of baggage Ray Morgan* ah American radio producer, returned here without a shirt on his back. Paris Runaround -By Borrah Mlnevitch- Paris, Nov. 30. Maurice Carrere (Chez Carrere. night dub, who hosted Princess Elizabeth here last spring, ogling a N. Y. night spot for his own show., ■■■■:..'•,•■■ Katherine Dunham :and troupe the biggest postwar rage yet, but ■ won't net any francs to Lumbrozzo for his- importation and presenta- tion trouble. The biz at the Cirque Medrano just ain't. George Guetary to Canada via a one-night New York TV shot. With Yves Montand, Chevalierj George UUmer and Charles Trenet out of French rounds, the Paris chanteurs' scene is left .wide open to singer'-satirist-guitarist Salva- : dor. ■ " Thou.sand Goodbyes; with the boat and : plane: departure delays; the au revoir routine repeats go ; on and on. Jean-Paul Sartre pleads he con- ; trived "Red Gloves" expressly for the guy in a play .to die at the fin- ■ i.sh. Well, does he? Fun to ."see the Yanks foi'aging , for cranberry sauce : for , their Thanksgiving turkeys. Inciden- ' tally, a well stacked 12-pound' bird : co.st seven bucks. You will count Cynda Glenn among the first 10 of our kings and queens of night clubs, Her : performance at the Officers Club revealed a major personality with , talent unlimited. All TV receivers obisolete now that French TV has officially switched to 950 lines — U. S. ex- porters take note. French recordings lack sock. Bob Hutton and Cleatus Cald- well, having finished their "Tour Eiffel" stint, awaiting either , Queens' sailing. • Fogbound: Ann Sheridan, Gary Grant, Norma Shearer and plenty Joe Doakeses, Dolores Del' Rio . I made it to N. Y. Wediieaday, December 1, 1948 nCTURES WARNERS EXro THEATRE PARDS Box-Scwe (m 4 of the 'Big 5' Wit)» RKO out of the antUrust picture, four other theatre-owning defendants in the Government suit continued their separate search this week for settlement formulas with varying degrees of promise. Thumbnail breakdown of the score to date is as follows: ZOth-Fox; Reportedly, negotiations are hung over two big hurdles raised by company's plan of settlement, First, Dept. of Justice is holding to an absolute cross-licensing ban while the company has offered a half ban which would guarantee , indie exhibs 50% of ZOth's first-run product. Second, 20th wants to retain all 24 first- run Coast houses as showcases. Government insists on a lower number. Paramount: Submitted alternative plans of divorcement (on the RKO pattern) and limited divestiture to the Government Friday (26) in DC huddles. Will meet again this week with Leonard Gold- enson, theatre veepee, carrying the ball. Reportedly, D of J cross- licensing ban proposal hurting settlement chances. Warner. Bros.: Signed stipulation ending all partnership the- atres (see separate story). Persistent rumor has it that WB has come to a tentative overall settlement with the Government. . : Metro: Apparently; least active of the companies with no reports of settlement maneuvers. Its partnerships are now in the process of being dis.solved. . .-. Film Execs like Phonevision Ide^i, Believe It May Answer TV Inroads Numerous film industry execs ex-" pressed themselves during the past week as considerably interested in the Zenith Radio Corp.'s Phone- vision system- of TV, following a talk by Zenith proxy Eugene F. McDonald, Jr., to • the company skippers at the three-day session they recently held under Motion Picture Assn. of America auspices in New York. The potential inroads; of video on film audiences was one ot the major problems discussed by the industry leaders and PhonC vision is being viewed as a pos- sible solution. Zenith . system provides ■ video shows in the home via regular tel- ephone lines. Patrons may see any show they like by dialing the phone company and a stipulated charge is added to their bill at the end of the month. Zenith sets, which will be on the market in about six monthSi according to McDonald, will be able to pick up all video broadcasts, but the special Phones- vision ones will be completely blurred until the phone company gets the order to plug into a par- ticular set, which will clear up the: picture. • -Film industry toppers who heard . McDonald rail expressed interest, but showed varied reaction. Some (Continued on page 20) Phooey to the Duke of Windsor II. Allen Smith ■ humorous picet In th« Mpeoming 43d Anniversary Number of r Out. Soon . H'WOOD INDUSTRY MEET POSTPONED TO END JAN. •Motion Picture Assn. -of Ameri- ca's executive committee decided at a meeting in New York yester- day (Tues.) to postpone until the end of January the second series l ^n'mber of industry-wide huddles. Latter , companies for station licenses Quiz Justice Dept. On Legality of Pix Entry Into Video Washington; Nov. 30. U. S. Attorney General Tom Clark is conducting a . survey to determine whether expansion of film companies into the television field is contrary to the current Fed- eral anti-trust laws. Clark has been tapped for a ruling on the hot ques- tion by Wayne Coy, chairman of the Federal Communications Com- mission, who has . before his board ot applications by film were originally scheduled for Hol- lywood Dec. 15, 16 and 17 but, believing more industry toppers would attend if they were delayed until after the Christmas holidays, the MPAA has now set them for Jan. 26, 27 and 28 on the Coast. Huddles are to follow those held two. weeks ago in N. Y., at which time presidents of all the member- companies, as well as top. produc- tion and technical personnel from ■both the homeoffices and studios, kicked ■ around the various prob- lems now confronting the industry. MPAA prez Eric Johnston pre- sided at yesterday's meet. Clark's ruling will probably be speeded b.v present negotiations of 20th-rox for control of the Amer- ican Broadeasting Co. Considerable doubt has been raised here as to the chances of the FCC approving aoth's s entry into ABC. On the other hand, It's thought likely that the film company did some pre- : . (Continued on page- 20) T. Majors Now Can't SeO Pix to Own Theatres Unless Bids Asked Fbt Theatre partnerships, marked for destruction since the U. S. Su- preme Court nailed on the crepe earlier this year, headed for the curtains at a faster tempo last week when Warner Bros, reached an agreement With the Government to end all such tie-ups. The WB deal affects somO' 25 houses oper- ated by six theatre companies. Ac- tion taken by the company waS; greeted by increased activity of other defendants in the suit at- tempting to come to similar ar- rangements with the Dept. of Jus- tice. Aside from the actual. breakup of the partnership!),- most signifcant aspect of the WB pact is permis- sion granted the company by the D of J to buy out partner-interests in a maximum of 10 theatres of the 25 total. That step represents a drastic change in Government pol- icyj since the ' Justice Dept. has always Insisted on complete, di- vorce.' Softening D of J attitude^ — if / subsequent developments bear out the change—rwould speed the dissolution of all partnerships by pre-trial deals. *. Following the new strategy of the four remaining defendants-— - Paramount, 2Qth-Fox, Metro and Warners^latter company separate- (Continued on page 18) Army Brass Jettisons H'woodProd.ofA]lPix For Occupied Countries Hollywood has came within a hair of taking over the U. S. Army's entire film program for the occupied territories; The proposal of Francis Harmoni' veepee for the Motion Picture Assn. of America, had already won the approval of Secretary of War Kenneth Royall when the Army's controller office suddenly dumped the plan as con- trary to Federal regulations cover- ing the letting out of Government work. • Harmon, it's said, asked the War Dept. for $800,000 yearly as a bud- get to produce documentaries and educational pix for distribution in Germany, Japan and Korea. His plan would have meant, ■the crea-: tion of a separate corporation by the MPAA, with its sole powei-s and duties to produce .the Army requirements in celluloid; propa- ganda. The corporation would have been headed b.v Harmon, who re- ( Continued on page 18), Cub Room: With Trees m humoreut pitee by Max Shulman * * * an •dltortal feolkir* lha upeomtng . 43d Anniversary Number •f Diw End of '41 Pickford, Chaplin Also Want Part Of Hughes' iiOOG . United Artists owners . Mary Pickford and Charles Chaplin re- portedly desire to get in on at least part of the $600,000 in fin- ancing being provided the company by Howard Hughes. They each, it is said, would like to make films with some of the Hughes backing, rather than having it all turned over to outside producers. Pic Chaplin has in mind, re- portedly, would star his son, Syd- ney, rather than himself. Sydney, 22, was born out of Chaplin's marriage to Lita Grey. He has appeared in stock on the cast, but has never been in a film, Possibility of the UA partners using some of the financing Hughes is putting up is understood to be one of the factors holding up start of work on pix to be. made with the coin. The Hughes end of (Continued on page 16> . ■ . . Philadelphia, Nov. 30. ' The most drastic restriction by the courts on the operation of the major film companies was handed down in the third federal district court here to day (Tues.). Federal Judge William H. Kirkpatrick ruled that Warner Bros, and 20th- Fox do not have the right to play their own pix in their own thca* tres without throwing the films open to competitive bidding by other circuits. Marking another victory for Wil- : liam Goldman, indie operator of a chain of firstrun midtown housei in Philadelphia, the decis-Sion re- sulted from request to the court by Warners and 20th to clarify its original ruling in favor of com- petitive bidding. These two major companies are the only distribs operating theatres in this area and wanted an interpretation on their right to exhibit pix in their own flrstruns. The judge ruled they had to compete with the Goldman circuit for that privilege, It was not made clear how 20th and Warners could involve their own theatres in competitive bid- ding since the sale of films by ma- jor distrib to its theatre affiliat* is only a bookkeeping operation. Trade circles here were Interested to know whether the courts would supervise the bidding to guarantee the "reasonableness" of the af- • filiated theatres' ofCers. 3 WARNERS MEETING AGAIN ON THE COAST Major Albert Warner, who re- cently returned to his New York headquarters following Warner Bros, studio confabs, will return to the Coast about Dec. 13 for further .talks : on production and operating costs, the anti-trust suit and other problems. . Jack L. Warner, WB production chief, who has been seriously ill, is recuperating at Palm Springs and will be back in Hollywood in time for the meeting, as will Harry M. Warnei', prez of WB.> ' John Beck's British Pic John Beck, who will produce "Lorna Doone" in England in as- sociation with Edward Small, re- turned to New York from London i yesterday (Tuesday). He com- ' pletcd arrangements with J. Arthur , Rank for studio space at Pincwood i and discussed various other details. | : Production is expected to start i in the spring. ■ National Boxoffice Survey Thanksgiving Week Biz Soars — 'Baby,' 'Musketeers/ 'Hamlet,' 'Tatlock's,' 'Squadron,' 'Song' Pace Field One Way to Get Two Films for Price of One Hollywood, Nov. 30. Twentieth-Fox, by assigning the editing of its upcoming "Affairs of Adelaide" to two different film cut- ters,' now has two different versions on its hands and doesn't know, yet which one to use. "Adelaide"' was shot in England under the title of iportedly CP. SKOURAS JUST CANT STAND 'LIQUIDATION' Los Angeles, Nov. 30. With the pressure on to atomize the National Theatres circuit as a means of settling the Government anti-trust suit, Charles P. Skouras, head of NT, is comparing his posi- tion with that of Winston Churchill when the latter was British Prime Minister^ Paraphrasing Churchill's famous wartime statement "that he wasn't chosen the King's minister to preside, over the liquidation of the British Empire," Skouras re- has told intimates the "Britannia Mews." jsame thing concerning his circuit. British film editor Richard Best Skouras, it's said, prefers the sale handled one version in England ; or separation of the circuit Intact and 20th, meanwhile, had assigned the Job to another here. Best ar- rived with his print last week. Twentieth brought Best over to sit in on the job to Insure the proper overseas touches in the film. to breaking it up in segments, with 20th-Fox retaining a chunk of tlie remains. He is strongly op- posed to liquidation of the . circuit, built up painfully over the course of years. With plenty of new product around, firstrun theatre biz soared Thanksgiving week, making it the sharpest upbeat this fall in most; key cities covered by Variety, Fact that the two top-running pic- tures will split more. than $1,000,- 000 gross between them this week; is the tipoff on how attendance surged forward. "Baby Smiles At Me" (20th) is finishing in first place nationally, with nearly $560,000 in 19 rep- resentative key spots. "Three Musketeers" (M-G) is not far be- hind with about $485,000 in 18 keS: cities. Both hung up .fine marks, "Baby" being Denver ace and. get- ting the biggest money of any hou.se: this week in N,. Y., with smash $150,000 in eight days at I the Roxy. "Musketeers" is leadr I ing in Baltimore, St. Louis and. i big to smash in numerous spots. Third place goes to "Hamlet" I (U), witli capacity biz- in most of ' 11 key cities now current. "Tat- lock's Millions" (Par) is a close fourth' trade ranging from good to sock in some 14 keys. "Fighter Squadron" (WB) is' winding up in fifth despite a couple of mild sessions and one barely okay one. "Song Is Born''. (RKO) is moving up thiji round to sixth slot. "Red River" (UA), big f or .- weekSj . still is showing enough- this stanza to :cop seventh money. "June Bride" (WB) rounds out the leaders in eighth position, Pacing the runner-up films is "Rogues' Regiment" (U), on basis of Us great showing in four cities. Others in this class finished as follows: "Station West" (RKO), "Johnny Belinda" (WB), "Sealed Verdict" (Par), "Red Shoes" (EL) and ".Tulia Misbehaves" (M-G). "Boy With Green Hair" (RKO) and "He Walked By Night" (EL) shape as the most promising new- comers aside from "Regiment" which already has shown real strength, "Green Hair" is big in Boston and fancy in Cleveland, first two pl;iyda(e,s. "Walked By Night" looks like a sleeper, doing surprisingly sock biz on L A. tee- off. "3 Godfathers" (M-G) did well enough on its first playdate in Washington but a bit early to tell how it will fare nationally. "Man From Colorado" (Col) is disap- pointing in L. A. "Unfaithfully Yours" (20th) is in much the same category in St, Louis. "Snake Pit" (20th) continues socko in N, Y. on fourth week. {Complete Boxoffice Reports on Pages 8-9) Trade Mark RcffiKtoi'Pd rurN'DUl) -BY SIMTJ SILVWrniAM I'll III iilicd tVrokl.r by VARIETY, Inc. SlU^ Rllvc.rinan,. Presiflcnt ' 154 West 4Cth St.,. Ncw .Yot-li 10, N, r. Ifollyu'oiiil 28 ' :: .: '6311 YuCQti .Street e WiiMlilllKtoil 4 .1292 Katlmioi Pi'fBs BulWlng .,■ ■ ' Chlcftfro ,1 .■ . ■ 300 Nri. Michigan' Ai'a;' London \\C3.' . '; ».:st.,, lairtlii's .i"!.,; 'rra'faiKa;r..;S(]. , : SCB.SCniPTIO.N- Annual. SIO . Foreign, .111 SfnBia CoDleB , 26 Centn Vol. 172 No. 13 INDEX Bills 47 Chatter 54 Film Reviews 11 House Reviews . .: . : . . . , . 47 Inside Legit , ... 52 Inside Pictures 18 Inside Radio 34 Inside "Television 31 International 13 Legitimate 49 Literati 53 Music 37 New Acts 48 Night Club Reviews 48 Obituaries .... 55 Orchestras 37 Pictures 3 Radio 22 Radio Reviews 24 Records 40 Frank Scully 53 Television 27 Television Reviews 30 Vaudeville 45 IlMI.V VAIIIKTY .'(PuVitflhed it) HdUywootl lially Variety, lAA.) f lo .a...year~.|20l'. Forctun . WMlnetday, December 1, 1948 Par Dissolviiie Gant M&P Chain In New England; Pinansld Buys Some, Mullin Supervising Par's Holdings Boston, Nov. 30. Needled by the Government anti- trust action, the giant Mullin & Plnanski chain, a Paramount af- filiate, is reported about to be dis- solved under an agreement reached by Par with its New England part- ners. Under.stood a division of the more than 100 theatres betvi^een Sam Pinanslci at;id Paramount would be effected by Jan. l. Brealc- ups of other eiremts owned Jointly by Par. and outside interests in the New England states are being negotiated at the present, time, ac- . cording to reliable reports. Understood that Pinanslti will take over operation of approximately 60 houses scattered through Connecti- cut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Ver- moQt. Par •vtiW relinquish its en- tire interest in these theatres. On the other hand, Par will take the balance of some 40 houses. Un- der the terms of the tentative deal, : Plnanski would part company with Martin J. Mullin. Latter would supervise operation of the Para- mount holdings after the breakup. Mullin formerly was an execu- tive with Par until he moved Into Joint operation of the theatres with Pinanski. His personal interest in the existing M & P. circuit is said to be small. Preliminary to Others' The dissolution agreement is the first major step by Par in ending Its partnership tieups. To date, the company has broken up a few toint holdings in individual houses lut has not .severed the ties on a large-scale basis.? Action in New England is considered only a pre- U.S. in Mood to Dicker Washington, Nov. 30. Justice Department will give "serious consideration to any consent decree proposal" from a Big Five defendant "as good as the RKO deal," according to Department spokesmen. Like- lihood is that such a proposi- tion will be accepted with little waste of time. It is felt that any such pro- posal, percentage-wise, must provide for the same proper-, tion ■■ of divestiture as- In . the RKO decree. Otherwise, say the Justice Department spokes- men, the defendant companies . would not be offering enough. ■ A Paramount: official was in town last Friday to confer with Herbert Bergsoni assistant at- ^ torney-general In charge of the '■ Anti-Trust Division. Howeverj nothing definite developed. Nevertheless the Paramount^ situation is regarded' here as a good possibility for private settlement. See No Tax Refief Washington, Nov. 30. Rep. Robert L. Doughton (D.* N.C.), who will head up the Ways & Means Committee in the next Congress, ofl'crcd little hope of tax reduction in the early part of the 80th Congress. Doughton, in whose committee all tax legislation must originate, said no new tax bill can be drafted until after the Presi- dent's budget and revenue esti- I mates are received and studied. He fell some i-evisions may be in order in the excises, including the fleld of communications and luxuries, but did not disclose whether this might mean reduction of the 20% admission tax. EL SeUs Completed Screenplay to M-G Hollywood, Nov.* 30. Eagle Lion last week sold a comr pleted screenplay to Metro after a decision by proxy Arthur Krim House Group Considers Divorcement Proposal, Special Trust Courts Washington, Nov. 30. House Small Business Commit- tee, shaping up its report to Con- gress, is seriously considering a recommendation for legislation, to: separate ret;(iling . from manufac-' turing in severaMines of industry,: Including motion pictures. This, of course, would call for complete divorcement of theatres from pic studios. Also likely to be recom- mended to Congress is creation of special anti-trust ' courts, such , as recently suggested to the commit'- tee by Abram F. Myers, chairman of the board and general counsel of the Allied States Exhibitors. Committee may also urge Con- gress to consolidate the Federal Trade Commission and the anti- trust division of the Justice De- partment into a separate new Fed- eral department headed by a man of Cabinet rank. Such a. step would deprive Justice: Dept. of its 'Julia,' 'Belinda,"Song,' Hed River' And 'June l^e' Ti^ 5 Nov. Grossers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. November'* Big Dozen "Julia" Misbehaves" (M-G). "Johnny Belinda" (WB). "Song Is Bom " (RKO). "Red River" (UA). ".Tune Bride" (WB). "Road House" (20th). "Hamlet" (U). "Sealed Verdict" (Par).' "Kiss Blood" (U). "Baby Smiles at Me" (20th:), "Apartment Peggy" t20tH). "Thousand Eyes" (Par). 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. •f "Julia Misbehaves" (M-G) pushed ; ahead In the riational 'bbkotftce ' parade to beCotne first-place ■ win- ner in- i^oveiaiber, according to re- ports froiti Vabiety cbrresporiilents in some 22 key cities; Tlie Greer Gari5on»W«ltei;»: Pldgieon comedy storter >«is aiiaort^ the leaders I every ont of the four weeks cqv- 1 ered for the month, winding up Hast week: -as flist'place winner 1 Not only did " Jdlia" tally nearly $700,000 in the four Weeks cove^red by Variety, but it was uniformly sock .' to' big : in hearly ev,!6iry ..city. • . . Second pbisition went to "Jo^n- : nj^ Belinda" (WB). This \pictui'e w;as jiist 'a stfeft ' ahead of ■"Julia" in October; Both pictures were among theVtop four in the October sweep- stakes. "Song Is Born" 'RKO) wound up in third slot by a healthy margin while "Red River" < u A >, also big in October, copped fourth. Fifth place was taken by "June Bride" (WB), indicating a strong comeback by Bette Davis after a couple of disappointing vehicles. Sixth best was "Road House" (20th). which came out of nowhere to rack up strong showings three oiit of four weeks. . ■■■.■■■,■:■..:;■.; ■.,:■.■'■■ •"Hamlet" (U) made enough im- pression at the boxoffice to cap- ture seventh money. "Sealed Ver- theatres circuit of 26 houses, all In { diet" (Par) wound i^p in cij^hth Wisconsin. Deal is close : to the i place, making solid showings only Gamble Adding 26 Wis. Theatres Ted Gamble, board chairman of the Theatre Owners of America, is piecing together a mid-western chain which he hopes to build up to 70 or so strategically located houses. . Gamble is currently nego- tiating for control of the Standard i ture seventh money inlung stage. / ; two weeks of the month. "Kiss TO A official now owns nine Blood Oft Hands" (U), not so big houses in the midwest which he ac- j in N. Y., did well enough in the quired last year .by purchase of the ~ Monarch cii*Cuit. Reportedly, if he closes for Standard; Gamble largest branch, and doubtless I the midwest group, would be fought hard by the I ..""^^"^ ,^oyne, erstwhile President . | director of TOA, recently went into The Sriiall Business Committee • »ssociation with Gamble, feels also: that Congress keys to take ninth spot. "When Baby Smiles At Mc" fZOth), just getting started as the will sell his 12-theatre circuit in [ month was nearing the end, wound Oregon and concentrate on adding ; up in 10th place. "Apartment For should that the budget would run beyond what he wanted to spend. Picture take the lead in forcing stricter ru/^i Illin Mill I C liminary to ending its arrangement I is "Border Incident" (formerly ; enforcement of the cease-and-de- ' nXM LliuLUnU iTlULLij In approximately 1.100 partnership "Border Patrol"), which was sist orders, and should order the houses throughout the country. : | planned, by EL as successor to its i publicizing of the profits made by In this regard, it is reported here ' highly profitable "T-Men." Metro the various branches of each large that Par is already dickering with paid $50,000 for the shooting script industry. Thus, if the production « syndicate headed by Joseph P. i ""^ all rifihls. ' end was making profits out of Kennedy which shares ownersliip ! Yarn was prepared by John C. ^n? with those earned by the re PICTURE IN ENGLAND Ron Englund. film and r n d id scripter, is currently mulling a proposition to write and produce a with Par in some 40 theatres of the , Higgins, with an assist from dirrc- tailers, some action might be taken Picture m iingland under the ban- . " ■ ■' ■ ner of British producer Anthony Havelock-AUan, former associate of J. Arthur Rank. . Under the pro- posed deal, Havelock-Allan would bankroll the entire production for full European and British empire Maine-New Hampshire circuit. Un- , lor Anthony Mann. They are the promptly by the government to in- derstood, the company is offering 1 same pair who did "T-Men," which vestigate. Kennedy the opportunity of buying ' was made for EL release by Ed- 1 ■ — •ut Par's interest. | ward Small tor about $425,000. ' [^YQJ^j^ WANTS COMMISH Peggy" (20th) finished 11th, while exec i "Night Has Thousand Eyes" i Par) rounded out the top 12 boxoffice champs. Best runner-up pictures were "Blood on Moon" (RKO\ ' Miss Tatlock's Millions" (Par). "Rope" (WB). "Station West" iRKO) and "Southern Yankee" (M-G). 'Pompeli'-'She' Sock Dual The 'amazing strength shown by the reissue combo of "Last ,Da.VS Of Pompeii" (RKO) and "She" I Continued on page 20) Budget on "Border Incident" was i JOE SCHENCK STILL KEEN ON CAL. THEATRES Hollywood, Nov. 30. Joseph M. Schenck. 20th-Fox •tudio exec, is still keeping thealmer, who liad previously re- S laced Schuessier. Piazza has no eflnite plans. ' Salary to Top Names ' lias asserted to Par that he still represeni:s Woolrich and will tie up Hollywood, Nov. 30. j the new book by legal claims if liLs ; In an effort to cut costs and still ; commission is not paid. Lvonis and maintain quality and marquee lure, i Woolrich have no written contract. Bill Nassour is offering top stars | According to Par, it received a percentage deals ranging from 10 copy of the book from Lyons six to 30%-, plus salary. 1 weeks after it had already acquired Abbott & Costello are reported- ■ one at a Broadway bookstore, fol- ly getting 30% plus salary for lowing publication by Lippincott. "Africa Screams," now lensing for* United Artists release. Financing deseribed: as "adequate," was ar^ ranged by Nassour. tlirough Bank of America. , . v Oct. Admish Taxes Off Washington. Nov. 30. . October Federal . admission tak collections, based mainly on Sept. biz at the boxoffice, were sliairply off. dh the basis of figureis re- leased Sunday <28) by the Bureau of internal Revenue. Cagneys Fold N.Y. Office ' The 20% admissions bile netted ' Cagney Productions (William ' $32,136,111, contrasted with $37,- »nd James) has shuttered its New ' 743,023 for the same month of York office, except for one secre- ' 1947. The tax collection ba.sed on tar.y. Peggy Bleaklev, eastern rep ' the August, 1948, boxoffice busi- and story ed, who had been with ■ ness was a boff $35,933,211, so the outfit for the past five years, | that the drop for September was was pinkslipped last week in the a dizzy $3,800,000. interest of economy. \ About 80% of these taxes are Cagney's last indie production, ' estimated to come from motion "Time of Your Life," Is now wind- pictures. Remainder blankets the Ing up its release via United i field from legit through sports. Artists. J dance halls, etc, Byrnes' Boner? Washington, Dee. 30. Another casualty of the re- cent Presidential elections may be 20th-Fox's settlement nego- tiations in the Government anti-trust -Siuit. If so, it will be due to a reported boner pulled by former Secretary of State James F. Byrnes, who is now acting as attorney for 20th. Byrnes, it's said, nixed a pre- election request to go on the air with Mrs. Eleanor Roose- velt in a trans-Atlantic broad- cast, for candidate Harry Truman. Byrnes reportedly : told Democratic Party officials he "couldn't possibly spare the time." Now, it's said, U. ;S. Attorney General Tom Clark, a hot "Truman, supporter, has relayed a message to Byrnes , that he can't spare thei time for vis-a-vis ' huddles on the case. L. A. to N. Y. Lucille Ball ' Chris Beute Lucille Bremer Arthur Godfrey Nadine" Conner - M'^rton Tiowney ■■. John Garrity Paul Graetz Coleen Gray Louis Hayward Edith Head Henry Herbel .Tack Kapp Arthur Kennedy Mervyn LeRoy Al Lichtman Viveca Lindfors Moyna MacGill Marie McDonald : . • Gar Moore Ona Munson Pat O'Brien Pat O'Herlihy Victor Pahlen Herbert Silverberg Robert Sinclair Ebe Stignani ■ James Vaughn Europe to N. Y. Dolores Del Rio Doris Doree Arthur Homblow, Jr. Martita. Hunt Richard Korn N. Y. to L. A. Barbara Bel Geddes Robert Benjamin Robert Colt Jack Durant Jacques Grinieff Joseph Hazen George Heller Henry Jaffe/ • George Jessel Fay Kanin Michael Kanin Arthur Kober Arthur Krim Eddie: Mannix Mercedes McCambridge Kenneth McKeima Al J. Neiburg Hermes Pan Gradwejl Sears iMarvin Schenck : George Vitales N. Y. to Europe Katherine Cornell Harry Green Kay Harrison Vic Hyde . Morgan Hudgins Fifi Hylton Alexander Ince Ben Lyon Gerald M. Mayer :Ella Raines . ■ " ' Henry Sherek . Mrs. Vincent Sherman Xamara ToiJimanova Mrs. Maurice Winnick Hyman Zahl Wednesday, Depeniber 1, 1^4$,, nCTIJRIIS MPEA FUTURE STILL UP IN AIR Allied in N.O. Conv. Takes in Plenty, From Errant Stars to Terms and Tele New Orleans, Nov. 30. - -f Several hundred indepentlnnt ex- hibitors went on record here Mon: day (29) as favorintt a "get tough" policy with "misbehaving" film stars. The theatre owners, in a resolution adopted at 4;he opening session' of the Allied Stales Asso- ciation of Motion Picture Exhib- itors, called for disciplinary action against players who gain notoriety llirough misconduct. The exhibs want producers to ban players from screen appearances until the play- ers get acquittal in legal matters, or until they are exonerated by an industry committee in other cases. Tlie resolution held up hasehall's system lor disciplining players as ah example for: the industry. It said lliat producers have "failed to create machinery" to penalize •.errant film stars whose behavior has a '.'profound influence on pub- lic morals, manners and attitudes." Specifically, exhibitors asked tliat producers amend tlie code of production standards. Tlial sug- gested amendment would prevent actors guilty of oflienses or conduct sucli as; the production code con- demns- for inclusion In a picture, | from acting in any film thereafter j Until properly exonerated. ■Resolution was based on a pro- posal by Joseph P. Finneran, Franlvlin. Ind., exhibitor. Finne- raii's theory is that strong disci- plinary action within the industry is 111 order rather than an "ex- tensive advertising and exploita- tion program to divert attention fioni the faults of industry." C;oMvontion also censured dis^ tribu tors who have reissued pic- tures leaturing players involved in •candals lor the obvious purpose (Continued on page 16)- Exhibs as Pards New Orleans, Nov. 30; Allied conventioneers were/ given, the cue to a. new way of infiltrating intoi major com'^ pany setups so that tlieir criti- cism could bore from within. Leo Jone.s, Ohio exbib, sug- 'gested that exhibs buy film company stock en masse and make ' themselves partners in the big distribs. ' Jones' pro- ;posal won ..plaudits from hiS: listeners. "If 8,000 letttsr$ from exhibi- tors as stockholders go in to the companies . every week- don't you think we'd, get some action?" Jones wanted to know. He said .a letter written to his stockbroker inquiring, why Ivis own houses weren't sold 20th- Fox product was forwarded to Andy W. Smith, Jr., 20th's sales chief. SIMPP Waiting To Gose Araall Deal McCarthy, Mayer, In MPAA Moves Upping of John G. McCarthy to chief of the International division of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, transfer of Gerald A. Mayer to head the. European head- quarters in P^ris, and the naming of an assistant to Mayer there com- pleted major changes In the shuf- fle of MPAA execs occasioned by tlie recent resignation of the or- ganization's two Paris reps. Ad- ditions and switches in the .New York headquarters of the MPAA to provide McCarthy with an assist- ant and other help will complete the setup. Appointed to aid Mayer in Paris was Kiigene Van t)ee, former man- ager for the Motion Picture Ex- port Assn. in Poland. -He left Warsaw several months ago to meet his wife in London and has been unable to get back into Po- land. He reports to the MPAA headquarters in Paris next Mon- day 16). Mayer, whom McCarthy succeeds .as head of the international di- vision, -planes- to his new post in Paris tomorrow (Thursday). He Wil). replace Frank McCarthy, who has resigned as of Dec. 31 to, be- (Contintied on page 20) Ned Depinet's Rebuttal Spyros Skouras, prez of 20th-Fox, reportedly has sought to revive a proposal '. made by him some 12 months, back that the film companies -Slash salaries of high-echelon execs. Skouras, it's said, raised the point anew at-a meeting of company presidents last week caJled to search out economy measures. Skouras' proposal was met by a quip from Ned E, Depinet, head of RKO, who cracked: "That's strange, coming from you, Spj ros. You just hired an , advertising man who gets a biRRor salary than I do." No action . was tajcen on the Skouras suggestion. - Hollywood, Nov. 30. Answer was still being awaited tills week by the Society of Inde- pendent Motion Picture Producers from Ellis Arnall on whether the former Georgia, governor will ac- ^ cept the presidency of the organ- 1 ization. Post, from which Donald ' Nelson resigned last January, was oflt!ered to Arnall following an in- terview he had with SIMPP mem-: bers on the. Coast two weeks ago. No hard and fast deal was made with Arnall pending his answer. Financial and other terms were talked with him. but final negotia- tions will only follow his definitely making up his mind that he wants Hie- post. He showed extreme inter- est in it when interviewed, but told SIMPP he had a number of personal matters pending, .the status of wliich he had to Investi-. gate before giving his answer; SIMPP has a lengthy checklist of other prospects for the job, in^ eluding Julius "Cap" Krug, Secre- tary of the Interim-, but has made no advances to any. of . them since talking to Arnall; Only other per- son it interviewed was Wayne Goy, chairman of the Federal Communi- cationg Commission. That was the week before confabbing with the former Georgia exec. It is understood that a $50,000 a year salary and expenses are being offered. CO.PREXIESTO iECIDE FATE Future of the Motion Picture Export Assn. will be determined at a. series of meetings to be. held in' New York next week. Prexies and foreign managers of the . 10 member-companies will determine at that time whether they will con? tinue operation; of the joint sales and distribution organization abroad after next summer. Contracts of the member-compa- nies with MPEA, vhich were signed for three-year periods, all expire between May and Septem- ber, 1949. If any of the top distrlbs refuses to renew in the 13 terri- tories serviced by the MPEA, the Association will undoubtedly fold and each .company will return to handling individually it^. sales and, distribution in those areas, .it is anticipated, however, that the organization, will be . continued in at least some, if; not all, of the countries where it now operates. Interest in keeping it alive is pri- marily directed at the Iron Curtain countries, where the film business is controlled by state monopolies. It is felt that better terms can be had through collective bargain- ing by the Americans with these centralized groups than could be obtained by individual companies. As . a matter of fact, the law un- der which the MPEA is organized, the Webb-Pomercne act, was prin- cipally designed to allow American industries to deal- collectively with foreign monopolies without being subject to U. S. anti-trust laws. : The state monopoly countries are Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Poland,- Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Russia. In' Occupied Countries : Whether MPEA will be con- tinued in the. occupied countries of Germany, Japan, Austria, and' (Continuted on page 16) UA Climbs Out of Red fith Over 400G Weekly Gross Smce Sept 1 Boycotting % New Orleans, Nov. 30. ; Boycott against percentagt picture . deals is spreading in the Iowa-Nebraska territory, Charles Niles, Iowa theatre m^n, disclosed here at the Na- tional Allied convention. Some 150 exhibs in that sector are operating today unde.r an agreement not to buy on per» centage; he said. Niles. is work- ing to bring the total to 300 -exhibs operating 340 houses. Except for 20th-Fox, all dis- tribs are. selling on flat deals in the area, Niles declared. ■f. United. Artists board was given the glad tidings at its session in New York Monday (29* that th« company has been operating in the black every week since Sept, 1. Prexy Grad Sears told the di- rectors he was gratified that UA was. one of the few "purely distri- : bution operations" that is turning a -prolit. Switch to the plus side of th« ledger followed a long series of un- profitable months that led to man- jpQWer changes, sharp slicing bf d^ erating ^qst^ and; mibves to hypo;- ^peed of pilayoff biE films. Big probv lem how facing the cohipiny com timies to. be; shortage. ;bf futur* prodiuct, whi<:h, has temipere.d any optirnisrh tliat Might be ;felt ; over profits of the past three months. : UA, for the iast four Week.'?! has had domestic bilUngs of more thaii- : $400,000 weekly, with two of Vism, faiir; Weeks. ■:s6arin UA 's distribntion fee 6i a bit. betrl ler than 25% on the films handled I during that period would mean its Lester Cowan-Mary Pickford ' was above $100,000 weekly, production of "Love Happy," star- iOP^'^^'"S expenses domestically Fresh B.R. Pushes Marx Bros.' UA Pic I i have been trimmed to around i$80i000 'Joan' Day-Date on B'way, 2d House Res'd Policy Fulton, N. y, will get a $2.40 weekday top for "Joan of Arc'', when the film opens a reserved seat, two-a-day engagement at the house Dec. 14, concurrently with its present grind run at the Vic- toria on Broadway. Matinee top will be $1 .80. Vic, ; with seven shows daily, is getting $1.80 top ; weekdays *nd $2.40 Saturdays and I Sundays. ■: ' . I Fulton, a legiler, is around the corner from the Victoria. Both are owned by City Investing Co. Ful- ton adds 768 seats to the Vic's 1,- 068 capacity llard-tickct run will be continued there as long as biz holds up. but pasteboards are cur- rently on sale for six weeks in ad- vance; Jump to four shows daily is expected during the Christmas^ New Year's holiday season. "Jpan" winds up its third week at the Vic tonight (Wed.) and has been doing near-capacity business: This will mark the Fulton's second effort at films, it having been used for J. Arthur Rank's "Black Nar- cissus" last year. Current legit attraction is "The Young and Fair/^ winch would require a new house if it catches on. ' Roux Color Process Pic Shows Promise in Paris Preem, Altho Not Ready Paris, Nov. 23. World preem of new Roux color process took place at the Madeline Theatre here, with opening of the run: of the Pagnol production, "Bell Meuniere" ("Pretty Miller"). Consensus of opinion is. that the process has. potentialities, but isn't' absolutely ready yet for the market. Location scenes, and water scenes, are unquestionably - far better than through any other processy but the color of the faces of the actors, especially in studio shots, varies considerably, at times deep red and at times pale yellow. The picture, starring crooner Tino Rossi and Jacqueline Bouvier, Marcel Pagnol's wife. Is unlikely for the U.S., not only, because of lack of interest there due to so many stories of Schubert's loves I having been done; before,, but be- I cause the process requires a special ! attachment - to: be placed on the projection machine. This might be done in a sure-seater where , the picture might play as an oddity, (Continued on page 16) been Howard Hawks' "Red River," which has been doing excellently at the b.o. and will hit more than a $4,000,000 gross. Likewise accohnt- ing for some of the intake hav« been "Innocent Affair" (Nasser), and "Pitfall" (Bischoff), with J. Arthur Rank's "Henry V" still con- (Continued on: page 48) ; - ring the Marx -Bros., which ground . nnn , i . • - .. to a stop when the producers ran '*8"v?«» 7^^"^: ^^.Sfnnn ^'^u^ out of coin a couple weeks ago, will ' P' ^'^^ '"'^e of about $20 000 1 his go back into work as result Of a '*^, ent'ouragmg although the sur- loan negotiated by United Artists P'"'; '? sufficiently large to put riflicials in New York, chemical : fnyl'^'^S '?''^«hj)y for future weeks Bank, N. Y., has agreed to advance I '"^^ , ^ - $75,000 for completion of the pro- 1 , Accoimting substantially for th« duction. Papers are now being P''''V')'->"'n?S-"n«e Sept, 1, has drawn. -Bank is taking as ; security for the loan a lien on the negative of Cowan's "G. I. Joe;" which was originally released in 1945 by UA and is figured to have considerable residual value left. To repay the loan, UA has agreed to reissue the film late in Januai'y or early Febmary. - It will be- coupled for re-release with William ■ Cagney's "Blood on the Sun," the two pix ■sharing equally in : the receipts. UA is hoping for a gross of $600,000 to $800,000 on tlie dual re-^ issue bill. . Cowan, who is the active pro- ducer of "Love Happy," has com- pleted the camerawork, but has; been stymied- by^ lack of coin on scoring, 'dubbing and the other steps to : final completion. He is understood to have exceeded by about $75,000 the original budget of $950,000, which is the cause of his dilTiculty. Arrangements are (Continued on page 16) Aghew-Casanave Form Film Sales Rep Org Neil F. Agnew and Charles L. ?ompeii'-'She' To AddSOOGforRKO Dusting off of two 15-year-old pictures, "Last Days of Pompeii" and "She," likely will mean $500,'- 000 gross for RKO, based on whbt these reissues have done in several test key city dates, Because of . the limited outlay for distribution costs and bally, much of this total : is actual net for the company. Aside from swelling RKO's rev- enue from distribution, th^ strong:, showing of "Pompeii" and "She** at the Palace, N. Y., Is expected to go far in setting the future policy for the house. It also has definita- iy contradicted some skeptics who Casanave announced y.sterday Contended that the Palace was on { Tuesday) that hey are joining [ ^ ^^^^ ^^e street. Use of forces in a film sales representative | j.^j.^^.^.^ Joe Hazen West to Sign New Wallis-Par Contract Joseph H. Hazen, co-partner, with Hal Wallis in the latter s produc- tion unit, planed Coaiitward yester- day (Tues.), reportedly to ink final papers :,renewing:his- company's re- leasing deal with Paramount, Under terras of the new contract; major company will handle the next 12 pix turned out by Wallis, Previous pact which expired re^ cently also covered a dozen features. Windup to negotiations, expected this week, follows protracted dlck- erirtgs by Wallis and Ha/.en with Par toppers Barney Balaban, Henry : Ginsberg and Y. Frank Freeman j Walli'. and Hazen have created a I new corporation to turn out the I projected productions. organization. New outfit. Motion Picture Sales Corp., will represent producers, directors, artists, banks "and others having a financial in- terest in motion pictures released through national distiributing com- panies," it was staled. '; Agnew, who is prexy of the new outfit, was formerly prez of Selz- nick Releasing Organi'zatlon and. before that was v.p. in charge of distribution for Paramount. Casa- nave, who will be exec v,p. and treasurer, was formerly v.p. of Na- tional iScreen Service and was , In " the motion picture biz for ' many years in various capacities. He Is currently head of the Fred Astaire I Dance Studios. j Casanave , said that the outfit . would have vfive. or six. men in the ' field, as well as a staff in New York, ;lo approve exhibition contracts for 'indie producers and to either inili- |ate or be on hand for the' closing i of all important .circuit deals by a Idistrib for an indie producer's pie. I Several deals with Indies are now being negotiated, it: was said. ' Casanave disclosed. that he and Ag-: new are also talking with a bank that has money invested in a "problem" picture and may repre- sent the ln,slitulion in aiding it to I get its money out. J,ikewisp ;mpSC's service will be offered to I players witii participating interests [in a filnr to help them get the maxi- Iraum coin out of tlie pi'oduct. trial policy by the RKO theatre department when It took over op- eration of the house. It has proved a highly profitable one for both: these two oldies as well as the re- issue combo of "Angels With Dirty Faces" and "Drive by Night" prov- ed clicks. ■:,■..'■■' ... ' - "Pompeii" and "She" played to 110.61 1 . people in the first four weeks at the Palace and grossed $89,000. Combo is staying over four days in the: fifth week,, mak- ing five weekends the pair has played at this house. ;The:two films were: so old that RKO had allowed it to go out in 16m, which permitted it to go into the so-called church and school field. Tough Opposish Now that the run of "Last Days of Pompeii" and "She" has been nearly completed at the Palace, N.Y., it's revealed that "Pompeii" was playing at free admission In a church not far from the theatre the we^ this pair teed off at the the- atre. "Pompeii," in 16m, was being shown at New Church, 3.5tli Street and Madison Ave- and advertised as beinil '•ior free" the same time is was running with "She" at the Pal- ace lor nearly $1 top. .1:.' Wednesday, December 1, 1948 ■■ i 0 0 /"c^(//l ;!""iy ""9 I ft!!'"' «'/> . V Of V cofl,.^. 'J ">on 0,.* So f^f^'>. • Weilnrscluy. DeconiLcr I, 1918 ■ Hi Miss Tatlock's Millions DREW ONE OF THE FIVE BIGGEST THANKSGIVINO DAY GROSSES IN THE 22-YEAR HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK PARAMOUNT "You'll laugh fit to bust a girdle. Charlt-s Btackcrt, a movie author who is master of the serious fihn, The Lost Weekend,' oi the miithfulK • impudent 'A Foreign Affair' has turned on the cliarm of the latter mood full bl.isi. The whole company has applied itself to the task of laying the audience in the aisles." —Altm C()oky fForU-Teieg/am "A picture made just fW fan. It hasn't a purpose in the world exce;pt to pi-ovide laughs* Frantic and funny farce. , ^ thoroughly entertaining. Haydn and Brackett have made a hilarious movie in a coqkeyed mood." "Amifsmg Situationi Cofnplicatipns are many and funny." —:KmCammnit>mfy-Nems tiactriC Vitil amuseiiteilt. Hilarious . . . unusual . . . elegant nonsense. Far more thfin a con- ventional Hollywood offering. A generally delightful entertainment," — //fltC'<2/)j/ Barnes, Herald-Tribune "WHI win an award front the cash customers. A delighr- fui piece of whimsy . . . right on the beam. Rick in laughs. You're in for a good time." — Lee Murjtimcr, Mirror **Aotfo« Is fast, the fun is fast and the xs\m\t gets ; good belly laughs ottt of everything it touches, ' ' amul- . -r- Seventeen '■ PICTVnE GROSSES 'Baby Bright $68,000, LA.; 'Squadron' 71G, % Night' a Sleeper, Fast 41G, TatlodV Nice 35G, 'Colorado' 32G Los Angeles, Nov. 30. Another bokoffice upsurge is in- ticated this week, with "Baby miles at Me" pacing the firstruns with a swell $68,000 in five the- atres: A real surprise entry is "He wallced By Night" which is land- ing a sock $41,000 in, five houses, many of them small-seaters. , It's big enough to liold, and likely to top "T-Men" money here. "Fighter Squadron" is forging ahead to fine $71,000 or near in 10 d.iys at three Warner showcases. 'Tatlock's $35,000 in Millions" shapes nice two Paramount houses; Men From Colorado," new out in keys, is disappointing $32,000 or tetter in two spots, staying only i days. "Rogues' Regiment" still is good at $26,000 in, second week, five spots. "Three Musketeers" is •well at $41,000 or better in three situations, second frame. "Red River" looks fast $18,500 in four spots, seventh round. "Hamlet" continues sturdy at $15,500 In fifth session. Estiinates for This Week Belmont (FWC) (1,532; 60-$l)— "He Walked By Night" (EL) and "Indian Agent" (RKO). Nice $4,- tOO or near. Last week, "Belle tarr's Daughter" (20th) and "Ap- pointment With Murder" (FC) (2d wk-6 days), fair $1,300. Beverly Hills Music Hall (G&S- Prin-Cor) (834; 85-$l) ~ "Red River" (UA) (7th wk). Strong $3,- eOO. Last week, nice $3,700. Carttaay Circle (FWC) (1,518; 60- »l).^'%hen Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Parole, Inc." (EL). Boil $9,- 600. Last week, "Road House" (20th) and "Money Madness" (FG) f2d wk-a days), okay $4,000. Chinese (Grauman-WC) (2,048; 60-$l) — "When Baby Smiles" <20th) and "Parole, Inc." (EL). Sock 114,500. Last week, "Road House' - (20th) and "Money Miad- (2d: wk-8 days), good ness" (FC) $7,500. Culver (FWC) (1,145; 60-$l)— - "Walked By Night" (EL) and "In- dian Agent'^ (RKO). Good $5,500. Last week, , "Starr's Daughter" (20th) and "Appointment Murder" (FC) (2d wk-6 days), mild $1,800. Downtown (WB) (1,757; 60-$l)— "Fighter , Squadron" (WB) (10 days). Okay $29,000. Last week, "June Bride" (WB) (2d V|ik-4 days), $6,200. Downtown Music Hall (Prin-Cor) (902; 85-$l) — "Red River" (UA) (7th wk). Pleasing $9,500. Last wei^k, good $9,800. Egyptian (FWC) (1,538; ■60-$l)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d wk). fwell $10,000. Last week, swell 13,700. EI Rey (FWC) (861; 60-$l) — "Walked By Night" (EL) and "Indian Agent" (RKO). Sweet $4.- BOO. Last week, "Starr's Daughter," .(20th) and "Appointment Murder" (FC) (2d wk-6 days) slow $1,400. Esquire (Rosener) (685; 85-$1.20) — "One Night With You" (U) (9 days). Gke $2,500. La.st week, "Mine Own Executioner" (Indie) (2cl \vk-5 days), $1,700. Four Star (UA-WC) (900; $1.20- 2.40) — "Hamlet" (U) (5th wk). I ne $1 5,500. Last Week, fine $15,- ,■50, Guild (FWC) (968; 60-$l) . "Rogues' Regiment" (U) and "Bun- t alow 13". (20th) (2d wk) 2.500., Last week, Sweet $6,100 Hawaii (G&S - Prin - Cor) (1,106; 8.'5-$l)— "Red River" lUA) (7th wk). Nice $3,500. Last week, strong "■'$3'90'Ol Hollywood (WB) (2,756; 60-$l)— "Fighter Squadron" (WB) (10 days). Good $20,000. Last week, "June Brule" (WB) (3d wk-4 days\ slid to .$6,800. : : Hollywood Music Hall (Prin-Cor) (612; 85)— "Red River" (UA) (7th vk). Down to $2,000. Last week, ckay $2,400. Iris (FWC) (828; 60-85)— "Rogues' Regiment" (U) and "Bungalow 13" (20th) (2d wk). Off to $3,000. Last week, fine $5,700. Laurel 'Rosener) (890; 85) — "F.'inny" (Indie) (8 days). Nice $3,- SOO. Last week, "Room Upstairs" (Indie) (2d wk-6 days), fair $1,900. Loew's State (Loews-WC) (2.404; 60 -$1) — "Baby Smiles at Me" (20th) and "Parole, Inc." (EL). Fine $24,000. Last week, "Road House'? (20th) and "Money Madness" (FC) (2d wk-8 days), a b o v e hopes at $16,600. Los Angeles (D'town-WC) (2.097; «0-$l)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d wk). Fine $21,000. Last week, •mash $33,500. Loyola (FWC) (1.248; 60-$l) — "Baby Smiles at Me" (20th) and "Parole, Inc." (EL). Grapd $9,000. Last Vfcek, "Road House" (20th) and "Money Madness" (FC) (2dwk- 8 days), okay $5,500. Million Dollar (D'town) (2,093; 50-85) — Back to subsequent - run. Last week, "Out of Storm" (Rep) and "Smuggler's Cove" (Mono) (2d runs) with Joe Lutcher orch, others, on stage, slightly below average $8,900. Orpheum (D'town-WC) (2,210; 60-$l)— "Walked by Night" (EL) and "Indian Agent" (RKO). Sock $21,500. Last week, "Starr's Daugh- ter" (20th) and "Appointment Mur- der" (FC) (2d wk-6 days), mild $6,- 300. Pantages (Pan) (2,812; 60-$l)— "Man From Colorado" ■ (Col) and "Manhattan Angel" (Col) (8 days). Not so big $15,000. Last week, "Song Is Bom" (RKO) and "Body- guard" (RKO) (3d wk-6 days), $8,- 000. Paramount (F&M) (3,398; 60-$l) —"Tatlock's Millions" (Par) and "Disaster" (Par). Fine $18,000. .Last week, "Velvet Touch" (RKO) and"Homicide for Three'' (Rep) (2d wk), dour $8,600. Paramount Hollywood (F&M) (1,- 451; 60-$l>— "TaUock's Millions" (Par). Solid $17,000. Last week, "Velvet Touch" (RKO) (2d wk) aftd "Homicide Three" (Rep), weak $6,- 600. RKO Hillstreet (RKO) (2,890; 60- 80)— "Man Colorado" (Col) and "Manhattan Angel" (Col) (8 days): Fair $17,000 only or near. Last week, "Song Is Bom" (RKO) and "Bodyguard" (RKO) (3d wk-6 days), $8,300. Ritz (FWC) (1,370; 60-$l)— "Rogues' Regiment" (U) and "Bun- galow 13" (20th) (2d wk). Strong $7,000. Last week, fine $8,900. Studio City (FWC) (880; 60-$l)— "Rogues' Regiment" (U) and "Bun- galow 13" (20th) (2d wk). Neat $4,- 500. Last week, nice $,'>,700. United Artists (UA) (2,100; 60-$l) •^"Rogues' Regiment" : (Ul and "Bungalow 13" (20th) (2d wk). Solid $10,000. Last week, soi-k $19,000. Uptown (FWC) (1,719; 60-$l)— "Baiby Smiles at Me" (20th) and "Parole Inc." (EL). Great $11,000 or near. Last week^ "Road House" (20th> and "Money Madness'' (FC) (2d wk-8 Bays), oke $4,700. Vogue (FWC) (885; 60-85)— "Walked by Night" (EL) and "In- dian Agent" (RKO): Fine $5,000. Last week, "Starr's Daughter" (20th) and "Appointment Murder" (FC) (2d wk-6 days) weak $2,200, ' Wilshire (FWC) (2,296; 60-$l>-V "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d wk>. Sturdy $10,500. Last week, great $17,700. Wiltera (WB) (2,300; 60-$l)-- VFighter Squadron" (WB) (10 days). Fine $22,000. Last week, "June Bride" (WB) (3d wk-4 days), $6;- 950- 'StaHon' Solid fl5,000, Baff/Musketeers' 226 Bufialo, Nov, 30. "Three Musketeers" is standout here this week at Lakes. "Station West" looks very good at Century. Estimates for This Week Buffalo (Shea) (3,500; 40-70)-- "Tatlock's Millions" (Par) and "Leather Gloves" (Col). Fine $18,000. Last week, "June Bride' (WB), $12,500. Great Lakes (Shea) (3,400; 40-70) — "Three Musketeers" (M-G). Great $22,000 or near. Last week, "Julia Misbehaves" (M-G) (2d wk), $12,000. Hipp (Shea) (2,100; 40-70) — "Julia Misbehaves" (M-G) (m.o.). Nice $8,000 for third downtown week. Last week, "Cry of City" (20th) and "Bungalow 12" (20th), solid $13,000. Teck (Shea) (1,400; 40-70)— "Cry of City" (20th) and "Bungalow 13" (20th) (m.o.). Good $4,500. Last week, "I'll Be Seeing You" (SRO) and "Intermezzo" (UA) (reissues), $3,500. Lafayette (Basil) (3,000; 40-70)— "Return of October" (Col) and "Old Los Angeles" (Rep). Okay $13,000 or bit better. Last week, 'Love of Mary" (U) and "Open Secret" (E-L), $7,000. 20th Century (20th Cent.) (3,000; 40-70)— "Station West" (RKO) and "Jinx Money" (Mono). Trim $15,- 000. Last week, "Hollow Triumph" (EL) and "Mickey" (EL), $10,000, Wgdnc wiay, Pcccmher 1, 19 48 'Green Hair' Trim $28,000, Hub Preem; 'Musketeers Lusty 44G, TatlockV 30G Key City Grosses Estimated Total Gross This Week $3,530,000 (Based on 25 cities, 217 theotrcs, chiefly prst run?, in- cluding N. y.). .Total Gross Same Week Last Year .. .. $3,577,000 (Based on 23 cities, 230 theatres i . 'Song' Rousing $25,000 In Frisco; 'Musketeers' 34G, 'Stampede' Nice7C ■ San Francisco, Nov. 30i Despite a big football .schedule here, the long holiday weekend boosting biz generally all over town, this stanza. "Song Is Born," socko at the Golden Gate, and "Three Okay I Musketeers," huge at the Warfield are current ^standouts. "Northwest Stampede" shapes nice at the Es- quire: while "Hamlet" soared above its second week's business on third week via extra shows at the Stage- door. Estimates for This Week Golden Gate (RKO) (2,844; 60^95) — "Song Is Born" (RKO) and "Guns of Hate" ( RKO) . Socko $25 ,000. Last week, "Blood On Moon," (RKO) and "PalOoka Winner Take All" (Mono) (2d wk), fine $15,500. Fo.T (FWC) (4,651; fi0-95)~"Road House" (20th) and "Creeper" (20th) (2d wk). Down to thin $11,500 in 5 days. Last week, stout $25,000. Warfield (FWC) (2,656; 60-85)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G). Ter- rific $34,000 or over. Last week, "June Bride"^ (WB) and "Homicide for Three" (Rep) (2d wk), okay $12,500. Paramount (Par) (2,646; 60-85)— - "Sealed Verdict" (Par) and "Isn't It Romantic" (Par). Nice $17,000 or close. Last week, ''Johnny Belinda" (WB) (3d wk), big $14,500. St. Francis (Par) (1,400; 60-85)— "Johnny Belinda" IWB) (m.o ). Solid $9,000. Last week, "Let's Live Little" (EL) (2d wk), $7,500. Orpheum (No. Coast) '2,448; 55- 85)— "Man From Colorado" (Col) , and "Leather Gloves" (Col). Fine , $18,000 or better, Last week, "Kiss J (Continued on page 18) | M|ds.PerldngU|i, 'Eyes' $14000 Minneapolis, Nov. 30. After long biz slump here, the boxoffice is taking a big spurt all along line currently. Boxoffice was helped by favorable weather with usual tilt holiday week. There's only a trio . of major newcomers: "When Baby Smiles at Me," "Night Has Thousand fiyes" and "Station West." AH . have won praise with "Eyes" doing especially well: Estimates for This Week Century (Par) (1,600; 50-70)— "Johnny Belinda" (WB) (3d wk). Still great with $9,000: Last week, good $8,000. Gopher (Par) (1,000; 40-50) — "Hold That Ghost" (EL) and "Hired Wife" (EL) (reissues). Light $2,800. Last week, "Frontier Bad- men" . (Indie) and "Diamond Fron- tier" (Indie) (reissues), $3,000. Lyric (Par) (1,000; 50-70)— "Luck of Irish" (20th) (m.o.). Moderate $5,000. Last week, "Cry of City" (20th) (2d wk), $4,000. Mx (Corwin) (300; 50-70) — "Kiss Blood Off Hands" (U) (m.o,). Light $1,700. Last week, "Henry VIII" (FC) (reissues), okay $1,900. Radio City (Par) (4,400; 50-70)— "When Baby Smiles" (20th). Hitting wow $20,000. Last week, "Luck of Irish" (20th), mild $13,000. RKO - Orpheum (RKO) (2,800; 50-70) — "Station West" (RKO). Very nice $12^500. Last wee k, "Kiss Blood Off Hands" (U), $8,000. . RKO-Pan (RKO) (1,600; 50-70) — "Count Monte Cristo" (EL) and Son of Monte Cristo" (EL) (re- { issues). Satisfactory ,,$8,000.. Last ' week, "June Bride" (WB) (2d wk), good $7,500: State (Par) (2,300; 50-70) — "Night Has 1,000 Eyes" (Par), Looks solid $14,000: Last week; "Pitfall" (UA), fair $9,500. Uptown (Par) (1,000; 44-60)— "Julia Misbehaves" (M-G). Nabe showing, good $4,000. Last week, "Paradine Case" . (SRO), $4..500. World (Mann) 4350; 50-85)— "June Bride" (WB) (m.o.).. Fine $2i5Q0. Last week, "Apartment for Peggy" (20th), $2,800. 'Belinda' Botfo $33,000, Detroit Detroit, Nov. 30. liusiness is on the slow side this week, real trade being largely, coa- fiiied to the weekend. The number of holdovers is B: drawback. "Johnny Belinda,'' newcomer at the Michigan, is setting the pace with a big week. "Red River" is doing fine in second week. : Estimates for This Week Michigan (U-D) (4,029; 70-95)— '.'Johnny Belinda" (WB). Big $33,- 000 to pace city. Last week, "June Bride" (WB), good $16,000 for six days. United ArtisU (UD) (2,024; 70- 95)— "Paradine Case" (SRO) (2d wk). Okay $15,000. Last week, socko $20,000. Palms (UD) (2,967; 70-05)— "Red River" (UA) (2d wk); Neat $26,000. Last week, smash $30,000. Madison (UD) (1,806; 70-95)— "Sealed Verdict" (Par) (2d wk), Okay $10,000. Last week, nice $19,000. Indpls. Up; 'Musketeers' - Sizzles With $20,000 Indianapolis, Nov, 30, : First run film biz was given lift here this week by Thanksgiving holiday. "Three Musketeers" is get- ting top coin and is likely to hold at Loew's. "Tatlock's Millions" at Circle' and;' 'When My Baby Smiles" at Me," at Indiana also are strong. Estimates for This Week Circle (Gamble-Dolle) (2,800; 44- 65)— "Tatlock's Millions" (Par) and "Bungalow 13" (20th). Smash $15,000. Last week, "Night Has 1,000 Eyes" (Par) and "Disaster" (Par), $10,000. Indiana (G-D) (3,300; 44-65) — "When Baby Smiles" (20th). Dandy $14,000. Lastweek, rK.iss Blood Off Hands" (U) and "Escape" (20th), $12,000. Keith's (G-D) (1,300; 44-65) — "Summer Holiday". ' (M-G) . and "Michael 0'HaUoran'' (Mono):',Oke. $5,000. Last week, ^'June Bride'' (WB) and "Inner Sanctum" (FC) (m o ), .$4,500. Loew's (Loew's) (2,450; 44-65)— "Three: Musketeers" (MrG). Huge $20,000. Last week, "Return of October" (Col) and " L e. a t h e r Gloves" (Col), $11,000. Lyric iG-D) (1,600; 44-65)— "Re- turn of Bad Men" (RKO). Rou.sinR $9,000. Last we e k, "Hunted" (Mono) and "Dude <3oes . West'' (Mono), $5,000. 'Musketeers' Lea(as In Balto, $20,000 ; 'Moon' 13G Baltimore, Nov. 30. Trade contiilues . in a fairish groove here with "Three Musket- eers" at Loew's Century outstand- ing. "Blood on Moon" fs building to solid session at the town^ Estimates for This Week Century ( L6ew'^-XJ A) (3,000; 20r 60) — "Three Musketeers" (M-G). Ijeading current list with big $20,- 000. Last week;: "Julia Misbehaves" (M-G) i2d wk), $9,200. Hippodrome (Rappaport) . (2.240; 20-70)— "Return of October" (Col) ines of thp tlipatrp I P^"* headed by Connie ?Plf.a^P nf '■•< rnri ' ^^^ines and Page Cavanaugh Trio. tn°t|Okay.$16W^ week, "Body- Yaude Ups 'Godfathers' Fine $25,000 in Wash. Washington, Nov. 30. Rain and sleet Sunday and Mon- day cut down the midtown busi- ness below hopes managers. ?re-reli fathers" with nice vaude bill is giving the Capitol a handsome week to lead city. "Three Mus- keteers" is just a step behind at the Palace. ''Song Is Bom" also looks hefty at Keith's. Capitol (Loew's) (1,263 ; 44-74)— "Three Godfathers" (M-G) phis vaude. Handsome $25,000 with nice vaude layout : helping. Last weefci "No Minor Vices" (M-G) plus vaude, minor $18,000. Columbia (Loew's) (1,263; 44-74) —"Road House" (20th) (2d run). Thin $6,000. Last week, "Red Rjver" (UA) (2d run), $7,500. Keith's (RKO) (1,939; 44-74)— (Continued on page: 18) ■ tuard" (RKO) leaning on p.a. ammy Kaye orch, $16,200. Keith's (Schanberger) (2,460; 20 60)— "Tatlock's Millions" (Par) wk)v • Maintaining nice pace $7,000 after $11,300 opener. New (Mechanic) (1,800; 20-60 'When Baby Smiles" (20th) (2d wk). (2d at Boston, Nov. 30. Biz Is holding to a neat level at most Hub houses this week. Hold- over at Memorial of "When My Baby Smiles at Me" still is solid, witli newcomers "Miss Tatlock's Millions" at Metropolitan and "Three Musketeers" at Orpheum and State both sock. "Boy With Green Hair" preem at RKO Bos- ton looks socko, and wiU hold. . Estimates for This week Astor (Jaycox) (1,300; 40-80)— : "Song Is Born" (RKO) and "In This Corner" (EL) (3d wk). Mild ' $7,500 after $9,000 for second. Beacon Hill (Williams) (800; $2.40)— "Hamlet" (U). Looks about $3,000. Last week, $5,000. iBoston (RKO)' (3,200; 40-80>— "Boy With Green Hair" (RKO) and "Inner Sanctum Mystery" (FC). ' Big $28,000. Holds. Last ■ week; . "Last Days Pompeii" (RKO) and "She" (RKO) (reissues) (2d wk), solid $16,500. Exeter (Indie) (1,300; 45-75)— "Louisiana Story" (Indie) and "Mr. Orchid" (Indie) (2d wk). Trim , $5,000 after big $7,000 for first. Fenway (MP) (1,373; 40-80)— "Love of Mary" (U) and "Angel in Exile" (Rep). About average $6,000. Last week, "Sealed Verdict" (Par) and "MilUon Dollar Weekend" (EL) (2d wk), slim $3,700. Majestio (Shubert) (1,500; $2.40) —"Red Shoes" (EL) (2d wk). Road- show stand doing big $10,000 after sock $12,000 in first. Memorial (RKO) (3,200; 40-80)— "When Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Bungalow 13" (20th) (2d wk). Fancy $20,000 after solid $28,500 first. Stays a third. MetropoUtan (MP) (4,367; 40-80) "Miss Tatlock's Millions" (Par): and "Disaster" (Par). Big $30,000. Last week, "Johnny Belinda" (WB) and "Homicide for Three" (Rep) (4th wk), trim $19,000. Orpheum (Loew) (3,000; 40-80)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G). Solid $28,000. Last week," Julia Mis- behaves" (M-G) and "Big City" (M-G) (2d wk), okay $17,500. Paramount (MP) (1,700; 40-80)— "Love of Mary" (U) and"Angel in Exile" (Indie). Average $13,000. Last week, "Sealed Verdict" (Par) and "MUlion Dollar Weekend" (EL) (2d wk), dim $9,000. Stat* (Loew) (3,500; 40-80)— "Three Musketeers" (M-Gl. Okay $16,000. Last week, "Julia Mis- behaves" (M-G) and "Big City" . (M-G), $14,000. Hoon' Br^ht $19,000 in Prov. Providence, Nov. 30. "Three Musketeers" at Loew's State is setting the pace this week with sock total. RKO Albce's "Blood On Moon" also shapes big and headed for holdover. Originally slated for only two weeks '.'Hamlet'' ■ at Carlton now is sure of third stanza. ■,■ Estimates for This Week Albee (RKO) (2,200; 44-65) — "Blood On- Moon" (RKO) and "Blonde Ice" (RKO). Nifty $19,000. Last week;"Song Is Born" (RKO) and "Bodyguard" (RKO) (2d wk), good $12,000. Carlton (Fay) (1,400; $1 80-$2 40) "Hamlet" (U) (2d wk). Two per- formances daily at upped -scale hasv. house practically sold out for! second stand at wow $25,000. First week, same. Holds indef. Fay's (Fay) (1,400; 44-65) — : "Grand Canyon Trail" (Rep) and,: vaude. Nice $7,500; Last week,: "Smart Girls Don't Talk" (WB) and vaude, nifty $8,000 for anni show. Ma,1estic (Fay) (2,200; 44-65) —"' "When Baby Smiles'": (20th) and "Bungalow 13" (20th). Fairly happy $14,000. Last week, "Larceny" (U) and "Homicide for Three" (20th), fair $10,000. Metropolitan (Snider) (3,100; 44-, 65)— "Let's Live a Little" (EL) and "Adventures Gallant Bess'* (EL). Solid $16,500. Last week, "Hollow Triumph" (EL) and "En- chanted Valley'*^ (EL), good $ll,000v State (Loew) (3,200; 44-65) Holding well at $10,000 after sock "Three Musketeers" (M-G). Great $15,400 last week. . $27,500. Last week, "Julia Mishe- ~ ' have.s" (M-G) and "The Search'.' (M-G) (2d wk), good $19,000. Stanley (WB) (8,280; 25-75) "Fighter Squadron" (WB). Sjodest $11,000. Last week, "June Bride" (WB) (2d wk), $7,600. Town (Rappaport) (1,500; 85-65) —"Blood on Mo0n" (RKO). Tall $13,000. Last week, "Station West" (RKO)^ $10,200. Strand (Silverman) (2,200; 44-65) —"Tatlock's Millions" (Par) and "Catalina Interlude" (Par). Fairly good $12,000. Last week. "Un- tamed Breed" (Col) and "Disaster" (Par), nice $13,000. Wednesday* December 1, 1948 Chi Hits H^hest Level in Months, 'Hamlet' Record $35,000, 'Blood' 266, 'Squadron Oke 24G, 'October 16G Chicago, Nov. 30. - Whether it's the Thanksgiving holiday; school vacation, or Inter-r national Livestock Show, Chi biz seems to be heading for its biggest total in the last six months.' Head^ Ing the upbeat is the record-break- ing $33,000 for "Hamlet" at the Apollo. "So This Is New York" at the sure-seater Surf is heading for fock $6,500. "Kiss Blood Off Tands" at Palace is cashing in on personal appearance of its star, Burt Lancaster, over at the Ori- ental. Should hit plump $26,000. "Return of October" at United Ar- tists is shaping neat $16,000. "Fighter Squadron" at State-Lake has several local publicity angles and likely will garner a fat $24,000. Holdovers racked up several new highsv with- several theatres sur- passing the previous week. Bave reviews are packing the World, where "The Lost One," in ■ third week, is heading for best biz of year. $8,500. "Snake Pit" at Garrick continues sensational at $20,000 on third week. Oriental is expecting fancy $38,000 for "When Baby Smiles At Me" and Burt Lancaster in person. Estimates for This Week Apollo (B&K) (1,400; $1.20-$2.40) —"Hamlet" (U). With help of two extra matinees looks sensational $35,000 or near: Last week, "House- keeper's Daughter" 3'' (U) and "Sons; of Adven- ture" (Rep) satisfactory $7,000. Rialto (FA) (3.000: 45-65) — "When Baby Smiles" (20th). Brisk $14,000. Last week, "Tatlock's Millions" (Pari and "Bungalow 13';' (2Dth), $13,000. State (Loew's) (3,000; 45-65) — "Three Mu-sketeers" (M-G). Bright: $13,000 or near. Last week, "Re- turn of October" (CoD and., "Blondie's Secret" fCol), with p.a, of Terry Moore helping tee-off; $15,000. Strand (FA) (1,000; 43-65) — "Canon City" (EL) and "Lady Mid- nighl" (KL). Stout $7,000 or close. Last week, "This Is New York'! (UA) and "Silent Conflict" (UA), $4,000. My Smiles On K. C, Rousing 25G Kansas City, Nov. 30. Action at the wickets is great this week,: bolstered by .rash of good films and the Thanksgiving holiday prices. "Three Musketeers" at the Midland is smash while "When My Baby Smiles at Me" at Tower-Uptown^Fairway combp.: also is sock. Both are getting the big- gest sessions in months. Orpheum is going strong with "June BridCi" All three bills slated for a second week. Newman with "Night Has . a Thousand Eyes" and Roxy .with ''Northwest Stampede" are holding their own, though not great. Estimates for This Week Esquire (Fox Midwest) (820; 45- 85)— "Gallant Legion" (Rep) and "Dark Command" (Rep) (reissue). Lively $4,500. Last week, "Son Dracula" (U) and "Ghost Franken- stein" (U). (reissues), $4,000. Kimo (Dickinson) (55; 35-45-65) —"King's Jester" (Indie) and "Car- men" (Indie) (2d runs); Topping average at $2,200. Last week, "Jenny Lamour" (Indie), $1,700. Midland (Loew's) (3,500; 45-65) —"Three Musketeers" (M-G) ; and "Blondie's Secret" (CoD. Strong $25,000, biggest week in months; sure to hold. Last week, "Julia, Misbehaves" (M-G) and "The Search" (M-G) (2d wk), satisfac-; lory $10,000., Orpheum (RKO) (1,900; 45-65)— "June Bride" (WB) and "Body- guard" (RKO). Nifty $14,000 but won't hold: Last week, "Station West" (RKO) and "Smart Girls Don't Talk" (WB), $13,000. Paramount (Par) (1,900; 45-66J— "Night Has 1,000 Eyes" (Par). Mod- erate $11,000. Last week, "Johnny Belinda" (WB) (3d wk), fancy $8,- 000. Roxy (Durwood) (900; 45-65)—, "Northwest Stampede" (EL) and "In This Corner" (EL). Trim $4.- 000, Last week, "Hollow Eriumph" (EL) and "The Spiritualist" (ED, average $3,000. Tower - Uptown - Fairway, (Fox (Midwest) (2,100. 2,043. 700i 45-65) —"When Baby Smiles" (20th). Best week in months. Solid $25,000. and holds. Last week, "Belle Starr's Daughter" (20th), sVso $12,000. Estimates Are Net Film gro.ss estimates as re-, ported herewith from the vari- ous key cities, ,are net, i.e., without the 20% tax. Distribu- tors share on net take, when playing percentage, hence the estimated figures are net in- , come. The parenthetic admis.sion prices, however, as indicated, include the U. S. amusement tax. Thanksgiving .week trade ' is boosting Broadway firstrun busi- ness this session to around the best levels for this.fall. Influx of visitors and youngsters out of school as well as several new bills all comi- bined to help the upbeati Holiday prices on Thanksgiving Day (Thurs.) boosted totals. Only sour note was the rain and unfavorable weather Monday (29) with nearly every theatre falling, sharply below recent weekdays. Despite this sev^ eral , houses on extended run< are near or better :fhaii the ;previous week. Pacing the newcomers is the Roxy with "Baby Smiles At Me" plus Mickey Rooney heading the stageshow. Since opening a day early, house, counts: first week as eight days and will hit smash $150,000. Thursday-to-Sunday pe- riod broke Roxy's attendance mark, lower , scale and price for. youngsters , holding back a new; money high for same stretch. Not far behind is "Hills of Home," which looks to reach $129;> 000 at the Music Hall. The Lassie picture drew surprisingly nice re- views and was helped by a strong start Thanksgiving Day. Paramount is just as, strong com- paratively with its 22d anni show, "Tatlock's Millions" plus Stan Kenton band,' Nellie Lutcher, Red Buttons, Paul & Eva Reyes on- stage. First week is very strong $92,000. "Southern Yankee" is very mild $20,000 or less: at :the Criterion and stays over only three extra days. ''Kissing Bandit," with Jane Powell heading big stage layout, is holding well at $08,000 for second week at Capitol. "Snake Pit" is beating: the preceding week's total by landing $52,000, smash, in fourth week at Riyoli. .: "Three Musketeers" also is ahead of its previous session 'With big $33,000 for, sixth State week; Both the Park: Avenue,„with "Hamlet" and Bijou; with: "Red Shoes" are in like cate- gory, being: capacity. "Joan of Arc" also is going ahead: of its second week take by getting a terrific $55,000 in third Victoria .stanza. "Arc" also opens at nearby Fulton on Dec. 14, with $1.80-$2.4n scale, this move being, prompted by the demand for reserved seats so far at the Victoria engagement. Estimates for This Week Ambassador (Siritzky) (1,200; 55- $1.00)— "Street Of Shadows" (In- die) (2d wk). Down to passable $5,- 000 for holdover round: 'With "Street Corner" (Indie) opening Dec. 3. First week okay $8,500. Astor (City Inv.) (1,300; 70-$l.S0) — "Song Is Born" (RKO) (7th wk). Sixth : session ended last Monday (29) night was nice $19,000 after about same for fifth. Holds, Bijou (City Inv.) (589; $1.20- $2.40)— "Red Shoes" (EL) (6th wk). Present stanza ending tomorrow (Thurs.) likely to soar to $18,000, getting benefit of three extra shows Thanksgiving , week; fifth week was $17,000, being aided by extra show Thanksgiving Day. Still con- tinues. Capitol (Loew's) (4,820; 80-$1.50) — "Kissing Bandit" (M-G) with; Jane Powell, Joey Adams, Tony Canzoneri, Mark, Plant, Shep: Fields orch (2d wk). : Initial -holdover ses- sion ending today (Wed.) looks, very nice $68,000. First' week was stout 574,000 but a bit below ■hopS^.-' ■',;,- Criterion (Loew's) (1,700; 70- $1 85)— "Southern Yankee" (M-G) '(2d wkr3 days). First week ended last (Tues.) night mild $20,000 or under. As. a consequence, ; stays only three extra days, with "Live Today For Tomorrow'' (U) due in [Saturday (4). In ahead, fiVe days of lourth week for "Kiss Blood Off Hands" (U) was $7,500. Globe (Brandt) (1.500; 90- $1.50) —"Blood on Moon" (RKO) (3d wk): Current round ending today (Wed.) looks solid $19,000 after good $24,- 000 for second week. Stays a: fourth .Mayfair (Brandt) (1.736; 60- $1 25)— ' Road House" (20th) (4th wk) Getting fine $22,000 in pres- ent week -ending Friday (3) after $26,000 in third. Stays on. Palace (RKO) (1,7Q0; 40-95)-- "Canon City" (EL) and "Raw Deal" (EL) (2d runs). Open today iWedv). Fihal four days of, fifth week for "Last Days Pompeii" (RKOi and "Slie" (RKO) (reissues) frame for this Par theatre annl show ended last (Tues.) night went to very strong $92,000. In ahead, third week of "Sealed Verdict" (Par) plus Frankie Laine. Cdnnie Haines, Jerry Wald orch, oke $58,000. Avenue (U) (583; $1.20- $2.40)-"Hamlet" (U) (10th wk). Ninth week ended last (Tues.) night slightly over $18,000, being helped by two extra shows Thanksgiving , week; eighth week was $16,000. f n H'Z (Rocke- fellers (5,945; 80-$2.40)— "Hills of Home (M-G) with stageshow. First week ending today (Wed.) went to good $129,000 or near. Helped by unusually sUong teeoff Thanksgiv- ing Day. Holds second week. Hall's Xmas show with "Words and Music" (M-G) as picture openg Dec. 9 according to present plans. Last week, "Gotta Stay Happy" ' (U) (3d wk), only $102,000. Rialto (Mage) (594; • 44-99)— Phantom of Opera" (U) (reissue). (Wed.). Last week, 'Ah Baba" (U) (reissue), fairly good $8,500. In ahead, "Crash Dive' (20th) and "Man Hunt" (20th) (reissues) (2d wk), $6,000. . K'voli (UAT-Par) (2,092; 60- $V25)— "Snake Pit" (20th) (4lh wk). Fourth round ending today (Wed.) looks sock $52,000 or over, which is ahead of third week's $50,000. Continues Indef. Roxy (20th) (5.886; 80-$1.80)— "Baby Smiles at Me" (20th) with Mickey Rooney, Rosario & Antonio. Borrah Minevitch's Rascals top- ping stageshow (2d wk). Initial holdover stanza opens today (Wed.). First week, 8 days, wound up at smash $150,000. Broke at- tendance records for weekend and Thanksgiving day. In ahead, "Un- faithfully Yours" (20th), Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy. Jack Col* Dancers (3d wk-4 days), $30,000. Current bill stays four with "That Wonderful Urge" (20th) and Bar- bara Ann Scott opening Dec. 21. State (Loew's) (3,450; 80-$1.50) —"Three Musketeers" (M-G) (7th wk). Sixth round ended last (Tues.) night climbed up to great $33,000 as against $31,000 for fifth. Stays on. Strand (WB) (2,756; 76-$1.50)— "Fighter Squadron" (WB) plus Frankie Carle orch, Tim Herbert topping stage (2d wk). Second ses- sion ending tomorrow (Thurs,) slipped to '$42,000 or less, very mild in view of including Thanks- giving Day; first disappointing $55,000, below expectancy. Goes a third with "Christopher Blake" - (WB) set to open Dec. 10. Victoria (City Inv.) (1.060; 95- $2.40)— "Joan of Arc" (RKO) (3d wk). Third frame ending today (Wed.) still is terrific at $55,000 or thereabouts, and ■ ahead of smash $54,000 for second. Stays on in- definitely. Loud $14,000/Song' Hep 9G, 'W Sturdy m Omaha, Nov. 30. Perfect theatre weather plus an unusually big Thanksgiving holi- day with hundreds of visitors in town are giving grosses a terrific boost. Paramount is far- in the lead with "Three Musketeers", doing: » . ■ solid session. "Tatlock's Millions'' also shapes nice at the Orpheum. Moveover of"Baby Smiles at Me" ■ is very big at the Omaha. ''Song It Bprn" looks socko at the Brandeis. Estimates for This Week Paramount (Tristates) (2,800; 16- 65)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G). Fancy $14,000. Last week, "Baby Smiles At Me" (20th) okay $11,500. Brandeis /RKO) (1,500; 16-65)— "Song Is Born" (RKO) and "Body- guard" (RKO). Sock $9,000, and , probably holdover: La.st week, "June Bride" (WB) and "Triple Threat" (Col), fine $8,000. Orpheum (TrisUtes) (3,000; 16-; 65)— "Tatlock's Millions" (Par) and "Night Wind" (20th). Fine $13,000. Last week, "Isn't It Romantic" (Par) with Art Mooney sick at 20- 80c scale, not so hot $15,000. State (Goldberg) (865; 16-65)—; "Hills of Home" (M-G). .Solid $4.- 500. Last week, "Hollow Triumph" 'ED and "Olympic Games" (EL), okay $8,000 or clo.se after sturdy i nice $4,000. $16,500 fourth round, over hopes, j Omaha (Tristates) (2,100; 16-65) Paramount (Par) (3,664; 5I5-$1.50) :— "Baby Smiles At Me" (20th) — "Tntlot'k's Millions" (Par) with (m.o.) and "French Leave" (Mono). Stan Kenton orch. N-IUe Lutrhfr, Surprisinfily big $10,000. La.st Red Bu;)ons, Paul & Eva Reyes week, "Johnny Belinda" (WB) fieading stageshow (2d wk). First (m,o<),, $9,400. Wcdttwhyt December 1, 1948 WHEREVIR YOU LOOK IT'S THE PRODUCT THEY BOOK! M tj-MAiis^ srRi!:i!:T (loiiMiiuiA BllOADWAY) WORDS AND MUSIC TECHNICOLOR following **Hill* Of Home" (which set new^M^C-M ppening r^ord) comes^tho^Big Christmas smd.Ncw Yeaf JoyT o o Q 0 0 o o O O O O Q O O O OiO o o o Bigger than Broadway's $6.60 musicals iire the |iappy, song-filled M-G-M Technicolor Musicals. Here's another Big One* KISSING BANDIT TSCHNICOIO ^^ ^ The Jans;are^flocking|tp:Skeiton's' new' laugh riot, another howling hit following" "Fuller Brush Man." turn- THREE MUSKETEERS TECHNICOLOR Nationwide sensation! Continues Big in 3rd Month on Broadway. Sets New Opening Day M-G-M house record in Canton, Buffalo. Sets New AIl-Time house record in Salt Lake City. ^SAN franc: i$co: -CAPTAINS COimAGIOUS O O O O O Q OOP OO o 1^ M-G-M iEleprintsTarelmoney-getters because now and always, the Big Ones are M-G-M attrj^ctions. ^ycdiMwddy, Dectgrnber. 1^ 1948 FILM REVIEWS 11 Decision of €hrfsto|pher Blake Warner Broa. release o{ Ranald Mao- Dougall production. Stars Alexis Smith: features Robert Douflas, Ted Donaldson. Cecil Kellaway. Directed by Peter God- frey. Screenplay. MacDougalU based on staiie play by Moss Hart; camera, Karl Freundi editor; Fiadnlck Richards: dla- log director, Howard liynn; music. Max Steiner; music director, Leo Forbstetn. TradesHown N. Yv, Nov, K, '48. Running time, IS MINS. . Mrs. Blake. . . .Alexis Smith Mr. Blake. .Robert Douglas Judge Adamson. . . . . ; . ... .Cecil Kellaway Christopher Blake,...,*. v. Ted. Donaldson Mr. Caldwell John Hoyt Courtroom Attendant. Harry Davenport Glara^ . < •'■ . ...i W . .. ... .. . .Mary Wlckea Nr. KurMck • Art Baker Miss Alclntyrei. ..... ...lioli Maxwell ' J: Roger Bascomb. .... . .Douglas Kennedy 'Vpton . . . i ......... . . . ; . ... . Bert Hanlon Moss Hart's stage play, with its title lengthened to "The Decision of Christopher Blake,'' has been, converted into a passably interest- ing iilm by Ranald MacDougall. Lacking cast .name ..value, with Alexis Smith as the top performer from a marquee standpoint, "Blake" is, headed for only mild boxoffice returns, though not solely •because of the lack of marquee values. The . treatment of the sub- ject matter— the fate of children o£ divorcing parents — doesn't have the depth to maintain major in-, terest. MacDougall did the adaptation, In addition to having produced the' pic, which occasionally has some genuinely fine writing in its' treatment of the conflicting emo- tions ot a 13-year old faced with the prospect of whom to choose when his parents plan to divorce; It is the story of how the boy, over- whelmed by the confusions attend- ant to the situation, fancies himself as a subsequent: subject .ot neglect by the parental decision. This facet 01 the story is cleverly contrived in several "dream" sequences. i Ted Donaldson is the boy, and i he handles the role excellently. Miss Smith is the mother, and Robert Douglas the father, and each contributes competent per- . formances. Cecil Kellaway is . the • kindly jjudge 'responsible for the reconciliation, and he, too, gives a workmanlike characterization. Supporting players who . do well , are Harry Davenport, Mary Wickes | and John Hoyt. Director Peter Godfrey has got- ten a surprisingly sharp pace out ot a story that could easily have been unwieldy, while the film's production standards are all top- bracket for what looks like a: com- paratively inexpensively budgeted yarn. Kahn. Mexican llayrido (ONE SONG) T'liiversal release of Robert Arthur pro- duc-iion.. Stars Bud Abbott, Lou Ccs* . tcllo: . . features Virginia :Grey, Luba Armiiia, John Hubbard. Diroctcd by Charles T. Barton; Screenplay, Oscar Avodney. John" Graiit; based on the niusidnl bv Herbert and Dorothy Fields and C:ole Porter; song. Jack Brooks and Walter Scharf; camera, Charles .Van EiiKcr : editor, Frank Gross! music, Walter Schar/: TraiieShown, N. ¥., Nov. 30, '48. FuniiiiiK time; 71 MINS; H.nrv Lambert . . Bud Abbott, Joe Bascom. ; . . . . . . . ; . . : . ; Lou Costello MoiitaiVa . ; .... . . . ; .Virginia Grey Dagiuar . . . V. ; ..;■.> ... .... .Liiba Malina David Wlnthrop . . . .John Hubbard Seiior Martinez... . .. .. Pedro de Cordoba Pr the too-familiar.pattem hit by this film makes it only so-so support for double-bill entries. iFilm's to-do centers about the strivings ot Mis-s Jean, copywriter m an ad agency, to save a y«uth center in Gotham's lower east side: more general situations,: while tele possibilities are excellent; Any longhair fan would be willing to take a Schubert "Unfinished" Sym- phony on TV once a week or so, for years at a stretch. (WCBStTV; N, Y;, has scheduled these pix foi: later this season). : ■ Pix, filmed in Vienna or at Sali- burg; show the world-fhmed Vienna symph under its various condUc-; tors,, playing such works as Mo-: zart's :''Kine Kleine . Naifhtniusik," Offenbach's "Orpheus In Hades" Overture, : first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the Schubert "Unfinished," Jbhann Strauss' "Tales .of the. Vienna Woods," and Josef Strauss' ''Music of the Spheres." Camera placed on an orchestra for 12 minutes may have a tendency towards monotony, but director - Leopold Hainiscli minimizes that by constantly shift- ing around to the various choirs handling the main themes, and by some excellent montage effects.; Fact that camera lingers oh the. performers instead of wandering; off into scenes of nature; keeps one's: mind on the music, The occa- sional trick , shots don't ; detract from the main attraction — 'syhfeh^ls the music. . ;. : Music is excellently perforihed, of course, but is well recorded too; There are no cheapening effects, idea being to present the world's saddled i music maslerpieees as simply ajid tastefully as possible. Eighteen such symphony subjects have, been filmed by producer Eugen Sharih. Also shown, at the N. Y. preview was a short of the Vienna Choiir Boys in "Mer^ Cbristmas,'!.-: Film is more pictorially interestiiig than' the symph subjects, with a .home background, showing the noted song group at work making toys, with some humorous touches add- ed j in addition to their gifted carol singing.: . Bron. of humorous situations expertly sharpened by Stuart Erwin as tho third member of the trio. Pace is not : alwaj's even as directed by Lesley Selander, but for general situations, the picture is an okay attraction, ofi'ering some locale novelty and the excitement of quick riches. Lloyd Corrigan does well as a smalltown editor, and Ellen Corby rates . laughs as a widow on the make for Erwin. The three stars make their assignments as convinc- ing, as possible, and small spots.: handled:by Emory Parnelli Virginia ' Dale and Harry 'Tyler are okay. Henry Sharp's tensing Is excel- lent, and editing keeps film down tO:81 minutes of footage. Brog. : Another Shore (BRITISH) : London, Nov. :24i ■ , GFD release of Ealing Studlos-Michad Balcon production. Stars Robert Beatty, Molra Lister,: Stanley HoUoway. .Directed by Charles Crichton. Screenplay by Wal- ter Meade,: from novel by Kenneth Hed- dln. Camera, Douglas Slocombe; editofi- Bernard: Giibble;- muUc, Georges AurJc. At Leicester Square, London, Nov; 23> '48. Running tune, 77 MINS. Gulliver. . . , . . . . ; ... Robert Beatty Jennifer. ; . . .......; . . Moira Lister Alastair^ . .:.; ... .. . ... ... . . .Stanley Holioway: Yellow: . 1 . f . ; . . , ; .. ;.:;. .Michael Medwln Nora. ; , ... . . . ; . ....... . . .Sheila Manahan ' Coghlan;. .....; . . . . . . . . . . Fred O'Donovan Parkes .,;....,...., ; ; .Desmond . Kcaii* ' Mrs. . Gleeson . . ... . . . . . .Maureen .Delaney Boxer : ; ......... . . . . . .... Dermot Kelly ; Broderick. ... . ; ........... Michael Golden Fleming. . ; . . .... . . . . ; Michael O'Mahoney Roger W. A KeUy Moore. . . ..,;... . . . ... Wilfred Brambell get the mos^ from it: i.e., the more general audience. Critical appraisal will be varied, but there is a lot of tear-jerker stuff in thei story to attract the average filmgoer. As usual with a John Ford production, a feature of the film is the use of the cam- era and the freshness of back- grounds. It also has other trade- marks.: of the careful craftsman lor tycoon who happens to be both the agency's chief account and the owner of the factory; Before cross- ing the finishing mark, Miss Jean goes through some devious antics which vipako : for plot development but little excitement. : Tight writing and better-barbed humor could have helped Miss Jean convert something titillating out of Sirikc It llivh Hollywood, Nov. 13. . Allied Artists release of Jack Wrather production. Stars, Rod Cameron, Bonita Granville, Don Castle: features Stuart Er- win, Lloyd Corrigan. Directed bv Lesley Selander. . Screenpluy,"Francis Rosenwald: camera, Henry Sharp; editor, William Zicgler. Previewed In Hollywood, Nov. 12. '48. Running time, 81 MINS. Duke .: Massey ......... .Rod Cameron Julie Brady , . . . . ; . .... . . .Bonita Granville Tex Wiirren: .................. .Don Castle Delbert Lane; ; . . . ; . ... . ... ;.Stuart Erwin Matt Brady: Lloyd . Corrigan Mrs.. Harklns. . . .. ..... ...,.:.-. ;:. Ellen Cortay Carlton.. >■.; ; . . . .■. .... . ..:.... Fmory: Parnell Pap Jonathan. ;:..... ..... ... . Harry Tyler Mabel: , ; . ....,; . . ..Virginia Dale Bui) . Willum Haade Mack . .Edward .Gargan Postmaster, ... . . ;■. . . . ;.. . .Robert Dudley . her scrapes, mishaps and final vic- striving for something a bit dif- 1 tory. But tired dialog for her and ferent but still with an eye on | lack-lustre gags for Benny Butler commercial factors.: 1 and Ahce Tyrrell fail to cop the The moi-e critical ticket buyer i necessary, giU-edged guffaws. Sans will be disappointed that Ford i freshness on storj twists or bright "Strike It Rich" is a sometimes doesn't quite achieve something | writing, "Angel" never gets its ; engaging feature that gains inter- that is distinctly different, but the , wings. i est from its oilfield locale and plot, general audience will find plenty] Miss Jean's role would have been I its : best boxoffice 'l^^ will be I of escape in the obvious play on more rewarding if the script i found in the smaller towns and the heartstrings and the extreme, ' deadly quiet action of the picture's first half. John Wayne's name is a particu-, larly bright marquee lure for the action fan, and the performance he "Another Shore" is a compe- tently-made pic with a smoothly- told story which - should dq steady, if moderate, business at the box- : office with native audiences. Ab* sence ot star names for the mar- quee will be a handicap m the states, but' its length should- enable it to make the grade in the second: feature cla.ss. Dublin forms the background for this yarn of a young man named Gulliver with an ambition to: set,- tle in a South Sea island; Lacking the cash and unable .to find a bene^ factor, he waits patiently at the city's most dangerous corners hop- ing for the opportunity of rescuing • some wealthy person involved in an accident.' By the time his vvc^ tim comes along, however, Gulliver himself is trapped by a designing blonde which puts a finis to his Ta^ hitian dreams. Adroit : direction takes full ad- vantage of a Jieatly-developed script and maintains a steady but even pace. Comedy, situations are effec- tively handled even though occa- sionally they are too obviously con- trived. The production is carried by the three principal actors, with Robert Beatty as the day dreamer, Moira Lister as a very attractive: and pleasing blonde, and Stanley Holioway as an irrascible dissolute. They team together efficiently and are well supported by the . other members ot the cast. Myro. Stro«* Corner Viro Pitcures release of George _M«- . Gall.Wilshlre Pictures production. Ma: Fea- tures Joseph Crehan, Marcla Mae Joneg, John Treui; Directed by Albert Kelley. , Story; Albert Kclley; screenplay. Jack Jungmeyer: camera, VlrgU Miller; editor, John Faure. Previewed in N. Y., :NoT. 26, '48. Running time, tl M|N,S. Dr. James Fentun . : . . . . .; . Joseph Crehan Lois Marsh ; ....... . . Marcla Mae Jonee. Bob Mason John Trcul Irene-. . , .. . ;... . . . ;BlUie Jean Eberhart Hal . - . ....:.;,-...... ...John Duncan Mrs Marsh .....Jean Pcnwick Mr; MarSh: , .....;.... Don Brodto A Midwife GrcU DuPont Kitty Mac 'an Sutton Tom Brcnnan . . . , ...... . . Milton Ilosi Dr. FcntOn's Nurse. .. ..;..Jean AndroB Judge ; - : . . . . , . .Stuart Holmee District Attorney. ...... Sam Ash Taxi Driver ; ; . . ... . .. Eddie GribbeB "Street Corner" Is a sex pic- ture with real exploitation po.s.sl- drafted her for more singmg. The | situations, where it can go top-ol- , bilities. As the sort ot film that two numbers which she does take i the-bill Otherwise it falls into the can be circused to the skies, it on ("It's a Wonderful, Wonderful suDDortinfi eiassific'ation should make nice coin for ex-' Feeling" and "I'll Take Romance") i wiimprt pntiroiv in " t}i« TTasi hibitors going for such pix. Pic- tho nniv roTiii' iivioht cnni= in _ rumeo entirely in tne Jiast . . ,,,.ii.m„Ho ihw tvn> are the only really bright spots in Ma^O^^^^^ the pic At that, her renditions are delivers does him pi-oud. However, | truncated to one or two choruses ' f"^^'""^^^^^ it is Pedro Armendariz, in the more and little supporting background. !;n^\hirnshoorers who o fen emotionally fluid character of a Thurston Hall does a likeable job | Mexican bandit, who comes through ! as the choleric manufacturer. Other ; t^r.^.tf^A^.^h^ir^^^^^ thc most colorfully. Film also in- 1 parts, however, are written either troduces Harry Carey, Jr.; in his i too obviously or colorlessly to score first big role, and the young man i an impression. Ross Ford, for one, appeals strongly. [Picture, Inci- J playing the boy friend, is confined dentallv, is dedicated to his late I to the borders of the monosyllable, father.i | Children scenes at the youth center Oddly enough, plot of "3 God- fail to snare a factual, meaningful treatment. Direction Wilsses generating ex- citement' and stumbles Over an ex- cessively long fashion sequence. Production valhes are ample for the econohiiear operation. Editing could have : employed the scissors ■nicire:."- ■" ..y-.-. Wit.[ ■ , Story: period runs from 1929 to the early '30s, climaxing with inde- pendent oilers' battle against pror rata laws in force at that time; Producer Jack Wrather, himself a bigtime oil lease operator, filmed the picture on his own East Texas ture is well-made lor this typo although obviously modestly bud- 'geted. Story unfolds a highschool ro- mance that winds up in . an affair., following a graduation dance. The girl becomes pregnant, afraid to tell her mother, her sweetheart accidentally killed; while on the way to . marry .her, then an abortion by a quack. Yarn parades the facts rather fathers" starts off with a similar story setup as another western soon to go into release (20th's "Yellow Sky") ; bandits rob a bank and then take off across a great salt desert to escape the law, fight their way through great thirst and sand- storms; Desert location .for both films appears the same. From that point on, though, the Peter B. Kvne story en which script by Laurence Stallings and Frank S, Nugent is based, takes a differ:; ent route. The three bandits, Wayne, ArmendariZ: and Carey, Jr., reach a waterhole, find it dynamit- ed. At the hole is a woman, ready to give birth. The bandits aid the delivery and vow to the dying wom- an to become the child's godfathers. Film recounts their dangerous trek to re-cross the desert to save Drooerties Bivine authentic get- ' P"»"^^'*ly' ^v"^** running nar Vienna Philharmonic tings to a story that follows a fa- miliar pattern. Francis Rosenwafd did the original script, basing it on actual events -of the period. Plot deals principally with a trio of rough and ready wildcatters who are always ready for a fight, a drink; or to dig a well. After a fall- ing out over ethics. Rod Cameron drifts west, taking with him as his bride, Bonita Granville; Staying ' Ambassador release of Eugcn Sharin , . . „ . ^ . „ „ - ,* - production of shorts. Features Vienna . I behind in East Texa.s is Don Castle.- «j!iH''?S?nT.I.i,%',^*x?^^^^^^^^ former partners both strike it JSi" R"u'nSi'ng'tim.?'irMiNS. e^ch'"" I rich after ups and downs. Cameron, — — ^ ^ , ;-. vengeful and looking out for his Tliese new 12-minute shorts of i pocketbook, promotes the prorata the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra law. Miss Granville walks out on playing some of the great music him, he : sees tlie error of his way and saves the independents. Mixed in with the routine story classics, as well as the lighter oper- etta excerpts and waltzes, have iit-K m ic-uiuo;, V great appeal. Shorts will draw in I line are some tough fisticuffs (us the child using the biblical story all the art houses, as well as in , ing obvious doublesj and a number ration by the doctor helping make it convincing. , Reluctance of par- ents to tell sex details to their children is pointed up, if a bit Ineffectually. Albert Kelley's direction Is smoother than ; his original story. Joseph Crehan :is standout as the family medico. , Marcia Mae Jone> is the 17-year-old who is sinned against; she isn't very effective. John Treul, as her highschool boy^ friend, also is lightweight. Jean Fenwick, as the girl's mother, glve« an uneven performance while Don Brodie, as the father, walki through his role. Stuart Holmes, screen vet, Is seen briefly as tho judge at the trial of the abortion- ist. Gtetl DuPont contributes aa excellent heavy protrayal as a "midwife" abortionist. Weor, 12 Wedn«iday, December 1, 194s U. S. Majors Headed for Some Relief From Present Nippon Pix Coin Snag , Tokyo, Nov. 16. • American film companies, which have been exporting their product to Japan for tlie past three years without realizing any dollar in- come from rentals, will get a ■ measutev of relief under the new; contract arrangement announced by Gen. Douglas MaeArthur's headquarters, Actual operation of the Central Motion Picture Ex- change (CMPE), Nipponese dis- tributing agency for American pix, won't be affected, however, and will still have to banlc its yen pro- ceeds in blocked accounts which cannot be converted to dollar credit. • Under the contracts currently being inegotiated, the announce- : ment said> the U. S. Army will make advance payments to firms doing business in occupied ai-eas of the Par East to cover part of their dollar expenses incurred outside the occupation zone. The Army will then be reimbursed for its dollar outlay by the firms con- -cerned in the indigenous currency of the country in which they are operating. The arrangement will .'also apply: to ,U. S. news services and magazine publishers who have been doing business in Japan and Korea on a blocked yen basts. Tile new pacts, however, won't provide for exchange into dollars of any indigenous currency al- .; ready held or which, will be ac- cumulated in the future in excess of actual: operating costs. CMPE, which represents nine major U. S. studios, has banked approximately l,OOOiOOO,000 yen (about $4,000,t 000. at the current military ex^ change rate) in its frozen account since the start of the occupation. No accurate estimates of the acr tual dollar value of this yen can be made until an Official exchange rate is set, presumably . not until the Japanese peace treaty Is signed. Studios represented by CMPE are Monogram-Allied Artists, Co- . lumbia, Metro, Paramount,: RKO- Badio, 20th^Fox, United Artists, U-1 and: WamerSi Claim Italo Slough-Off In Olympic Pic Nix Rome, Nov. 23. The J. Arthur Rank pic on the Olympic Games won't be shown here. Censors turned it down, due to "the complete disregard of Ital- ian participation." Ban has aroused much talk. It's linked with the decision of the Undersecretary Office, which designated the athletes to be sent to London — mostly chosen among Christian-Democrats U.O. being accused of trying to cover up its responsibility for the Italians' fail- ure in London. Since censorship mainly concerns itself with moral questions, the ban, it's ^claimed, recalls methods- of: the Fascist Popular Culture Dept. Columbia Sells Danish Branch Copenhagen, Nov-..;23. ' Preben Philipsen ' has ■ bought control of Columbia Pictures' Dan- ish branch. Philipsen, 38; who al- ready controls three major inde- pendent companies, here, namely Constantin,' Gefion and Trans World, bought from Coluihbia its shares in the Danish company, Co- lumbia Film A/S, and took over the company's entire production for the -next three years for the Danish territory. Hans Malmstrom, Coil's branch manager since 1938, resigned. For the first time in Danish film history, four companies come un- der one hand. Philipsen, since' the liberation, has bought many big American and British: pictures, in- cluding "Best Years of Our Lives,' "The Dictator," and "Bishop's Wife.'' He's tlie son of Constantin Philipsen, who before and during World War 1 was Denmark's cine' ma king. After his death, 20 years ago, his widow, Marie Philipsen, got the license to operate the Rialto cinema, which she still owns. Her son Preben not. only controls four big Danish filfn companies, but has also found time to co-author a Danr ish film farce. This year he also bought, together with another well- known Danish film name, Henning Karmark, the big building on Copenhagen's Broadway; Stroeget, which houses the legit theatre, Ny-: gade Teatret, and several film of-^ 1 fices-. , ■ :■, French Nudes to Stand Absolutely Still When Delfont Imports Folies Paris, Nov. 23. Bernard Delfont, London produ- cer, has signed up the whole Folies Bergere show from Paris. The show, which: ends its two-year run In Paris in January, will move, in toto across the channel for a Brit- isli -invasion in March. A new show, starring Josephine Baker, will replace the one going on tour, j : : — ~ — — ~~ rectm- of " the extra"^^^^^^^ has EIRE GOVT. MAY SLASH signed up 24 British chormes to add to 4he, 60 he's bringing over from France. Six French nudes will higlilight the show, but wliere- as the Frencli version lets them dance and gyrate, the British law requires that tliey stand absolutely still. Other costumes will be al- tered a little for British censor- Ship officials. But the producer gave his assurance that though the costumes won't be glaring they will be daring. Since costumes, sets, and scenery will be brought over from Paris, the production costs will be, cut in half. IIVTERIVATIOIV AL 18 Ytt Australian ;impr«sario Sir Benjamin Fuller rtvt-tws Show Bix Down Under an •diterial faatur* -' in .Hit ujpeomliit . 43d Anniversary Number •f Straus' lusik' Hit Zurich, Nov. 23 With Oscar Straus' new operetta* "Die MusikKommt"( "Here Comes a'--j,±- j . the Waltz"), a- hit at the opera ' '"^f.^y "^s"^* <>«";f"f P^OP ITS NEWSREELS TAX Dublin, Nov. 23. Department of Finance is mull- j ing the removal of current tax on imported newsreels, ; according to Prime Minister Jolm Costello. Representatives of exibs and news- reel association have .seen govern- ment finance leaders: : to- discuss the -: ■, tax'T^approximately ' 2 cents, per foot on- American -reels-^as none is being brought into Eire at the present, time. Tax always made showing reels in Eire a borderTline proposition and they were dropped during war years; following censor : cuts and stock shortage. British Board of Trade now says it will . release stock for prints of newsreels for Eire showmgs < and association is Korda Own Aussie Distrib,ThniU-I Sydney, Nov. 23. : Sir Alexander Korda, who form^ erly released in Aussie through 20th-Fox, has set up an office here to handle his product himself. Physical distribution of prints, it's understood; : w ill be grooved through Universal - International. New branch will be headed up by Col, Walters, Korda's Aussie rep- resentative. Korda's move to play a lone hand came on the heels of ; his break from 20th several weeks ago.: Walters was summoned to London for huddles with his chief and the British producer's decision to op- erate independently Down Under evidently :stemmed from the pair's confabs. Meanwhile, Ron - Mooney switches from 20th to join Walters as his publicity exec. Behind the partial shift to U-I, it's believed, is the attitude of Korda in shying away from any dealings with an American : organization. Due to U-I's various;/Anglo hook* ups; it's not classed as strictly a Yank distrib. In striking out on his own, Korda also scotched a flock of rumors which included, among others, a report that he might come in with J; C. William- son Theatres' pic division. Despite the realignment of Korda's Aussie distribution, the Hoyt loop is assured of his films in any event. Circuit's chief, Ern- est Turnbull, previously had inked a five-year pact for screening the British indie's pix. Thus the films will have wide coverage in both keys and urban areas irrespective of changes in release setups. NEW MEX COMBO USTS 15 FILMS FOR '49 PROD. Mexico City, Nov. 23, Info on 1949' Mexican pic pro- duction is that 15 will be matle by the new combo of , Emilio Azear- raga, William Oscar Jenkins and Gabriel Alarcon, biggie producers-^ exhibitors. They have budgeted $450,000 (U. S.) for the 15 pix. Current indications are that 1948 Mexican pic production will be about 60, not bad considering the trade's sharp depression.. ' Exhibir tion here now. is at a low ebb* Pic of : a major U. S. company only grossed $175 (U. S.) on its open- ling day, usually the biggest, in an I important firstrun downtown cincr ma whose average daily overhead .isi$500 (U. S,). Czecb Check Off Stiff % Distrib Fee For Handling MPEA Pix in New Deal House, composer is- taking it easy here for a while. He's due shortly in: Vienna to conduct a concert to raise funds for the restoration of the State Opera, as well as a broadr cast on Ravag, state^owned radio. . Straus is also, pacted- to conduct »n orch and appear "with it in a Viennese film. SVENSK TO HANDLE 'DUEL' Stockholm, Nov. 23, osition is made profitable.: Film 'Angel' Jugged Rome, Nov. 24. Maurice Seroussi, Egyptian-born French citizen, and on several oc- casions rumored backer of films to be made in Italy, was jailed last week on charges of alleged fraud. Seroussi has been living in Rome for . several months, hob-nobbing Eight American majors, all of with American independent pro- which maintain local offices, won't ducers as a "prospective" backer be handling the Swedish distribu- for films. Among the films he was tion of Selznlck's "Duel in the : Interested in backing was "Christ Sun." Release assignment has been j in Concrete," from the novel by handed Svensk Filmindustrl, onelPietro di Donate. Plans for this of the top local distribs. | story have been in the of fing for two Preeiji. is du* Some time in Der years or more, under -the changed -ember. 1 title of "Give Us Tliis Day " Current London Shows (FiQMres ihow we.eks of run) London, Nov. 30. "A La Carte," Savoy (24). "Anatomist," West (5). "Annie Get Gun," Col's'm (78). "Bless the Bride," Adelphi (84). "Bob's Your Uncle," Sav. (30). "Browning," Phoenix (12). ; "Cage; Peacock," Cambridge (34). "Carissima," Palace (38). "ChHtern Hundreds," Vaude (66). "Don't Listen," St. Jas. '13i. "Edward My Son," Lyric (79). "Four, Five, Six," York (8 1. "Gioconda Smile," Wynd, (25). "Happiest Days," Apollo (36). "Kid From Strat," Princes (9). "Little Lambs," Ambass. (34). "Miss .Mabel," Duches.s (1). "Off Record," Piccadilly (74K "Oklahoma!" Drury Lane (83), "Perfect Woman," Playhouse (12i, "Rain on Just," Aid. (13). "Return of Prodigal," Globe d) "Saloon Bar," Garrick (9). "SUngs St Arrows," Comedy (2). "Solitary Lover," Wint. (2j. "Together Again," Vic Pal. (86). "Wild Duck," St. Mart. (3). "Worms View," Whitehall. Teddington to Reopen With de Grunwald Pic ■ London^ Nov. 30. Warner Bros. Teddington studios are reopening Jan. 3 with Anatole de Grunwald's production of "Now Barabbas." Leasing of the studio as announced by Harold Wilson^ Board of Trade prexy, for a single picture, but de Grunwald is: plan- ning a series of scripts on a con- tinuous shooting program. Arthur S. Abeles, Jr., managing director for Wamerfi in England, said:that employees who were, dis* missed when closure was announced earlier, arc being reinstated. Those still on : the payroll are being re- tained until production resumes. BBC Ikatre TV Deal Hits Snags London. Nov. 30. .■ - Suspension' of a -iilm industry television agreement with the Brit- ish Broadcasting - Corp., pending consultation with various unions, was demanded at a joint meeting last week of the Federation of: Theatre Unions and the Film In- dustry Employees Council. While desirous of promoting proper de- velopment of video service, dele- gates approved a: resolution which strongly protests any tele, deal made :without sounding out the attitude of artists, musicians and technicians. A joint : approach is planned to both the BBC and the pic industry which will seek fullest information on the terms of the agreement. Restrictions imposed by Holly- wood producers; which prohibit the use of their pictures on video pro- grams, are also likely to : pi^ove a serious snag in BBC's' film theatre video deal. Resumed discussions last week between the industry and the BBC were : mainly concerned with rental terms, and the type of picture to be made: available. BBC is against the use of oldies, and is asking for productions made within the last 12 to 18 months. There's little likelihood of dis- tributors giving preferential treats ment to the BBC, and any fears that may have existed among: ex- hibs on this score can be dis- counted by the BBC assertion that they can only afford a very low rental for the use of -pix, and can- not be regarded'as' a price com- petitor to picture theatres. ■♦• Although it served to further widen tlie slit in the Iron Curtain, the deal okayed by the Motion Pic- ture Export Assn. with Czechoslo-: vakia last week wrung some stiff concessions from the Americans. Czech film monopoly, under the . pact, which: was negotiated by Eric Johnston in Prague :recently, will . receive a 50% distribution fee for handling MPEA product. Net re- sult is that U. S. companies. will get only IIV4C. out of each boxoific*- doUar. What the Motion Picture Assn.; of America and MPEA prexy was " able to talk the Czechs out of; how- ever, was their demand that rent- als for Hollywood : product show- ing in their country be balanced oflF by returns on Czech pictures: exhibited in. the U. S. It was thii-^ demand that stymied for a year re- newal of the pact with the monop-: oly which expired in October,: 1947. : Czechs finally came through with a new deal when it became obvious j. that they'd need further U. S. films to keep their theatres alight and. that the MPEA wouldn't go for any reciprocal playoff of Czech prod- uct. Latter demand proved prepos-; terous, in any case, since tliert; aren't enough Czech: films made. New deal calls for import of 28 Hollywood features, into, the coun- ^ try :during the year starting.Feb. 1, 1949; In addition to a flat sum ad- vance guarantee per picture, Czechs will remit 75% of MPEA's share of revenue; earned by each picture on a monthly dollar ba.sis. The 25% balance will be blocked for, five years, with MPEA permit- ted to make certain local invest?- ments with it. Theatres, which are state-owned, ' will pay 30% rental, out of which the distribution monopoly, will tak«: its 50% fee before sending the 75% of tbe : remainder to New York.: This works : out to remittance of: lH4c. out of each b:o, dollars FIVE U.S. HORROR FILMS BANNED IN FINLAND Helsinki, Nov. 23. U.S. Distribs Set Up An Italian Committee To Head Off Dubbing Tax Rome. Nov. 30. Fighting to head, off a dubbing tax on American films,- a commit- tee of three American distrib rep- : resentatives has been . formed to . protect U.S. film interests in Italy. Committee is bucking the proposal of the Italian government to im- pose a 500 lire per meter dubbing tax on U.S. films would be used to finance the domestic film industry.. In ■ addition, the government is : proposing -a lin:)it of 350: dubbed, foreign pix a year with no limit on original versions. ' : American - reps, however, ara fighting to maintain free importa- tion of films into Italy. Frank Mc- Carthy, Motion Picture Assn. of America continental rep and mem- ber of the. three-man committee^ has indicated American producers Horror film.s took it on the^chm j ^^uifj ^alt their production activi ^ u._ r.-. -" jjgg jj„ j(,jjjy jf barriers were imposed.: Other members of the committee ate Armando Messinelli,' Metrb territorial chief ,: and Vladi- mir Lissim, RKO continental rep. when the State Censorship Board recently barred five American- made chillers. Only - pix to : be banned outright in Finland so far this year, they are "Temptation," "Mummy's Curse," "Ghos,t of Frankenstein," "Pearl of Death" and "Frozen Ghost," ail Universal- International. Market for this type: product in Scandinavia is generally confined to Sweden. Censors there are in- clined to be more lenient with such films although prints are frequentr ly scissored. India Keeps Tight Rein ^ On Bombay, Nov. 23. Oificials in India keep a tight rein on the import of feature length .■ films in 16m, in order to prevent competition with the 35m 4 • TT „ r»„j, theatres. Practically all of the im- AuSSie Film House Kat ports come from the U. S. About Rit<» Ttrinvfi 4900 Award: 220 U. S, features in 16m are cur- BUe i5nngs ^mv Awara ^.^^^j^ distribution m mdia. Melbourne, Nov. 23. National Theatres, an urban cine- ma loop, was sued by a patron for an alleged:: bite - by a rat during a night performance. He claimed the rat ran up his leg and started gnaw- ing him. : Local judge handed the patron :$200 for the damage. Theatre man- agement may seek a retrial. CUBA PIX B.O. UP Havana, Nov. 30. Boxoffice receipts In Havana for Augu.st amounted to $184,582, con- trasted with $127,136 in July. Of the 26 August releases, 20 were from Hollywood, two from Mexico, two from Argentina, and one each from France and Britain. The American films earned $153,- 772, or 83.39'o of the total. in: with another 100 in stock for future release in that country. During the year ending July 31 , last, Bombay censors reviewed 70 , U. S. and 10 Indian 16m pictures, i Rentals for 16m features in In- dia run about $30 per day and about $3 per reel for shorts. When ■ tiiey are sold ; on a percentage to , theatres, the percentage asked it I 50'i:r. There are countless villages I in India with no theatres and all of these are potential -markets for 1 16m. One hundred- 35m' and 155 , 16m theatres are in operation in tho German occupation zones, Military Government's Motion Picturo Service announced. One 35m the-. atre In JFassberg and one 16m house each in Bamberg and Helii-- stcdt were opened recently. 14 5 times in LIKE alone, 3 times in LOOK . . . and again and again in THE SATURDAY EVENING POST, COLLIER'S, McCALL'S COSMOPOLITAN SEVENTEEN AMERICAN. WOMAN'S HOME COMPANION. LADIES HOME JOURNAL, DELL SCREEN UNIT, FAWCETT SCREEN UNIT. HILLMAN MOVIE GROUP, SCREENLAND UNIl Wednesday, Decemljer 1, If SAMUEL GOLDWYN HANDS YOU ANOTHER GREAT HIT PRE-SOLD FOR YOUR BOXOFFICE BY*AN UNPRECEDENTED AD CAMPAIGN! Released by RKO Rddto Pfcfurm; fnc. 16 PICTURES Wednesday, Deceml>«r 1, 194JS Wilson to Pitch for More Play Time, . Improved Anglo-U,S. Relations London, Nov. 30. t Harold Wilson, president of the BoiU'd of Trade, will make a bid for more amicable Anglo-American relations in his speech before the House ,of Commons Thursday (2) when he will ask for more playing time for British films in the U. S. It will be Wilson's answer to union pressure for an increased quota and. an amendment to the Films Act to prevent pictures made abroad from qualifying under the quota. Union leaders have been Warning American pix imports for the unemployment of Britisli stu- dio workers. Direct government action to change the quota act is considered unlikely, despite the big setback to British, production caused by the decision of the J. Arthur Rank or- ganization to close its Islington stu- dios and concentrate its program In its remaining lots. At the all- Industry meeting convened by Wil- son yesterday (29), labor and lead- ers and producers; were seeking a solution to the studio crisis which existed even before the Islington closure was afinounced. ■ At New Low Production in Britain,, which has been in the doldrums throughout the year, is now reaching a new low. George Elvin, general secre- tary of the Assn. of Cine and Allied Technicians, frankly admits that without : the reopening; of Warner Bros.-Associated British Elstree studios and the, Metro program at their Elstcee studios, unemploy- ment would be at a new high level for studio workers. As it is, some technicians have been absorbed by the activities of the American com- panies. Heports are circulating that the ; policy of retrenchment will not stop at the closing of the Gainsr borough Islington studios, but with the development of Independent Frame and other speedup: tech* niques, additional outfits- will he af- fected in due course. Unless Rank can be persuaded to increase his program substantially, any extension of his new; produc- tion methods is going to involve the industry in serious unemploy- ment problems. X)f the 300 who will he thrown out of work by the Islington shutdown, only a few oan hope to 'be; absorbed into the genr cral structure of the Rank group. All the facts were vigorously put to Wilson at his crisis meeting yes- terday of the National Joint Pro- duction Council, where he was urged to take strong action to avert ''disaster;" as Tom 0!Brien, head of the British studio workers union, put it. Fielding's Probing Former N. Y. License Com- missioner Benjamin Fielding, who was taken on by Metro earlier, this year for executive chores in the theatre dept., has been handed new duties as part of M-G's current drive to slash overhead. Fielding now is working as an efficiency expert for the company, ranging through all branches of its ac- tivities. Ex-comish is going from de- partment to department — in- cluding .theatres, sales and* foreign — c becking Up on whether there is duplication in personnel a n d determining wliere the axe can be swung; , Roux Color Continued from page f I but Roux isn't In a position to equip theatres for general release, at least in the U.S. Understt^d that Pagnol, who ;is said to have first shot the picture in black and white, only to remake it with the new process, didn't, stress himself unduly on budget. During t^e war he sold his- Mar- seille studios to Gaui;nont for a good sum in a deal' that provided him to supply >;pix for .Qaumont release on terms giving Gaumont the lion's share. lA Opens Talks With Distribs On Xchange Aides : 'Negotiations for new union pacts to cover about 6,500 exchange em- ployees in 32 exchange centers opened this week between the ma- jor distribs and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Em-, ployees. The current one-year pact; involving numerous lATSE locals in the various cities, -expires today (Wed.). Union demands are understood to include provisions for another wage rise on top of the 15% hike received ; last December. lATSE spokesmen, however, are keeping details of r their proposals under wraps, as- per their standard pro- cedure, until the pact is, signed. According to past performance; the talks are slated for long duration before an agreement is reached. All-raises will be retroactive to the current pact's expiration date: The distrib negotiating commit- tee includes Fat Schollard; Para- mount; Clarence ; Hill, 20th-Foxj Anthony Petti, Universal-Interna- tional; Charles ■ O'Brien, Metro; Hency C. Kaufman, Columbia; Ma- jor Leslie Thompson,' RKO Sam Schneider, Warner Bros; and Harry Buckley, United Artists. Spokes- men for the lA are Thomas J. Shea, lATSE assistant president; Louise ; , Wright, vice-prexy . and Joseph D. Basson, interqatlonal rep. I Pickford, Chaplin || Continued f rom page 3 sSSSU tlie deal has all been closed. With a memorandum of agreement ar- rived at. This means that the only v.. Strtke': S3(iifc0adis;-<» ^Chi;,;.'.,; ■;; Chicago, Nov. 80. Spread of the New York Scrieen Publicists and Screen - Office arid Professional Employees G u i 1 d strikes fronl New: York has reached Chicago.- Pickets last week paraded before "Snake Pit" at the Garrick thing remaining is for UA to come l and other Balaban. & ;Katz houses, to a decision on the producers to i Pickcters claim that attendance make the films involved. ■ Final word may come next week;; following return of UA prexy Grad Scars to the Coast. He was east this week for board meeting at which the problem of producers for the pix was discussed at length. He is understood to object to either of the owners getting any of the coin, since Jiis main interest Is getting films into work quickly to relieve the UA product short- age. It. is understood he'll discuss the ; situation with the owners when he arrives.on the Coast. Hughes js advancing the coin in return for UA handing back to him three pi.x which he made for its di.stribution. He has since ac- Schlaifer's Own Agcy; 2flth s Acct. Charles Schlaifer, who recently r^sigii^d - as puhrad ;>chief ; ol vSoth- ^t)x, {'^ill opeii his owri- adyertisirig agency,- he determined ■ last -Xye^k. He has heeh handed ; the : 2()tli-Fox' advertisirig account ifdr the; liext ; four years by prexy Spyros Skoiiras. Schlaifer had been ■ con- sidering the possibility of joining forces with Kayton-Spiero, which now holds the account. The film company ad expendi- tures amount to -approximately $1 ,500,000 yearly. Agency commis; sions normally are 15%, but net profits after production costs fig- ure about ■2V2 %. That would give Schlaifer about S37,500 clear, which is the same as his salary as 20th's pub-ad topper. He has the added advantage, however, : of being able to take on additional accounts. Four-year . term of Schlaifer's guaranteed hold on the 20th biz was a compromise. He originally sought a five-year deal. ' Charles Einfeld succeeds Schlaifer at 20th, with a v.p. title, a two-year contract at $2,500 a week, and other con- siderations. ■,;;■,':">.• Flock of firings that took place in the 20th pub-ad department over the Thanksgiving weekend are seen as possibly tied in with •the Schlaifer move. Part of the ar- rangement by which Kayton-Spiero handled the Fox ad account was that the cpmpaiiy uiaintatn a. fM-^^> size art and prodtictioh departmeiit of its own to handle . work which • most other film companies ordi- narily turn over to their agencies. Possibility is seen that wit h Schlaifer taking over the account, he may assume much of the art and production work noW handled by 20th's departrtient, which would be cut. ,■■;;■■.■'.■■■■.■-;::.;■': ' Lending credence to this potenti- ality is the fact that five of the 13 plnkslipped last week were artists. They are Bill Bobbins, Don Carguil, Tom Brennan, Joe Butler and Paul Grosz. Others who were let out are publicists Ben Wertheim, Dorothy Holland, Norma Lippin- cott, Eugene Schrott, Tee Blanken- ship and Ruth Simon, plus two sec- retaries. Total saving to the com- pany is $1,085 a week. Discharged employees, all re- ceived double severance pay. With their contract calling for a maxi- houres7 bur"B&K"officirir'clarra!'""™ ^f***' severance, some Par May Foflow E and SRO in Use Of Clark' Bacboom Film Service Save $20,000,000 Hollywood, Nov. 30. Hollywood filnjs, with the ex- . ception of super-duper produc- tions like "The Three Mnske- teers" or "Joan of Arc," are growing shorter. The average length of "A" pictures made here this year Is 94 minutes, compared with 101 minutes in 1947. Decrease in footage repre- sents a general saving of about $20,000,000 in 12 months. "B" productions have also been cut down to 67 minutes on an average. drop in b.o. was general. As yet no court action has been was off at the Garrick and other taken but both unions are not organized in Chicago and therefore might be subject to secondary boy- cott provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act. Other cinjdits have not been affected as yet. Marx Bros. Pic a Continued from page i js of those axed received 24 weeks' salary. also being made, Jt iis reported*; for another smaller loan to supplement the Chemical Bank advance and ■ . * , <• T,,r/^ , , , g'vp Gpwan money he needs be- qiiired control of RKO and wants | yond the completion coin, them released by that company. I Miss Pickford is understood to He has placed -no strings on ex- 1 have no monetary investment in penditure of the coin, with UA . the fihn, but, through the tieup having the privilege of delermin- 1 with her, Cowan is able to take ad- ing over how many films it should vantage of the extremely favorable be spread. I distribution terms she gets as a Hughes originally demanded one-half owner of UA. She and either story-cast-producer-director I partner Charles Chaplin each has approval or a .guarantee that he'll a 10-year contract with the corn- get his money back. UA made an 1 pany permitting them distribution agreement with Nasser brothers j for 25% up to $800,000 gross and whereby he got the latter guaran- ' Wl after tliat. On a high-gross- Einfeld Selling Home Hollywood, Nov. 30. Contrary to his original plans, Charles Einfeld probably will sell his Beverly Hills house when he officially takes over as 20th-Fox pub-ad veepee Jan. 1. He had ex- pected to share his time between New York and the Coast. Switch in plans following Einf eld's recent confabs with 20th toppers in the east may mean he'll be spending most of his time there. EL Lists Gains In Fanning Out Backroom Work Frank Soule, head of Eagle Lion's exchange operations, thinks the company's move in turning over all backroom physical han- dling of films to National Film Service, Philadelphia outfit, is go- ing to save the outfit plenty of cash. EL exec also believes other advantages, which cannot be weighed in dollars-and-cents, make the switch a coming development for other companies. I On the actual cost of handling prints, EL is paying a per-reel rate which will have it break even with its previous costs incurred while doing the job itself, Soule said. Additional advantages gained when the deal was inked by William J. Heineman, EL's distribution vee- pee, were ticked off by Soule as follows: 1. Company will save some $50,- 000 yearly which it now invests In machinery, equipment and vaults tor exchange backrooms. Since equipment is proportionate to the number of prints handled, Soule believes major companies would save double that amount. 2. Future exchange construction by EL can save tremendously on square footage, fireprooflng, vaults, vault racks and other items which are- the most expensive part of ex- changes. ■ ■ • 3. EL will be able to move into fine office buildings as current leases expire. With zoning regu- lations, exchanges now are in the shabbfest part of town. Better lo- cation would mean increased biz from exhibs. 4. Without backroom operations, company will- be able to lower 1 rentals paid by it for. exchanges. ' 5, Elimination of the headache of dealing with backroom unions. ! NFS has assumed all' union obliga- tions, including seniority rules. 6. Ability to attract finer people to work in exchanges since they can now be located in modern of- fice buildings. Philadelphia, Nov. 30. Long-discussed proposal in the industry for the combined opera- tion of backroam physical han- dling of films by all the companies as a cost-saving measure Is taking shape here. Paramount, it Is reli- ably reported, is now discussing farming out its chores for its 31 exchanges to National Film Serv- ice, headed by James and William Clark. Selznick "Releasing Organ- ization has used the service fop' over two years and Eagle Lion an- nounced a similar deal with it this, week. If Par inks a pact for physical handling by NFS, pressure for other majors to do likewise will be strong. Understood contracts would provide for lowering of pcr- reel rates with the expansion of the operation to additional com- panies. Reportedly, .suggestion for all- industry- adoption of the plan was recently made at a meeting of company presidents. No uniform action was agreed on but. the pres- sure -for cost-saving measures is expected to push most majors into the combined use of private outfits ;, such as NFS.- If Par signs, it will be able to shutter cosily backroom operations and move -into office buildings for frontroom exchange bookings and billings. Under the plan, NFS sets up vaults and shipping quarters in; 31 cities. By telephoning instruc- tions to these quarters, exchanges «an order shipment and processing of prints when required. . EL deal was signed by William J. Heineman, company's distribu- tion veepee, after protracted nego- tiations. Selznick closed with NFS when his proposal for combined operations was chilled off ; by the majors immediately after the war ended. Gershwin Festival Continued . from, page . I tee, so it is all up to UA and the Nassers now in agreeing on pro- ducers. Sears Will leave New York Fri- day for the Bob O'Donnell dinner in Dallas, going from there to the Coast over the weekend. His exec aide, Paul N. Lazarus, Jr., will accompany him to Dallas, U. S. names particularly, associated with Gershwin and his work to visit London for the festival. So far, (he lineup includes a 60 Or 70 piece symphony orchestra under the baton of Ray Martin. There M'ill also be a special swing section led by bandleaders Carl Barriteau and Leslie Hutchinson. _ _ A special f eature is also to be -made ing picture ; these would probably I Of large-.scale excerpts from be the lowest terms in the Industry and definitely below the actual cost of distribution for UA. "Love Happy" is being directed by David Miller. Aside from Harpo, Chico and Groucho Marx, Gershwin's opera, "Porgy and Bess," which has never been per- formed here. Festival would mark the first time that a concert of contempo- rary music of this class has ever cast includes Marion Hutton, Vera- ' been given such a large-scale stag- JSIlen and Itona Massey. 1 ing in Britain. Allied Inli.O. SB Continued from page *• — of cashing in on such notoriety. Robert Mitchum and Robert Walk- er were particularly singled out by the exhibitors. The Allied States board adopted a resolution disapproving the con- ciliation plans being considered for adjusting 'differences between film distributors : and theatre owners; Col. H. A. Cole, Dallas, Tex., re- viewed the past history of Allied, and warned the association that television will be one of exhibitor's future problems. "It's up to us to watch television, so when the time comes we can be prepared to guide it in a way it can help rather than hinder our industry," Col. Cole said. William N. Ainsworth, national president, presided. He was pre- sented the key to the city by Mayor De Lesseps Morrison, who wel- comed the delegates. W. A. Pre- witt, Jr., convention chairman, and Abe Berensen, Gulf States Ass'n prexy, also welcomed the delegates. Film players on hand include George Murphy, who will emcee convention banquet tomorrow (Wednesday) night; Chill Wills and Tom London, Republic players. MPEA Future S CdnUnued ixom page 5 ;ss Korea is open to question. While these countries were a dead loss to the American companies up to a few months ago, the situation has now changed to the extent that some distribs are anxious to han- dle their own; product there. In Germany, the U. S. govern- ment's European - Cooperation Ad- ministration Is making avallabla funds to cover outtof<-pocket costs of operation. In Japan, the Wat Dept. is making similar funds avail- able. In both countries,; too, there is a good possibility that the Gov- ernment will make it possible soon to use frozen film rentals for local investments. As for Austria, film companies are already getting some of their coin out. Korea is a minor terri- tory that is operated Iniconjunction with Japan. In Holland, another MPE.\ ter- ritory, that outfit is already operat- ing in a limited capacity, with com- panies doing their own selling. Th« final MPEA area is Netherlands East Indies. Discussions next week will .take up territory by territory, with a vote on continuing in each. Ses- sions were orginally slated for thli week but were postponed because of the absence of some company execs. Talks on the territory-by- territory future of MPEA were initiated at a meeting in New York last week. It has been known for some time that United Artists, because of de- fections by most of its indie pro-; ducers, will probably pull out of the MPEA when its contracts for the various areas expire; If UA" is the only company to quit, rest of the distribs will probably go on. If, howeveii Metro, Paramount or one of the other top companies in the foreign field refuses to renew with the association for any or all territories, rest of the distribs like- wise would balk. There is constant fear that one company, operating on Its own, could outsell the others, operating collectively, and profit at their expense. Also, in no small way affecting: the future of MPEA are personal feelings. Numerous foreign depart-, ment execs have consistently, op-; posed the organization because it lessens their authority by taking territories out o* their hands. If its continued operation is voted, It may well be by the company proxies over the active or tacit dis- approval of the foreign managers. Wednesday, DecemW 1, 17 DOROTHY DON JANIS COME TO WARMERS' MJig^ TRADE SH^^^^a 18 riCTVItES WtAnetAseff December I, \94Z Picture Grosses last Holiday Ups Pitt; W Hep $17,000, 'Regiment' WASHINGTON (Continued from page 8) "Song Is Born" (HKO). Hefty $19, 000. Last week, "Love of Mary ' i Marches to Great $13,000 : C'' lo^aTrw^nMr a^«^; Pittsburgh, XOV. 30. | ^^^1^^\„.,, , t»on „ on i Big Thanksgiving got everything ' A '''•H.mfpt'^"*'mP off to great start and this looks . If^^j— /jamlet (U) (6th wk) , like tht! best all-around week the ' Steady^ $4,500. Last week, same, i Golden Triangle has had in some timo. Takes generally helped by Tiirkey Day eve midnight shows, aU of which: played to capacity. "Tliree Musketeers" at Penn's leading field by a wide margin; and holds. So will "When Baby Smiles at Me" at Harris, "Rogues' ! Holds indef. Metropolitan (WB) (1,163; 44-74) "June Bride" (WB) (2d run). Fine $10,000 for this small-seater. Last week, "Loves of Carmen" (Col) l2d j run), so-so $B,000. ! National (Heiman) (1,590; 85- $2.40)— "Red Shoes" (EL) (7th wk). wk). Smash $18,500 after week's terrific $21,200. Loew's (Loew) (2,096; 36-66)— "Red River" (UA). Sock $14,000. Last week, "JuJia Misbehaves" IM-Gr (4th wk), okay $7,800. Odeon (Jlank) (2,390; 35-$1.20) —"Dulcimer Street" lEL). Nifty $15,000. Last week, "Best Years" (RKO) (5th wk), satisfactory $8,800. Shea's (FP) (2,386; 36-66) — "Sealed Verdict" (Par). Okay • $1,1,500. Last week, "June Bride" , CWB) (3d wk), good $8,400. i Tlvoli (FP) (1,431; 36-66)— "Road House" (20th) (3d wk). Satisfactory $3,500 after last week's $4,400. Uptown (Loew) (2,743; 30-66— "Rogues' Regiment" (U). Big $14,- 500; Last week, "No Minor Vices" (M-G) and "Secret Land" (M-G), tepid $8,000. 1 nnssihiv Dropped to $9,000 after steady , ct' nfpv ^: $10,000 la.st week, both still fine for this stage of run. May stay un- til after Christmas. Palace (Loew's) (2,370^ 44-74)-4; "Three Musketeers" (M-G). Strong $24,000. Last week, "Baby Smiles i at Me'' (20th) (2d wk), dim $8,000 in 6 days. j Playhouse (Lopert) (432; $1.20- 1 $2.40) — "Hamlet" (U) (6th Wk). : Great $8,500. . Last week, ditto. Hold again. ■■, ■ Wiairnier: (WB) (2,154;; 44-74)— ' "Fighter Squadron" (WiB). Hot $19,000, hypoed by fancy preem. ; Last week, "Tatloek's Millions" : (Par)j . below hopes, but still stout at $16,000 Regiment" at Penn and "Fighter Squadron" at Estimates for This Week Fulton (Shea) (1,700; 44-76)— "Rogues' Regiment" (U). Smart t 13,000. Last week, "Love of lary ' (U), very dim $.4,000. Harris (Harris) (2,200; 44-76)— "Baby Smiles at Me" • (20th). Sizzling $17,000. Last week, VRoad House" (20th) (2d wk), fine $10,- 600. Penn (Loew's-UA) (3,300; 44-76) -i-"Three Musketeers'L (M - G). i Gash customers don't give a hang What the crix say since they're : flocking to this one in droves. Sock $25,000, and naturally holds. Last week, "Julia Misbehaves" I (M-G), (2d wk\ $13,500. | Kitz (Loew's) (800; 80-$2.40)— ' "Hamlet" (V) (4th wk). Beginning ' to slip off somewhat in wake of] holiday, and stormy weekend I didn't help either. About $7,500 | as against $9;50Q last week. Both r big for this spot. | Philadelphia, Nov. 30. Senator (Harris) fl.750; 44-76)— I Thanksgiving holiday plus the "Road House" (20th) (m.o:). Hot enormous crowds drawn by the big $5,000. Last Week, 'ISilver Queen" ; football week is boosting local biz (U) and "Men of Texas" (U) (re- ; ""to high brackets. Even the steady issues), $3,500. I rain Sunday failed to cut down the Stanley- (WB) (3,800; 44.76)— I appreciably. "Fighter Squadron" (WB). Shapes ! as last $19,000, and may stick. 1 Last week, "Live a Little" (EL), Philly Soars; W Huge $40,000; 'Regiment' 21G, 'Musketeers' 36G, Huge mild $9,000. Warner (WB) (2,000; 44-76)— "Sofia" (EL) and "Northwest Stampede" lEL). Too much in town against this, so mild $7,000 looks about all. Last week, "June Bride" (WB) (m.o.), $7,000. 'Musketeers' Socko, 17G, Seattle; 'River' $22,000 Leaders are two newcomers; "When Baby Smiles at Me." smash j at Fox, and "Three Musketeers," ! setting a record at the Goldman. ' "Hamlet," into Aldine on road- 1 show run. shapes sensational: "Rogues' Regiment" al-so is hitting; a new high at the Karlton. ^ Estimates for This Week | Aldine (M'B) (1,303; $1.20-$2.40> \ — "Hamlet" lU). Sensational $28 - 1 000. Last week, "Innocent Affair" 1 (.UA) (2d wk), $8,800. . ' : Arcadia (S&S)^ (700; 50-94) — : "Loves of Carmen" (Col).. Fast' $6,000. Last week, "Velvet Touch" (RKO>, .?4,300. Boyd (WB) 12,360; 50-99)— "June Bride" (WB) (3d wk). Modest Seattle, Nov. 30. "Three Musketeers" is bringing ,,,, „ . back life to the Music Hall with | $14,000 after mild $17,000 second smash session. Orpheum's "Fighter I Squadron " also is big. Rig adver- Earle (WB) (2 700; 50-99)— "Sta- ■ ■ ■ - - - ■ — ■ I tion West" (RKO). Hefty $24,000 tising blasts are helping ■ "Red i River'' at Paramount to a sock 1 •-•week. ■\ Estimates for This Week I Blue Mouse ( H-E) (800; 50-84)— I "Good Sam" i RKO) and "Arizona | Ranger" UIKO) (4th wk). Good' S^.-'jOO in C dtiys. Last week, great 1 $5,000. , . I Coliseum (H-E) (1 .899-50-84)— 1 "Kiss Blood Off Hands" (U) and i "Miraculous .lourney" , (FC) (2dj wk). AVay off to $6,500 after last week's ctanily S11.300: I Fifth Avenue (H-E) 12,349; 50- 841— "Baby Smiles" (20lh) a(id 1 "Escape" (20th) (2d wk). Slow! $0,000. Last week, big $12,300, I Liberty (Ind) (1,650; 50-84)— i "Tatloek's Millions" (Par) and; "Disaster" (Par) i2d wk). Nice ! . $9,000 after getting big S12,200 ! last stanza. i Music Box iH-E) (850; 50-84)—! "June' Bride" (WB) and "Sofia" i (FC) (m.o,). Good $'^,500. Last week, "Belinda" (WB) and "I Sur- ; render" (Col) (m.o,i, sweet $3,700. , Music Hall (H-E) (2,200; 50-84)— | Last week, "Kiss Blood Off Hands" (U) (3d Wk), nice $15,000. Fox (20th) (2,250; 50-99)— "When Baby Smiles" (20th). Torrid $40,- 000. Last week, "Road House" .20th) (3d Wk), smash $16,000 in 5 days. Goldman (Goldman) (1,200; 50- 99)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G). Record $36,000. Last week, "Julia ' Misbehaves" (M-G) (5th wk), i $11,000. Karlton (Goldman) (1,000; 50-99)1 "Rogues' Regiment" (U). New hereat .$21,000. Last week, "Secret Land" (M-G) and "San Francisco" (M-G) reissued), $7,588. ! , Keith's (Goldman) (1.300; 50-99) I —"Road House" (20th). Smash I $13,000. Last week "Cry of City" i (20th), $3,500. Mastbauni (WB) (4,360; 50-99)— "Fighter Squadron" (WB) (2d wk).: Disappointing $17,500 after okay $26,000 opener. Pix (Cummins) (500; SO-99) — "Southern Yankee'^ (M-G). Neat $4,000 in 4 days. Last week. "Night Has .1,000 Eyes" (Par), trim $5,500. Stanley (WB) (2,950; 50-99i — "Song Is Born" illKO) i3d wk). Slipped to $15,000. La«t week $19,000. Stanton (WB) (1,475; 50-99) — "Gallant Blade" iCol). Stronf, $14,500. Last week. "Sofia" iSGi and "Argyle Secret" iS(3', $9,500. 'TATLOCK'S' BEST BET IN PORT., HOT $17,500 Portland, Ore., Nov. 30. , Downtown houses are coining plenty of money on current prod- uct in spite of the large .number of competing shows, "Miss Tat- loek's Millions'' at Paramount and: Oriental is socko while "So This; Is New York" at the Mayfair is disappointing. Long line of hold- over is holding down total take. "Blandings Dream House" shapes as tops on second Broadway week. Estimates for This Week Broadway (Parker) (1,832; 50- 85) — "Blandings Dream House" (SRO) and "Sons of Adventure" (Rep) (2d wk). Nice $7,500. Last week, sock $14,000. Mayfair (Parker) (1,500; 50-85) "This Is New York" (UA) and "Golden Eye" (Mono). Disap- pointing $2,500. Last week, "Rope" (WB) and "Embraceable You" (WB) (m.o.\ fine $4,500. Music Box (H-E) (1,000; 50-85) i— "Johnny Belinda" (WB) and "Lulu Belle" (Par) (3d Wk) (m.o.) (5 days). Good $3,000. Last week, $4,500. Oriental (H-E) (2,000; 50-85)— "Tatloek's Millions" (Par) and "Isn't It Romantic" (Par) (5 days) day-date with Paramount, Sock $6,000. Last week, "When Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Sophia" (In- die) (8 days), $6,500. Orpheum (H-E) 1 1,750; 50-85)— "When Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Sophia" (Indie) i2d wk) (6 days). Big $6,000. Last week, $10,700. Paramount (H-E) (3,400; 50-85)— "Tatloek's Millions" iPar) and "Isn't It Romantic" (Par) also Oriental. Terrific $11,500. Last week, "Night Has 1,000 Eves" (Par) and "Triple Threat" iCol), $8,500. Playhouse (H-E) (1,200; 50-85)— "Night Has 1,000 Eyes" (Par) and "Triple Threat" (Col) (m.o.). So-so $1;700. Last week, "Loves of Car- men" (Col) and "Summer Holiday" (M-G) (m.o.), $2,500. United Artists (Parker) (895; 50- 85) —^ "Julia Misbehaves" (M-G) (4th wk). Fine $6,000. Last week, $8,500. Inside Stulf-^ctures John Hou,seman, legit and film director and fornffer associate of Orson Welles, has been doing a series of articles In the New York Star (ex- PM) on Sundays concerning the present disturbed economic state of the picture industry. Aside from the usual factors' Usted as contrib- uting to Hollywood's dliriculties, Houseman noted this week: ' "A Vague sense of uneasiness at the realization that during the years of plenty, not one single major innovation had been introduced — not one real novelty of technique or subject matter. Nor, for that matter, had anything new or exciting been developed in the human line- neither directors, nor writers, nor even stars. Could it be that Holly- wood was getting stale?" Present situation is by no means hopeless for .Hollywood's "crea- tive elements," Houseman states. "Once the transition >is made, their prospects were never brighter. Whether live or on ftlm — simultane- ously projected via coaxial cable or over individual stations and dif- ferent times, viewed intimately on home sets or publicly on the giant screens of theatres — it is still product, and human brains, and beauty and skill are needed to make it','' "As to the businessmen," Houseman concludes, "I think we need not worry too much about them, either. ... I have a hunch that when the smoke clears they will be found, east and west, sitting in the same offices, with the same ulcers, behind the same desks." A footnote on Danny Kay e's London smash being slightly less sensa- tional than when he first whammed 'em last winter lies in the fact the ticket specs m'ade it too tough a hurdle. They were getting up to 100 poundsfor the Command Performance, and for $400 there was a strange "make me laugh" attitude, almost beyond the comedian's control. How- ever, he surmounted that, even though there also was some resentment that tlie topliner of what, after all, is a British charity— for the Variety Artists Federation^had to be an American. There was also an un- toward note struck by the fact Kaye closed with "Underneath the Arches," made famous by Flanagan & Edwards, two British artists who happened to be oii the bill; in fact. Bud Flanagan is th(B author of the song which suddenly struck a hit revival on both sides of the Atlantic. But, despite the electric ieeting among insiders that Kaye faced a bit of a fight with a certain stufled-shlrt segment of the audience, which capriciously chose to be difficult, chiefly because of the scalpers, the American comedian more than captured them find "fractured" them. By use of a new "background process'Mn its French import, "Jenny Lamour," Vog Film feels that the American market for foreign films may be broadened considerably inasmvich as its printed titles have been supplanted by a narration technique. Firm recently completed a new soundtrack at a Paris studio for "Jenny" with the running commentary spoken in English. Male and femme narrators not only explain dialog, but also describe the action. Understood Howard Hughes has offered to buy complete control of Churubusco studios in Mexico City. RKO now owns a large share of the property and the rest is held by Emilio Ascarraga. Dual financial control of the lot has tended to keep production activity down, althouRh relations between RKO and Ascarraga are said to be cordial. RKO technicians in recent years have modernized Churubusco. If Hughes takes outright control it means that RKO will produce a number of films there at a cost considerably lower than the Hollywood rate. Film stocks are now "down to levels where they are worth holdins " according to an analysis of the industry in the current issue of Moody 's Stock Survey. Bulletin's optimistic note, however, is modified by the observation that the "outlook for earnings is not Immediately bullish" and is unlikely to pick up for some time,- Other points taken up by the study include the declining boxoffice, loss of foreign Income, effect of divorcement and television. Warners Exits * 'Continued from page 3 "Three Musketeers" (M-G) and "Spiritualist" (EL). Socko $17,000. Last week, "Velvet Touch" (RKO) and "Golden Eye" (Mono), very dim $3,900. OrphCUm (H-E) (2,600; 50-84)— "Fighter Squadron" WB) and "'Smart Girls Don't T.ilk" (WB). ] Big $15,000. Last week, ".lune i Bride" iWB) and "Sofia" (FC) (2d Wk), $7,000. Palomar (Steriing) (1,350; 65-$l) i — "Smokey River Serenade" (Col) | and "Texas Rangers" on stage. So- ■ so $6,000. Last week, "Duel in Sun'' (SRO) and "Wioiig Number" ^^PalamouXH-lffs'osq' 50-84)- I a"'^"i«'-y generators and Paramount (H-K,; (J,0,j,y, oo-o*^— I plugging "no power interruptions." DENVER (Continued from page 9): ■ ver, Webber. Big $4,000 or better. Last wrek. ".Johnny Belinda" (WB) and "Winner Takes All" (Mono), $2,500. Orpheum (RKO) (2,600; 35-741— "Station West" (RKOi and "Body- guard" (RKO). Nice $15,000. Last week. 'Mulia Misbeh.-ives" (M-G) and "Close Up" (EL) (2d wk), $10,- 000. . Paramount (Fox) (2,200; 35-74) —"Belle Starr's Daughter" (20th) and "SOS Submarine" (SG). Good $11,000 Last week, "Pitfall" (UA) and "Meet Me at Dawn'' (20th), $7,000. Webber (Fox) (750; 35-74) — "When Baby Smiles" i201h) ,ind "Bungalow 13" (20th), also Denver. Esquire. Fine $3,500. Last week, "Pitfall" lUA) and "Meet Me at Dawn" (20th), dim $1,500. 'Dulcimer' Hits Sultry 15G, Toronto; 'River' 14G Toronto, Nov. 3(1" With power cutoff's hurting all suburbans,' business is up at main- , stem deluxcrs here since having "Red River" (UA). Terrific $22,000 Last week. "Gallant Blade" (Col) and "Untamed Breed" (Col), thin $7,500. Roosevelt (Sterling) (800; 50-84) — "Luxury Liner" (M-G) and "Isn't It Romantic" (Par) i2d runs). Fair $3,000. Last week, "Blood and Sand" (20th) and "Wake Up Screaming" (Col) (2d runs), $4,100. Top newcomers are "Rogues' Reg- iment" and "Red River." "Dul- cimer Street" shapes solid. Estimates for This Week Hyland (Rank) (1,3.54; $1-$1,50) —"Hamlet" (U) (2d wk). Capacity $15,500. Last week, about same. Imperial (FP) (3,378: 36-66)— "Apartment for Peggy" t20th) (2d SAN FRANCISCO I Confirmed from page 8) Blood OH lland.s" (U) and "Racing Luck' (Col) i2d wk), $11,500. •United Artists (No. Coast) (1,207- 55-85)— "Red River" lUA) i7th wk)'. Husky .$8,000. Last week, S9,000 .•itagedoor (Aekerman) ($120- $2.40)— "Hamlet" (U) (3d wk). Ter- rific $12,500, helped by extra shows. Last week, capacity $11,200. Esquire (No. Coast) (955; 55-85) —"Northwest Stampede" (EL) and "Shep Come? Home" (SG). Nice $7,000. Last week. "Harpoon" (SG) and "SOS Submarine" (SG); same. United Nations (FWO (1,149; 60- 83)— "June Bride" (WB) and "Homi- cide for Three" (Rep) (2d wk). Trim $4,000. Last week, $2,500 in 4. days. State (Par) (2.133; 60-85)— "All Baba" (U) and "Phantom of the Opera" (U) (reissues). Big $10;000. Last w< ek, "Runaway Daughter" (FC) and "Duke West Point" (FC) (reissues), $7,200. ly, negotiated the breakup with- out advising attorneys for the other companies of the impending j deal. Continuing its efforts to i reach a deal, Par also pushed ne- igotiations during the week. Lcon- ! ard. Goldenson, Par's theatre chief; iEd Weisel, attorney and acting [chairman of the company's exec 'committee; and 'yValter Gross, le- .galite In the theab:e dept., trekked to Washington last Friday (26) for ; further huddles- with the Govern- jment. I WB's Stipulation I Warners' pact with the D of J: I is incorporated in a stipulation I which provides for immediate cut- iting of partnership ties. Stipula- j tion states specifically that the j company has voluntarily agreed to the step. ■ ■ ; I Theatre partner most affected by the deal is Ben Amsterdam. Warn- ers and Amsterdam each o\*n a i 50% interest in more than 15 the- ! atres in the New Jersey area; In lall other instances, WB also owns 'a 50% interest. i Other hou.ses involved: are two in PilLsburgh, operated by the ' .Mount Oliver Theatre Co., M. M. Fiiikel and O. F. Habegger, part- ,ners with WB; Paramount theatre, Youngstown, O., Shea Enterprises, partner; MacArthur theatre, Wash- j ington, D. C, Fred S. Kogod and ;Max Bui'ka, partners; Ohio theatre, I Springfield, O., Springfield Theatre I Co., partner; Grlswold theatre, Troy, N. Y., Fast Theatres, partner. Favora ble "Move ■ ; . Trial strategists believe Warners' willingness to remove the theatres as an issue In the case will create a favorable impression with the three-judge statutory court. Presid- ing Circuit Court Judge Augustus ,'N. Hand has frequently a.sked the ' parties to expedite the trial by vol- untary peace pacts on various 'Pha.ses of the case. Manwhile, the Government con- tinued to prepure for further hear- i ings. It filed notice last week that it intended to take oral depositions ■ I of Al Ruben, Marvin Harris, Carl ! E. Sehwyn and Jack Armstrong, Tuesday ( 7 ) , in Toledo. Quartet I are indie exhibs and it is expected they will be quizzed on effects of competitive bidding. Under terms of the notice, all. at- torneys involved in the suit are inr vited to attend and participate, i Examinations will conducted from ' day-to-day until completed. , Army Brass Continued from Dace 3 ! portedly hadi already appi»aehed I other filmites to assume , official < positions in the unit. It had in- I tended to farm out the actual film work to major film coiVtpany meui- bers of the MPAA. In effect, Holly- wood production of the film.s would : be under supervision of the MPAA. ! Secretary Royall had approved the plan and sent It through Ins I departments for routine okays. It was Harmon's insistence that no strings be tied to production work of the new corporation that I brought about the plan's downtall. i Army controller nixed the iio- ! strings clause, noting that Govern- ment officials must preserve super- ■ vision rights on contracts handed to private organizations. I Hollywood was brought into the i picture because the Army, in the I past, has been hampered in its ef- t forts to produce a unified and all- ! embracing film program for tire yOccupied countries. Only two films ! are currently being produced by the Civil Affairs Division of the Army on a trial basis. Very lew i, have been turned out previously.- i Understood that Harmon dc- ; manded a free hand because of j feared interference by high brass. ; Number of films including the , U. S, product version of the Nuremberg trials are on the shelf because of - divided opinion among ■ top Army, officers. Wednesday, December 1, 1948 20 PICTVBKS TTedneHtlay, December 1, 1948 Ops from Film Row NEW YORK Saul Krugman named assistant eastern sales manager by Eagle Lion. He starts new spot Monday (6) with h.q. in Philadelphia under eastern sales chief Milton E. Co- hen. Previously, new EL sales exec was eastern district manager for Selznick. Walter Earl Davis, former Uni- versal salesmani named branch ! manager of Film Classics' Wash- I ington office. i George Horan, Warner Boston . branch : manager, takes over post I Regent. Grand Rapldai and Up- town i Detroit. Milton Overman, Eagle liion flack, takes oVef Chi territory along with his: Kansas City cover- age. Will continue to headquarter in Kansas City, Mo. Herb Crane, upped to manager of Essaness Southern theatre. Oak Park, 111., from assistant at Lamar. Encyclopedia Britannica Films have put out a 270-page correla- tion, linlFlng ' 300 textbooks with EBF classroom sound films. Eddie Safir rejoins Republic Pic- tures as country salesman. Frank. Smith, veteran shovitman of New England district manager, in the midwest,' retires as head of recently vacated by F. D, "Dinly" rko theatres— Chicago division. Moore, resigned. Al Daytz, of Af- He was with RKO for 29 years, 22 filiated Theatres, Boston, succeeds vilh the Palace theatre here. Pre- Horan as branch manager, both , vious to that he \vas a legit com^ appointments effective Dec. 20. Two-day sales meeting, fir.st one honoring Ned Depinet since made prexy of RKO Pictures, concluded yesterday (Tues.) in N, Y. witli RKO distrib chiefs setting new Depinet sales drive to start Dec. 17. Meet was held, primarily ; to set up this campaign and to name 11 district managers of RKO Pictures to serve as; drive captains. "Jxian of Arc" will spearhead this Depinet 1 pany manager. Jerry Shinback, ! moved here from Ohio^ last' year, becomes district head. Smith re- mains in charge of labor relations. drive. Eric Johnston. MPAA prcxy, Bo,,ipvard PITTSBURGH With Lou Gilbert off for Florida On indefinite sick leave, he's being replaced as manager of WB's Regent in East Liberty by Dave Smith, switching from Boulevard. Ray Laux moves up to manage the attended meeting Monday (291 as Depinet's guest. S. Barret Mc- Cormick and iTerry Turner also spoke at this, session. CHICAGO Frank Smith, ■ BKO Theatres' division manager in the Chicago territory? moves over into the newly created post of Chi rep- resentative for labor relations for the circuit. , ■ Switch is effective Friday (3) according to an an- nouncement In New York Monday (29) by S. A. Schwartz^ the chain's^ veepee and general manager. Jer^ ty Shinbach, assistant division manager, steps into Smith's old ipot. He'll supervise the Palace and Grand, Chicago; Orhpeum, Kansas City; . Virginia and Or- pheum. Champaign; Orpheum and Liberty, liTiew Orleans; Keith's and NiW YEAIft EVi fn'sii./' SUN. I>k3I Jm Senator to his i spot. Frank A. Orban, Jr., Hoovers- ville and Cairnbrook exhib, re- elected Pennsylvania representa- tive. ■ BOB GESSNER'S SUIT OVER TORT APACHE' BKO Radio Pictures and Argosy Pictures, Inc., pirated his title, "Massacre," in the film "Fort Apache," author Bobert Gessner charges in a $200,000 ault filed in N.Y. federal court last week; Also named as defendants in the action jire Curtis Publishing Co. and novelist James Warner Bellah. According to the complaint, the Saturday Evening Post published a story by Bellah called "Massacre" on Nov. 22, 1945. Mag later sold the pic; rights to the yarn to Argosy, whereupon Gessner noti- fied the film company that it had no right to the title. Despite the fact that Argosy clinnged the story's label to"Fort Apache," Gessner claims the title, "Massacre," was wrongfully used in the picture's advertising. Originally written as a book in 1931 , Gessner's tome was made into a film of the same name in 1934 by First National with Richard Bar- thelmess as its star. Besides the 200G, Gessner also wants an accounting of "Apache's" profits. Gessner for some years has been head of the dept. of motion pic- tures at; New York University and has written several other books. He: is currently in Palestine, on ieave from NYU, scouting material for a book, writing^ a film documen- tary, and lecturing at the Hebrew U. of Jerusalem. :; , Nov. Grossers i Continued from paK«.4 : Grinieff's Road to Rome Via a Hollywood Detour Jacques Grinieff, pic importer and financier, leaves New York for the Coast, Friday (3), to line up cast and director ; for a film he'll make in Italy. . He expects to put it into; production in Rome early next year. Screenplay has been prepared by Hans Habe and Rudy - Mate, who have been working on it abroad. They are due in New York with it on the next arrival of the Queen Elizabeth. : Grinieff will .use tire he has ac- quired via various importing deals with American companies. ;He has set no release as yet. DALLAS Two Grand Prairies theatres the Texas and WingSj sold, to Sherman and Jerry Silverj Minnesota circuit operators. Dutch Williard named: manager of Prince in San Antonio,' operated by Southern Theatres Co.; comes from Varsity, Austin, Tex. James E. Gribble Phonevision Continued from page 3' (RKO) in a couple Of test dates was a highlight of the past month not only because the two pictures were so old but also since revenue rep- resented extra gravy for the distri- butor. Both were highly bally- hooed, with the pair, apparently luring completely new audiences. Whole batch of newcomers were launched the latter part of Nc vember. Both "Snalce Pit" (20th> and "Joan of Arc" (RKO) were definitely tabbed big grossers on basis of initial playdates for the former and preem showing of "Arc" In Nl Y. Another big box- office picture is "Three Muske- teers" (M-G) on basis of N. Y. and a couple of„other t ween the Harry Brandt group of exhibs and the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publish'- era this week has freed the So- ciety,, temporarily, from the effect of an injunction which would have restrained it In blanket form from collecting license fees on theatres. With the okay of Milton C, Weis- man, attorney for 164 suing exhibs, ASCAP has obtained a limited stay of the injunction from the U. S. Circuit Court. One limiting provision of the stay is that it will not apply to the 164 plaintiffs in the action. So far as they are concerued, ASCAP and its members . agreed not to make any move now or hereafter to col- lect seat taxes accruing during pendency of the current' appeaL; from the decision of Federal Judge Vincent L. Leibell. As to other exhibs, ASCAP will not be able to sue for license fees or to force collections in any Way. However, the Society may grant licenses to theatre nten who so de- sire them without being held for contempt of court. Court was told by ASCAP lawyers that some ex- hibs have shown a willingness to- make these deals. Agreement, apparently, was reached just before Weisman and former Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson and Louis (Schwartz &) Frohlich attorneys for ASCAP, prepared Monday (29) to battle it out before the three-judge circuit court «n the question of a stay pending appeal. Meanwhile, Brandt group has countered with an appeal of their own. It has asked the court to re- verse Judge LeibeU's denial of an tan. "Hollow Triumph" (EL) is I application for triple-damages in proving a substantial moneymaker. were skeptical, fearing that tew set owners would pay, for shows when others, sponsored by. adver'. tisers, were available free. How- ever, a good many of the company chiefs were enthusiastic, some go- ing so far as to feel that the sys- tem; or; one like it, might be' the savior of the production end of the industry. As the latter group view it, Hol- lywood would make special fea- south Texas representative for Eagle Lion, sue- | ture7lEor'\dd"eo.'' Each "one "would ceeds J. W. Loewe as branch man- j be heralded by widespread pub ager here. Loewe goes into biz I jj^^it ^nd advertising for himself. J. D Bickley, owner of Rita, Blue Ridge, Tex., sold it to E. P. Webb. 1 James A. Prichard named dis- I trict and branch manager of Mono- I gram exchange heJ:e, succeeding Lloyd Rust. ; L. E. Nulley named east Texas 1 salesman for National Screen Serv- ' ice, succeeding William E, Mick, resigned. Nulley was formerly cashier for NSS. Gene Hendon re.signcd as secre- tary-treasurer and general mana- ger of We.st Texas Amus. Co.. Inc., of El Paso and disposed of his; holdings in the corporation to his associates, C. C. Dues and Henry Sorenson, Everett Lee Collins, wiil succeed Hendon; campaigns. They'd announce, for Instance, that "Feature X" will be aired Thiurs- day night at 8 p.m. and a charge of $1 per set will be nriade. Any- one desiring to see it would be ad- vised to notify the: phone company. 'I'heoretical Gross Thus, come Thursdav night, per- |haps 10,000,000 sets would be tuned to "Feature X." Take would be 810,000,000, which would be split between the phone company and the producers giving the latter:^ a very hand.some profit. .That, of course, is the broadest possible outline of the idea which, film execs have in mind. It prob- ably would be nowhere near as simple as that because of time dif- ferentials throughout the country, and lots: of technical problems and charges tor personnel, facilities and equipment involved in airing a McCarthy, Mayer a— Continued from p«gc; I jbbbbII come exec assistant to Darryl F. Zanuck, 20th-Fox production chief, in; Hollywood. Van Dee subs for Frank; McCarthy's aide, Rupert Allen, who is, also quitting. John , McCarthy's new duties will differ little from those he has had since joining the MPAA as as^^ sociate managing director of the foreign office in January, 1947. Mayer has been in Europe much of the time, with McCarthy subbing for him. , McCarthy, a Harvard law ; grad in '35i was assistant general counsel of Johnson & Johnson, surgical supply house, and then v. p. of At- lantic Diesel Corp., one of its sub- sids, before the war. He served in the Navy as a lieutenant-com- mander in the exec office of the Secretary. Mayer was with the State Department before joining the MPAA. Van Dee, who was with Export for about two year's, was formerly with the Office of War Informa- tion in England. He Was in the Royal Canadian Air; Force during the war. cash and an allowance of lawyers' fees against ASCAP. Have YOU tried a SKYBERTH on American's famout DC-6 ^MERCURY- flight to LOS ANGELES? PhoM HAytmeytr i-IOOO or your travel afl , TicH:«(Offic»j; Aifl/nes rermJndf , JocksfeWef Center • Ho»e/ NewVorHer 120 Broae/woy • Hofe/ Sf. Geoffle AMERICAN AIRLINES Quiz Justice Dept. Continued from page 3 ,4 ENGINED VOOUCtAS AIRLINERS MINNEAPOLIS George McCall back with "Street , . , „ . , - , Corner" for picture's second road- 1 Picture. However, it does seem to MIAMI $50 Call BRyiuit SKYCRUISES. INC., Air Travel Agency Hotel Diplemaf, 108 W. 43d St.. N.Y.C. f Ok the C OceaH...M\m\ BEACH : show engagement here, this time at Grand, after successful tours of Black Hills and Worthmore cirr cuits' houses. "Hy" Chapmanj Columbia branch manager, taking extended absence, leave to recover health. Ben Mar- cus, district manager; will super- vise local exchange while he's: away. Litigation threatens here in eon- sequence of new clearance set.-up. Disgruntled independent exhibi- tors are on the warpath, charging some distributors play ; favoriteiSi Louis Schwartz, counsel for Rich- field, served notice on five ex- changes that unless they make 28- day availability deals he will file suits seeking such clearance. ,Ioe Floyd, Eddie Ruben theatre- partner at Sioux Falls, S. D., off to Mexico for vacation. many, of the industry toppers, pend: ing ' further: study, a very accepta- ble: Compromise between regular theatre exhibition and pure tele- vision for' which the viewer makes no payment. It would still leave as a major problem the future of the exhibition and distribution end of -the bu.siness. . How many times a picture would be aired by the, same station.or in the same area, scales of prices to be , charged, whether a film could play both video and regular houses, legal and anti-trust questions, and a myriad of other problems con- cerning the whole idea are still in the future. Not too much so; how- ever, it became evident in McDon- ald's statement that the subscrip- tion service would be operating in the Chicago area within six months. liminary FCC soundings before talking terms with the network. Reportedly. Coy has remarked to several : fil mites who have np-l preached him on the question tliati his curbstone impre.ssion i.s con- 1 trary to a films-tele tieup. Coy, it's said, believes the two field,s mutu- ally exclusive since they actlially are competing media. , He fears a throttling of video by film com- 1 panics if they are permitted lo bid! for control of large numbers ofl stations, j However, Coy has tabled his own personal impressions until he gets the word on the legal aspects from the Dept. of Justice. That branch of the Government is the traditional authority on interpretation of Fed- eral statutes and powers of Gov- ernment-created boards. Besides 20th, Paramount and a number of its theatre partners are now seeking station (jkays. Includ- ed among the partners are the In- terstate circuit, United Detroit the- atres and New England theatres. BLIGHT FANTASTIC \V.I11) : sincere: underataiKllht; of the; miUIp eflorlfl of ,tlie WCTU, 1 take tlie lllieily ct lntlotlucl«(r "BUGHT FAN- rA.s'ric," a revdlllnjf lliiie flRuiiiie In f.i\ hideous colours. K«ainnti>pil (o fliiyc you to. drttiJt. , Tills <'liai1i«lej'i' tlioUKli obnoslous, )a .a work of art, hanil done aiva i'n.divi(Iuiilly n\linl)preil t6 , Rii.iure .. Its ,:;«ji.clu«ivcnesa. , Wlien ^'I^lifflit'.' . Btantla on ' ytnir .'d.esk' and Just looka . Btiipld at youV ! . . .. a' perfect pniti- Moniil oullot. BF.lOH'r FANTASTIC IS flvslMied to piny a rreat role In your Ijfe and It your aenso of hamoUi' la kuili thnt you can take tlila eort of thing, then ;i , suKKest 'you wflte. ifov Ihi- FA.N'TA.STTC RBBORT: wliioh will inC'Uide im Order Prdforehcf: foriA an,! numhei, tauae "Blight" 1« limited et 100(1 oiily. , .Tarlll,: .,$i(;oo.' ' .SeHd . no riioiiey. please, but do ;Bend for tHe FANTA.STIC RISPORT. ■ RGM Ltd. p. O. Box 2162 Boston h, MaiiachuMtli NowSpecialidng in Refreshment Service for ; BRtVE-IN THEATRESy WcdncBday, December 1* 1948 HCllJRBS SI '48 Tops Expectations Continued from pag:*. 1 i or a little better, same as last year. This intelligence^ both domestic and foreign, would be reason for some joyful whooping were the future not so beclouded. Film biz is so closely tied up with g^Fneral economic conditions tit- and f e w seers are venturing any guesses on what they'll be in 1949— Uiat the crystal-gazers are in danger of hav- ing worse done to tliem than Presi^ dent Truman did to Dr. Gallup. The one thing certain is the dole- ful outlook: on the foreign front, Bemittances. will undoubtedly be less than half those for 1948. In- stead of the $90,000,000 this year, the Hgure will probably be around $45,000,000 in 1949, foreign toppers expect, with restrictions on cur- rency - removal getting tougher. This compares with $130,000,000 received from abroad in 1946. AH figures are doUtirs-received-in-New York — ^the only kind that coiint :these days: ° Major affiliated circuits in the U. S, appear to be less hard hit in ' the general decline that has taken place since the spring of 1947 than have indie houses; Major chains report grosses for the past three monthshave averaged between 8% and 12% less than the same period a year ago, while the smaller indie houses claim the figure is 15% to 25%, Admi^h Taxes Off 2.4% Theatre ops, incidentally, were having difficulty this week - in squaring statistics provided by the Bureau of Internal Revenue on ad- mission tax collections with their own figures. Collection^ from Jan- uary tlirough September, accord- ing to- the Bureau, were down only 2.4% from the same months of 1947. Revenue for the nine months this year was $282,000,000 against $289,000,000 in 1947. Despite the fact that these re- ceipts include admissions from legit theatres, sports events and other, entertainment- (not cabarets or' roof gardens), the spread was beyond explanation of film execSi Increased revenue by outdoor sports, which they know have cut into their own grosses, was seen by the theatre men as accounting tor only part of the evident dif- :. fereiitial. ■ ' More to Weekend Habit ' Drop in midweek business is :Where most exhibs feel they are now getting hit hardest, Film go- ing', it is thought, is returning par- tially to the pre-war standard of a weekend entertainment. Like- wise, nabes are off less than mid- town houses in large cities, indi- cating patrons are sticking closer to home. This hurts the producers, since admish prices in the nabes are lower and the producer-dis- tributor share of income is thus less. Lack of 'much exceptionally strong product recently is charged by some exhibs with the boxoffice decline from last year. There have been too few pix with a quality of excitement that attracts more than normal audiences, they feeL Only product which falls into this cate- gory currently is "Joan of Arc" (RKO), "Hamlet" (Hank-U) and "Red Shoes" (Rank-EL), which have had too limited distribution to be felt nationally, plus "Snake PUj^^(20th) and "Johnny Belinda" Foreitrn Side Ahead On the foreign side, virtually all companies were well ahead of '47 for the first half of this year. From that time on there has been a sharp slide, which has eaten into the Sur- pluses of the first six' months. In some cases . this has carried total income for the initial 11 months below that of last year, but in a number of other cases it still leaves an excess. - ■ The sharp break came June 14 when free payment of dollars by JoanofArc INGRID BERGMAN -.V COLOR BV TECHNICOLOR VVICTORMl CASr OF THOUSANDS lio-HENix .... t '^^^ "IS* 111?™. BETTV GltAlil.i; - J).\N DAII.HY "WHEN MY BABY SMILES AT ME" ■A.,2ijllv, (Iciisiiry-Foi ;rjtturc liVl^eflintMior'' On Variety Stage — Mickey Roonay ■Risai-lo 4 Antonio •. ■.HafmsniM ,fta?c«li ■ ■ EXcarpts from "Mlla,- Modiste''.'. ■ ■-■ = ROXY"^ *• ' SOlli 81. For Example Severity of restrictions on reinittances of U. S. film com- pany income from abroad was pointed up in figures: provided by a top. foreign , exec this week. He slated that on a film which earned a total of $1,000,000 in film rentals overseas, only $175,000 is now being received in the U,S, This is against for- mer days when, with distribu- tion and other charges taken out. ' anticipation on a $1,000,- 000 rental was $675,000.- r DAnnF.nMOIiniMti OLIVIA de HAVILLAND tKeSiiakt" Pit 1 I OirKleilliy p™*ic«l Iw yC\m RADIO CITY MUSIC HAll Rockefeller Cenfor ,. , "HILLS OF HOME" : EDMUND GWENN * DONALD CRISP ■ TOM DRAKE • JANET LEIGH ■. and LASSIE , Color by TECHNICOLOR ■■'■•A MetrtSoldwyn-Mayer Pielun SPECTACULAR STAGE PRESENTATIPH Britain was discontinued and the (Eric) Johnslon-(Harold) Wilson agreement of last March became eflFective. That limits British re- mittances^which had- been ac- counting for almost 58% of foreign grosses — to $17,000,000 a year. Aside from other considerations regarding this cut, there's much bookkeeping rigamarole in figuring the divvy to each company. Re- sult is delay in receiving: the all- important "dollars in New York" and this reflects in the statements. In addition to the $17,000,000 in film rentals from Britain, tf". S. in- dustry may set a relatively small additional amount of coin from the earnings of British pix in tins country and from films the Yank distribs make with tlieir frozen coin; in England. Other Snafus Last 6>/2 months of 1948 is high- lighted not only by this drop in British remittances, but snafus in the major film' markets of the woi'ld. For instance, there have been complete stoppages of remit" tanccs from Brazil and Argentina and slashes in Australia, Mexico and oilier important sources of coin. Fortunately, boxolTice grosses for American films in 1948 have been tremendous throughout the world, possibly higher than any previous year in history.: .Thus, re- mittances from ' those countries, wliei'c currency^ was not blocked helped to Dring up the genBral average income for the year. In 1949 the b o. figures may be ?xperted to continue as high, or almost as Iiigh, as this year — but not remittance. The decline in Brilish revenue will be felt for 12 monllis instead of six, and new com plications are piling up every week- Lale.st is Italy, from which Ameruan companies have been geltins \irtually all their coin via onltl^lll.^ - recognized unofficial somcps. Likewise, the South Afri- can situation is also threatening. Further blockages are bound to come, foreign department toppers recognize, as long as the worldwide economic situation remains as is. Dollar shortages make it impera- tive for some countries to cut do\vn their currency remittances. Esti- mates are that only about ,$45,000,- 000 may be expected from abroad next year. Mandiel'O'Briaii IhcIm Jack O'Brian, drama critic and Broadway columnist of th« Associated Press, has been named vice-president of Louli Mandel Productions, new in- dependent motion picture firm, O'Brian resigned his AP post. Mandel, president of the company, said O'Brian's job will include scripts, talent and direction of advertising and. publicity. He also will be ex- ecutive assistant to Mandel in o^her corporate activities. SOPEG Calls Off BVay Picketing; NLRB's Moves Winding up a three-month juris- dictional battle for control of the majors' homeoffice employees. Na- tional Labor Relations Board is setting up. a series of collective bargaining elections ■ in disputed companies between the Screen Of- fice & Professional Employees Guild and Local H-63, Internation- al Alliance of Tiieatrical Stage Employees. Initial balloting for 290 RKO workers will be held next Wednesday (8) with further elec- tions at Paramount, Republic and DeLuxe labs to be set soon after. Main result of the NLRB inter- ventioni as. far as the companies are concerned, is that SOPEG's pressure campaign for negotiations will be called off .With the majors agreeing to bargain with any union with NLRB certification, SOPEG has jettisoned its picket lines before Broadway houses and Is now focusing its activities tta re- organizing its ranks within the companies .. formerly . under : Its jurisdiction. COHNS' STOCK REGISTEY Washington, Nov. 30. Harry and Jack Cohn filed b registration statement with the Securities Exch'ange Commission last week, asking permission to sell publicly 1,414 shares of Co- lumbia Pictures no par common slock. The shares were issued to tlie Cohns and members of their fami- lies as stock dividends in a distrlr, bution made on May 14, 1948. < : The Cohns denied, however, any intention of "immediately selling the stock," according to a state- ment made by them today (Tues.). It was pointed, out" tliat the SEC. registration was a routine matter. Truman Inaugural Metro, UA and Rep May Follow Par On New Autos for Film Salesmen BB Continued from p^ge 2i s to pick up the inauguration cere- mony and on tlie south side of the lYeasury Bldgi on. i*ennsylvania avenue, from which points the cameras will be able to follow the parade in its sweep down the ave- nue from the Capitol. Some indie radio stations which have applied for space will be installed, there. Four major, radio webs, plus the Continental FM network, are to draw: space in the main stand across from . the White House, KFWB, Warners' station in HoUy- Newsreel Snag Washington, Nov. 30. . Fact that Jan. 20, 1949, date of the President's inaugura- tion, falls on a Thursday, has thrown a serious problem into the laps of the five major newsreel outfits, Thursday is the day they make up their weekend editions in the New York horaeoflices. Only way they can include any of the footage on the in- augural ceremony and parade in tlio.se editions. conscquentl.y, is to fly It up in a steady stream from here. As a result, it's expected the reels will have some footage on every plane from D. C. to N. Y. that day. Metro, United Artists and Be- public may follow on the heels of Paramount in distributing new cars to their salesmen as one way, paradoxically enough, of chopping down the overhead in their distri- bution depts. Reportedly, the three film companies ai-e dickering with Peterson, Howell & Heather, Bal,- timore fieet operators, for deals along the lines of the one ob- tained by Par. MetrOi it's said, would furnish all its pix peddlers with the cars, while both UA and Rep want to experiment with 15 apiece. Par has agreed to purchase ap-^ proximately 100 '49 Fords which the Baltimore outfit is to supply within 20 days. These cars will be presented cuflo to all Par sales- men. Film company is paying $1,- 650 each for the cars pr an initial outlay of $165,000. Under its agree- ment, it will also trade in each car after 20,000 miles for a new one. Par is alfeo paying PH&H $4 per> car monthly for administering the system, obtaining the autos, and acting as consultant. Despite this, company figures it can save 4c per mile on business trips taken by its salesmen. This savings would run ■ into several hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly. Under the old system, salesmen use their own cars and Par pays 7Vic per mile on business trips. New setup has th« company pay- ing all gas, oil and repair costs be* sides handing out th« fre« autos. In return, salesmen must pay Pai^ 2c per milo for all private non- business travelling in tho car. Salesmen have the advantage of being able to unload their own private vehi<51et in tht present market which insures them a high- ly favorable price. Same market conditions, it's believed, favor Paramount since the company will lose little or nothing in changing over used for new vehicles after every 20,000 miles. Pathes Shorts Series RKO-Pathe will try something different in piecing together a new factual series of 13 one-reel Screenliners, according to Burton (Budi) Benjamin who has been upped to producer to handle th« shorts. Company will not restrict itself to making the briefies but will actively seek to buy pix fitting in ■ the category made by anyone on the outside. Subject of the doc- umentaries will range over any and all phases of activity in the U. S. Benjamin was formerly ass't to production manager Douglas Trav- ers. His old spot is now filled by Lloyd Durant. First of the new RKO-Pathe series will cover Co- lumbia University's Co'urt of Human Relations. wood, is one of the indies apply- 1 ing for space, but the Democratic committee has decided to give lo- cal Washington indies first crack at any available mike positions. All media vill cover also the , special concert and show at the Na- , tional Guard Armory the night pre- [ ceding the i naugura tion , , .w.h ich. is. i to be staged under the personal i supervision of American Federa- 1 tion of Musicians' prez James C. , Petrillo. They'll also cover the Inaugural Bali the night of Jan, 20 , irom the same armory. - I THANKSGIVING DAY MARKED THE ANNIVERSARYOF THE BLACKLIST Let us give thanks ... But Not for the Blacklist For the downfall of inquisitors, let us give thanks. Representatives Vail and McDowell defeated at the polls. J. Parnell Thomas on trial. For the return of the valiant, let US give thanks. 16 re-elected out of the 1 7 Congressmen who voted against.: citing the HOLLYWOOD TEN for contempt. For this verdict of the people on November 2nd, let us give thanks. And let us show our thanks . - By a return to a free, democratic screen with equal op- portunity for ail. WE GALL UPON THE FILM INDUSTRY TO REVOKE THE BLACKLIST Edith Atwotef Howard Boy Gertrude Berg Kermit Bioomgarden Edward. Chodorov Jerry Ghodorov Marc Gonnelly • John Crosby Clarence Derwent Paul Draper - Arnaud O'Usseao Wolcott Gibbs Jay Gorney Morton Gould James Gow Oscar Hammerstein Ei Y/ Harburg Most Hart Lillian Hellman • Nat Hiken Judy Holliday Garson Kanin William Katzell George S; Kaufman John Lardnef John Latouche . ^ Richard Lauterbach Norman Mailer ; John Martin ,Bill Mauldin II Arthur Miller . Meg Mundy Clifford Odett S. J. Perelman Harold Rome Lee Sabinson Budd Schulberg Hermon Shumlin. : William M. Sweets Helen Tomiris Loufi Untermeyer Mark Van Doren Sam Wanomaker Richard Watts, Jr. Ira Wollert Au.spte('s: Theatre Division Co-Chairmen Alfred Drake Garson Kanin NATIONAL COUNCIL OF ^ ARTS, SCIENCES AND PROFESSIONS 49 West 44th St., New York 18, N. Y. Wednesday, December 1, 1948 Ex^a Wheder Enby As Ridiards Atty; Raises Several $64 Questions Washington, Nov. 30. T> When the controlling stockholder «t three 50kw clear channel radio stations gets in trouble with the FCC on charges, which if proved, may mean loss of the licenses, one can expect that all kinds of prcs.s- iires will be employed to w1p' gsning in the case against G. A ichards, who has been cited for a hearing,' likely to be held within 60 days, in a rare FCC procedure, viz, to inquire into charges that he required employees of his station In Los Angeles, KMPC, ^;o slant news to reflect his private views. . The Commission has said- that its preliminary investigation raises ''substantial queslions with respect to the qualifications" as a radio licensee. Which means that, If the charges are substantiated, revoca- tion proceedings would be in order. . Also involved are stations WGAR, Cleveland, and WJR, Detroit. From the Washington end, . the tions, gives the comic the right to transcribe the series. MBS' $130,000 Natl Biscuit Deal National Biscuit Co. has just iiegptiated a deal -with Mutual for tliiB pUrcMse ' 6i " three half-h6urs a week, starting .■Feb. 1, for an. ad' pressure forces are now being lined venture type show, "Straight Ar- KLZ ANNOUNCER BOB DAVIS Bob Davis, a newcomer to KLZ's topnotch announcing staff, has been doing mike work for a dozen years — another example of the ex- perienced "know-how" that $tamps KLZ as "the West's first station." KLZ, DENVER. Variety learned yesterday row." It represents billings of lip. that ex-Sen. Burton K. Wheeler ne the hearings on the Rich-. (Continued on'page 34) $1,200,000 for the web, with the deal pacted through McCann- Erickson agency. Different installments of "Ar- row" will be slotted in each of the half-hour segments. One will be an evening period, still to be selected, and the other two in the afternoon; Biscuit company has decided to go full network after testing the show over Don Lee Network on the. Coast. Show will plug Nabisco Shred- ded Wheat. WEBS, RTDG WRITING NEW FREELANCE PACT The Radio and Television Di- rectors Guild found the door open towards an industry-wide code for freelance cueTthrowers when the ad agencies and packagers shifted the negotiations last week into the laps of the networks. After agreement by aU sides to adhere by the set- tleraenty the nets undertook the lob of writing a pact with the RTDG as the most feasible method Of Setting up a uniform basic agree- ■■m,ent. Question Of Priority In Foreign Language Stations Posed To FCC Washington, Nov. 30. Should foreign language pro- gramming :'give::, onc applicant an edge over another in competing for a radio station frequency? This question was posed ■ to the FCC last week in a petition filed by the Rhode Island Broadcasting Co,, protesting a proposed decision to grant a construction permit for BMBTuningUp'BeMyBaby As New Theme Song to Stations Bess Exit Paves Way for Hartley, Weil WOV Buy In a sudden reversal of plans over the weekend, Herman A. Bess, . who presently manages Dorothy ! Thackrey's WLIB, New York, with- , drew his application now pending before the FCC for purchase of the Bulova-owned WOV, N. Y. The move practically ^cinches acquisi- tion of the foreign«language sta-r tion : by the competitive bidder. Victory Broadcasting: Corp., com- prising Ralph Weil, gen. manager of WOV; Arnold Hartley, program manager, and N, J. Leigh; N. Y: business man. Since no other bids can be entered j - the eo-^day wait- ing period having elapsed, it auto- matically, eliminates a hearing un- der AVCO procedure and it's now up. to the FCC to: call the turn on ' (Continued on page: 32) Still smarting from industry needling. Broadcast Meastirement Bureau this week bc^an measuring itself in perhaps the most search- ing assessment' since its birth in 1945. ' Although reports of -the . impend- ing resignations of Prexy, Hugh Feltis and Research Director John Churchill were pooh-poohed, BMB announced an executive "realign- ment" designed "to assure closer liaison' with- the industry ' and to streamline operations, within the organization." Cort Langley, former director of subscriber service, be- comes assistant to Feltis. He will' handle BMB's routine operations, coordinate its tele activities; and supervise the Bureau's, investiga- tion of new electronic and mechan- ical measurement devices. , While admitting that this reshuf- fle was prompted by NAB becis Sun Sets on Radio Washington, Nov. 30." Decision ; to concentrate on telcr vision and FM prompted the A. S, Abell Co. of Baltimore, publishers of the Sun papers, to request can- ceUation of an AM station permit granted by the FCC after a hearing. Company operateff, WMAR-TV and WMAR-FM, Dailies In Soutk Nixing Cuifp hags Washington, Nov. 30. Newspapers in the south are swinging away from the free pub- lication of radio station logs, on the basis of a survey recently I made by the Southern Newspaper I about the Bureau's operation, a Publishers Assn. The poll, which j bMB spokesman declared that sounded out member papers, from , there was no cause for anxiety : those under 10,000 circulation to the metropolitan dailies of over 100;000 circulation, discloses that the little papers are much tougher on the broadcasters; with the smallest sheets toughest of all. However, it showed that even some papers in the 100,000 and over circulation', bracket . charge regular advertising rates for In- (Continued on page 34) Sklar to CBS, Menkin Into WMCA Spot about ; tjj0 BiiFeau's Goittihued eijci istence; "^Fhfe SAB has ^ asi^urecL us that it feias full con Adenbe iti BM3B'$ future-— though it may .have .beeta critical of our pa^t ;:aiid pfesent,*! he said. ■ Specifically, it ^as conceded th^^ fiMB, ; in its prebccupatiori: A^^^ *'(he:' overall picture,"' of industry-? ■wi^e ineasurenjieiiti! HSs b^en^^^ i clined to :i|Uff off individu^ station ptobleiWsi This provokeij, a j^ow- ihg choriiS '«if coinplaint^ froni^; a^^ grieved Station, subscribers.' Most recent and loudest of these Was the Birminghain rliubarb about al- iegedly glaMiig discrepancies be- ; tween BMB .figures ; on nighttime: audience and actual coverage, ■ ' This case was chiefly rijsponsibie for itiie: recent iecdmfii^endaition o:^- M >fAB b«iard thiitVBMB ta]E:e ih- pther . ionM.\JlQi;lE:, lit jte method's . lof determiiiiitiE i^^ttiine audiences. The NAB recommendation in tu which was granted, an AM station was taken up at a special meeting after competitive hearing, was re- I Friday night (26) in New York of quested by Northwestern yester- | the BMB research committee. CoiU' day (29). . Skyway had charged mittee is made up of D. F. Robin Northwestern Asks More Time to Answer FCC On Skyway Quick Sale Claim Washington, Nov; 80. ' Request: for additional time .to respond to petition flledv by Sky-» way Broadcasting Co., asking FCC to revoke license of Northwestern. Ohio Broadcasting Corp., Lima, Northwestern with ■, attempting to sell the station within three weeks after receiving the permit. Northwestern said- it received: I the Skyway petition late "due to Michael ; Sklar,. script eiditor at indie WMCA, N. Y., has switched I '^"■^^"^ i--;-.!.."" lu , ama ooara nas aireatiy ap- an FM station in Providence to ' to writing staff at CBS. Sklar the fact that Insufficient postage proved the appointment of a spe- son, of C. J. LaRoche & Co., chair- man; Hugh Seville, NBC reseai'ch director and Albert DempewolfF^ of the Celanese Corp of America. BMB: board : has already the Inter-City Broadcasting. Go. The Commission proposal is "against the law ; and : the evi- dence," said Rhode Island; FCC failed to recognize the need for foreign language pror gramming which Rhode Island pro- posed to provide, said the peti- tioner, and to deny it preference. starts in next Monday (5). He and Irve Tunick -will do the scripting of "You Are There." Larry Menkin will replace Sklar at WMCA. He'll be script editor, and also do producing chores. He's set to write and direct "Inside New York" and will also handle the "Adventure and Industry" show. Menkin joined WVNJ, Newark, two months ago, but station hasn't got- was placed on the envelope"; that the charges are "serious" and re- quire, a full, inyestigation before it cial engineering ' advisory com- mittee to study all aspects of the nighttime measurement problem. presents the facts to FCC, and that bmb hopes this commitlee will It must visit Columbus and Lima i come up with an answer eliminat to interview witnesses. It said 30 days is- barely sufficient to file a "responsive pleading" to the "very serious charges" by Skyway. Although the pact will directly stations in Providence, Involve onl. the nets and 1he t,, j ' r , j , i, , . Guild, the agencies, .■■poiisoi.-s and ' . ^^1^"* thouglit the packagers wiU send obseivers to , p""™'?s'°" ^ave too much impor on this ground "would be to deny .,^a^~ i,^^-;_ n/r i ■ . the radio medium 1o a substantial , \^^^^^^'' ""^^ Menkm's number of potential listeners" in • the area. Rhode Island declared that Inter-City proposed no pro-' gramming substantially different I from that now provided on present the negotiating sessions to pro- tect their interests. AU possible objections by the latter to abiding by the networks-Guild contract are being headed off via advance con- eideration of their propo.sals. Formal opening of the code talks have been deferred to the middle of this month to give the various groups time to select their repre- sentatives. The RTDG negotiating committee,-; however, is already set up with George Zachary and Ted Corday as co-chairmen ol a group including Ed Bvron, Ernie Ricca, Mitchell Grayson, Carl Kastman, Carlo DeAngelo and Marx Loeb. 'Mayor' Vice 'Front Page' On MBS for Mutual Benefit Chicago, Nov. 80. "Mayor of t|iie Town," vhich bowed off ABC In June, resumes via MBS Jan. 2 as Mutual Benefit's replacement for "Behind the Front Page.". Latter show moved from New York to Clii Sunday '28), with Clifton Utley taking over Gabriel Ileatter's spot on the last five broadcasts. Heatter was set to finish out the news dramatizing series but line charges from his home in Florida prompted the switch to Utley. Itutbrauff d Ryan is the agency. tanee, in deciding who gets the li- cense, to its failure to propose more than six hours of FM opera- tion. Pointing out that six FM channels have already been as- igned in the area, Rhode Island asserted its "distinctive service" of foreign language broadcasting' would make the station different from the others;;. , Ruysdael's Luckies Exit Hollywood, Nov. 30. : After 10 years, Basil Ruysdael has ended, his announcer associa- tion with American Tobacco, due to picture commitments. He's' been sharing announcer duties on Jack Benny and "Hit Parade" shows with Del Sharbut. His successor is Prank Martin, who doubles with Sharbut on the two nighttime Luckies programs and also handles commercials on the, Don; Ameche daytime strip, which tees off Dec. 6. Dual Sponsorshiji on ABC Pro Grid Playoflf its findings at the BMB executive ing, any need: for- the Bureau to measure and report on areas smaller than counties. Latter coui'«e has been urged by the NAB but BMB has opposed it on the grounds of prohiliitive cost: The research . committee is to report General Mills and Wilson Sport- ing Goods Co. will share sponsor- ship of ABC's broadcast of Na-' tional Pro Football League cham- pionship playoff from Shibe Park, ; Philadelphia, Dec. 19 or Dec. '21. Harry Wismer will describe the game, which matches the Philadel- phia Eagles against either the Chi- cago, Bears; or the Cardinals, who: are still disputing the Western Division title. Bates Dissolves the Inc. Cur. (vPrev. Rank .Rank 1 1 2 7 3 3 4 17 5 2 6 11 7 14 8 9 4 10 11 a 12 8 13 19 14 6 15 15 16 20 17 , 18 18 9 19 38 20 Nielsen s Latest Top 20 Proeram Lux Piadio Theatre Godfrey's Talent Scouts Mr. Keen Mr. District Attorney . . Duffy's Tavern . . , . Inner Sanctum . ... . . , . Phil HarriS'Alice Faye. ; My Fnend Irma FBI in Peace and War. Jack Benny Fred Allen Rusjpense . . . , Original Amateur Hour. Amos 'n' Andy..,...*,. Cur. Points Rating ' Chancre 30 3 -f2.5 25 6 + 59 23 8 —0.7 21 6 -f 3 1 21.6 —3.1 21.4 + 3.2 20 2 + 0.9 20 2 19.9 —22 199 198 —2 1 19 7 4 0.6 19.5 . +19 19.4 —0.6 19.2 +1.4 19.0 + 1.6 18 2 + 1.2 17 8 • —1.4 17.8 +3.1 17.6' committee meeting on Tuesday (7). : BMB's current soul-searching is expected to . result in even more' barnstorming by its president^ Hugh Feltis, who already spends' much of his time spreading BMB's gospel in cities and. sticks. . While under the new setup Feltis will be responsible for gen* eral policies and management, -sub* scription sales, and industry rela- iions, Cort Langley's buffer post; it is hopedi will free the boss from much administrative detail work. BMB brass feel that one of their biggest and continuing problems is education, i.e , briefing station sub- scribers on the proper use of BMB data, explaining what it will do for; them and what it won't do. I Ted Bates, Inc., was dissolved as of jesterday ^30), and supplanted I by a 15-member partnership doing business as Ted Bates & Co. .Following are members of the i new agency, partnership: Theodore L. Bates, Joseph R. Busk, Thomas | J. Carnese, Walker G. Everett, Clinton S. Ferris, Thomas F. Har- rington, Edward P. Hudson, V/iV- ham H. Kearns, John M. Lvden, D. f„^c''''^^i™''S',*^""'"'l ^'i'P'"'- WNEW. N. Y is asking for It.; ^ Ji; •^"'i^'" Peterson, T. Rosser , xhe enterprising indie is holding ^Tl • T S 1 ^-^^^^ I"'""}}- I auditions at 3 o'clock Friday after- Evels n T. Bates is a limited part- noon (3) for New York hack driv-^ eri In the ■vvdri;S is a' qiiiz^^s^ Know-It-All Cabbies To Get Innings on WNEW KOHLER UPPED IN PHILLY Philadelphia, No«. 30. George Kohler, former publicity and special events director of the Philadelphia Inquirer Stations, WFIL-AM, TV, FM and FAX, has been named assistant director of advertising, promotion an^l public relations. Ben Martin, former free-lance writer and playwright, has been named head of WFlL's continuity department. using cabbies as an experts' panely which will exploit their w.k. pi-op- ensity for dispensing information. The motorized sages who get the nod at the auditions will form a board which will deal with ques- tion sent in by listeners. Idea is that the hackles must know all the answers on any given subject, since they're always sounding off. Jerry Marshall of the WNEW staff will referee the show when it's jelled. Starting date hasn't yet been set Wednesciayt Deeemlier I, 1948 WMBW 23 BENNY 'SUPPORUNG CASr JAMUP AB-American Candidate Paky CBS board chairman William S. Paley't splurge of millions to wrap up top radio talent has cued widespread trade comment on the pros and cons of such maneuvering with its possible effect on radio as a whole. Here's the financial scorecard, as far as Paley is concerned- Having previously shelled out 12,000,000 for Amos 'n' Andy, his acquisition . of Jade Benny costs him another $2,000,000, plus th« assets of Benny's Amusement Enterprises operation, estimated at an i^dditional $350,000. Music Corp. of America, which negotiated the capital gains deal, gets 10% off the top. In addition, Paley reportedly has earmariced $100,000 for Benny promotion. Under the reported Indemnity clause protecting Benny's rating, Paley, it's understood, stands to shell out $3,000 for each rating point loss. In the event of a possible Treasury Dept. nix on the capital gains, it's rumored Paley will malce up the tax difference and booli Benny in as television consultant for 10 years at $200,000 a year. In return .for all this, Paley haS' paved the way for the prize CBS comedy parlay of Benny, Phil Harris-Alice Faye, Edgar Bergen and AiA, which would give him the undisputed accolade as "Radio Man of the Year." . , On the other side of the ledger is the possible invitation of a wholesale D. C. investigation of stock deals with talent; of the establishing of a precedent in departing from orthodox sponsorship deals that may open up new demands by talent and blow the lid off talent price ceilings. As for Benny, protected on the one hand from any financial re- verses, he's inviting a risk of audience loss, until such time as his fans become Columbia-conscious; he's giving up a time slot that he Vowns" and, according to report, has already created an impasse in his relationship with Phil Harris because of the latter's inability to grab off the post-Benny (7:30) period on CBS. In the original blueprint, Benny had earmarked the Harris 7:30 time as a must. Radio Aspect of 20th's ABC Deal Gives Web Personnel Case of Jitters S[E NO SPOTS By GEORGE BOSEN It now reads "Jack- Benny at 7 on CBS," starting Jan. 2, with the William S. Pal6y-Music Coi?p. «f America "capital gains" papers signed, sealed and delivered. But beyond that the tempestous and unprecendented Sunday night Jockeying of the Comics Is in a state of confusion. CBS prexy Frank Stanton hopped the fastest plane in sight for the Coast last week when it became apparent that the original Blueprint If CBS can iron out present' difficulties and get everybody involved to fall in with the ' network's n ew blueprint, here's how the Sunday night lineup will read: 6;30^Edgar Bergen. 7:00— Jack Benny. 7:30 — Amos 'n' Andy. 8:00— P h i 1 Harris - AUce Faye. 8:30— "Sam Spade." 3G Trotedioii' Tab For Such Rati^ P(Hnt Loss Runored h Benny Deal Jitters prevailed around ABC> headquarters in New York the past week as the 20th*Fox takeover of the network loomed as a virtual certainty. Since 20th's principal ' concern lies in clinching a domin- ant position in television, the trade was conjecturing on where ABC ' Would wind up as a major radio network. Since Ed Noble took over the network several years back^ ABC has climbed steadily as a factor in broa'dcasting, attaining a major status in programming, on some evenings comparable to CBS and NBC. The ABCpersonnel is jittery because it doesn't luiow just yet. how intense 20th's. Interest will be : . ln the strictly radio aspect of : the network operation. Some are in- clined to think a lot of jobs will go by; the board. Winchell and 'Stop the Music' Since 20th-Fox envisions corral- ling all possible stock tb achieve full ownership of the nelvl'ork, this would also embrace a takeover of all the radio assets. Recognized as the chief asset, of course, is Wal- ter Winchell, with his continued No. 1 Hooper hold on Sunday night audiences. Wlnchell's contract with ABC still has two years -to go and 20th in its takeover of Jrll assets. Autry's Fourth Station Hollywood, Nov. 30. Gene Autry added a fourth radio station to his string last week, buy- ing out KTSA in San AntOnio, the ABC outlet. His other properties include sta- tions in Santa Monica, Cal.; Phoe- nix and Tucson;. Ariz. ' igiiiPi^^ Holiday Audience special Hooper ; . Thanksgiying Dajc survey made in 36 cities for NBC and CBS on the brace of twd- hbur bpliday shows (slotted in op- position to one another in the 4 to 6 p.m.. segments) has' to^^ ■some'int*restihg"'data it.- I wa.s conli onted with the competi- would capture possession of this ] Wrigley - sponsored show on contract. Also involved is an option on the ownership of "Stop the Music," ABC's .second important program asset this season, with its command- ^_ _ ing Hooper draw. The new net- i t^p" Thanksgiving afternw^^ Work owners would annex this also, - CBS. The Wrigley two -hour stanza clocked an 8 5. On the New York scene,' the Hooper check showed Elgin as the tiiihy -^ith- Wrigley second. ?^ dverall television " vieM/'ing . snared the 't^o. ,3 spot, attracting a bigger audience' than the rest of the radio fare during 4 to ■ 6 p.m . Television got almost 22% of the audience. Homes sampled were the usual Hooper random cross - section of I N. Y. telephone homes and tliere- : fore included only "chance" own- erS' of TV 'Sets ' Firestone, from all indications, ' . has come to the conclusion that it 1 doe.^n't pay to compete with itself. I niirir VAMCn DDAfDAM Tire company has been televising i rAluC llAln£>U I IVUulVAlU the Ben Grauer-moderated "Amer- Firestone Nixiiu[ Own Opposition blueprint had gone awry; that there wasn't the slightest chance of Rexall capturing the 7:30-8 p.m. period for its Phil Harris-Alice Faye show as the tail to the Benny kite, thus assuring the same se^ quencing as prevails on NBC. Ob- ject of Stanton's emergency flight was to prevail on Justin Dart. Rexall prez, to join in the NBC-to- CBS Sunday parade, but to accept a different time slot, "let's say, 8 o'clock." Reason the Harris-Faye combo can't follow Benny is that Amos *n' Andy are entrenched in 7:30 andi as far as Charles Luckman, prexy of Lever Bros., A & A's sponsor, is concerned, nobody's going to budge them from that spot. That goes for this year and the next four years, the length of the Lever, contract with CBSj which now owns A & A lock, stock and barrel. CBS had hoped it could per- suade Luckman to shift A & A to 8:30 o'clock, Which would permit; the Sunday roster to read as fol- (Continued on page 34) . BBD&0'» Toughi* BBD&O recognizes it's got a toughie oii Its hands, finding itself in the middle of>n awk- ward doublersponsor : iiituation' ' involving the Jack Benny switchover from NBC to CBS and Columbia's attempt to re- ■ shuffle its Sabbath program lineup. While on the one hand, BBD&O's blessing has accom^ panled the Benny switch as the agency on the $10,000,000 American Tobacco account, the agency is also confronted with the problem of making its Wildroot client happy. CBS wants to recapture the Sunday at 8 "Sam Spade" time (spon- sored by Wildroot) for the Ed- gar Bergen show so as not to disrupt the projected comedy sequencing. Wildroot has re- torted with a "we're very hap- py where we are," , pointing to an iinpressive 9.5 rating in the face of the present Bergen op- position oq NBC. Look Who's Back! -And Kd% Size Yet Fatima cigarets is entering the network programming sweepstakes in a bid to recapture public favor via its new king size product. An auxiliary product of Chester- field (just as Pall Mall is American Tobacco's king size weed), Fatima, through Newell-Emmett agency, has negotiated for the Saturday nigtht 9:30-10 slot on CBS for an adventure - whodunit type show starring Basil Ratlnione. Latter has been doing the radio spot for Fatima. # New Fatima show, starting Dec. 8, will bracketed i>ack-to-back with "Gangbusters," w h i c h General Foods has purchased for the 9 p.m. Saturday time on CBS. CBS Switch In Its Show TecNqne (ksNmlBChMB^ MGR. IN MUTUAL SHIH Icana" show in the 8:30 Monday night video slot on NBC-TV, op- . , , . posite its own "Voice of Fire- l I" the first of a projected series stone" NBC radio show, idea being I of reshuffles at .Mutual in the wake to establish an 8:30-9 AM-TV time I of the resignation of Robert Swezey tianc'hise I exec veepee, Jack Paige, who With more and more tele sets | has been director of special events entering the picture, causing a de- I under veepee Abe Schechter, flection in radio listening, Firei- Slone has changed its mind and has put in a bid for the 9:30-10 pjn. Monday night slot for its "Americana" video prcscntationi moves over to Phillips Carlin's pro- igram dept; Paige's new title will be program manager. Switchover takes effect this i week. Sohechter may bring Art Option lor the new time is based Feldman in to N. Y. headquarters on the fact that it will follow the i from Washington to take over upcoming top-budgeted Colgate , Paige's functions. . , . Show on NBC in the 9 p.m. Mon- i Meanwhile, prexy Ed Kobak is day segment, with ■ likelihood of J still on the prowl for an exec to Phil Spilalny getting the Colgate i step into a sales-program admin- nod, {istrative berth. Now that CBS switched from a several-year concentration on crear tive programming into the present era of star consciousness, what with its Jack Benny, Amos 'n' Andy et al. wrapup, the question intriguing the trade is whether NBC will be forced to take up where Columbia left off and em- bark on a creative programming binge of its own.; Oddly enough, the . CBS reversal in programming technique comes at a time when the multiple net- work-built shows are beginning to pay off handsome dividends for Paley & Co., bringing in millions of dollars a'.year .in time^package billings. Arthur Godfrey's "Talent Scouts." sold to Lipton Tea, and "My Friend irma," spon.sored by Swan Soap, are important factors in solidifying CBS' Monday night program supremacy aS' front-and^ back shows for "Lux Radio Thea- tre." Also, the house-buiit "Sus- pense" and "Crime Photographer'' shows are important segments in Columbia's Thursday night dom- inance over NBC's Al Jolson-Burns & AlIcn-"Aldrich Family"-Sealtest parlay. - Similarly, the web's development of Arthur Godfrey as , a biglime personality, the sale of the hou.se- built "Our Miss Brooks'' to Col- gate, etc., are all part of the pal- tern evolved over the past few years by CBS In Its iletermined bid to overcome NBC's monopoly of stars. But the picture today has changed. For the first time in years NBC is faced with the problem of filling cream time segments and i fighting CBS opposition. For a dec- I ade or more it wasn't necessary I for NBC to splurge on creative I programming because there were I no time periods open. Its program operation hasn't been geared to any such eventuality. The trade is looking to see what NBC does in its first full-blown crisis. ♦ Facet of the Jack Benny-CBS board chairman WUUam S. Paley- "capital gains" maneuver include! a reported provision still in proc-' ess of being ironed out whereby CBS will indemnify the comedian against loss of rating when h* moves into the Sunday at 7 slot on Columbia starting Jan. 2. Vincent Riggio, prez of American Tobacco, Benny's sponsor, whos* final blessing capped the switch- over, is reported to have insisted on the "protection" clause should Benny's rating take a nosedive. Since: it's considered entirely < possible that the Benny show, after its many years as an NBC- show- case, could dive as much as fiv* points until he's solidly eAtreAched as a Columbia personality, Qi*: deal, it's said, involves the pay- ment by Paley of $3,000 for each rating point loss. Riggio, it's un-- ' derstood, wants it based on a mean f average covering all of last seii- son's ratings. On the other band, Paley is said to have countered with a proposition that it be based on the average of this season's ratings. Riggio considers that un- fair, in view of the rating momen- tum Benny picks up as the season progresses, thus giving him m',' higher seasonal average. Thus, if Benny loses out on hit initial ' CBS rating by five polntt), ' CBS would be required to pick up a $15,000 "protection" tab. Ramifications of the Benny switchover also; reportedly involve an Agreement whereby, should th* "capital gains" maneuver finally meet up with an Internal Revenua- nix, thus requiring the comedian to lay it on the line on a straight tax basis, Paley would step in and pay the tax. Under capital gains, Benny would paj^ only 25% on th« "$2,000,000 plus assets of Amuse- ment Enterprises," the. latter ■ placed at $350,000. Should he get nicked on a straight tax basis, the $2,000,000 would place him In the 86% tax bracket. This would net him a little more than $200,00Q, NBC s New Sunday Lineup Is Secret Whatever NBC has In mind for its new Sunday night lineup-^nd , it's unofficially stated that the web has already blueprinted the sched- ule — it's being kept under itrict wraps. Chief 'Concern, Oj.' course, is tho 7 o'clock time which Jack Benny is exiting after the Dec. 26 broad- cast, with the Phil Harris-Alico Faye and Edgar Bergen 'situation still unsnarled^ It'll definitely b« ; a top comedy show. seZ iNBC. ' It's reported that General Foods, via Young & Bubicam agency, Is studying the NBC Sunday situs'- ' tion with a possible view toward effecting a switch in its program- ; ming roster. GF ' is sitting tight on its replacement shows until its ' Sunday "thinkiAg" is crystallized. ChristtnoH Gitt Order Form Please Send VARIETY for One Year , To (Pleasft Print Natney Street City Zone State A carrf witk your nam* wiH accompany fha firsf copy of VAKItTY REGULAR SUI$CRIPTiON RATES FOR ONI YEAR VARIETY $10.00 VARIETY and DAILY VARIETY $22.00 A3R/i&rr Inc. 154 Wcsf 4««li SfrMt New York 19. N. Y. 24 nAVIO BE¥IEWS Wednesday, I>ec«ni!beir 1^ 1948 «LGIN HOLIDAY STAR TIME nth Don Ameche» Garry Moore, Jimmy Durante, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Vera Vaeuei Mario Lanza, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Mills Bros., Andre Pre* vin, Frances Langford, Robert Armbruster Orch; Ken Carpen- ter, announcer Writer: Ed Helwich Producers: Earl Ebi, John ChrisI 12Q Mins.; Thurs. (Z5), 4 I*, ni. ELGIN WATCHES NBC, from Hollywood (J, Walter Thompson\ Switching networks after six ttraight years with CBS, Elgin splurged its annual Thanksgiving Day layout on NBC this year, but otherwise maintained the trappings traditionally associated with this •how. Foremost among this show's traditions- is its eorraling of the best-known and highestrprieed tal- ent available to serve up as dessert to the nation's turicey diners. This year is was still a dazzling array by all normal standards. •Back at his regular stand in this •vent, Don Ameche, . as emcee, played traffic cop to the procession of stars \uth his accustomed polish and aplomb. . Lacking in this set- up, however, was a deeper conti- nuity which would have tied the various items around a central theme instead of having it run off as a straight variety program. But even if there was no grand overall plan, the individual performances ; wete solid enough to carry dialers for the full 120 minutes. In the comedy sector there was a parlay of Jimmy Durante and Garry = Moore, ■ Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis and Vera . Vague for an im- pressive payoff in chuckles. Each contributed a soek bit which gave a necessary lift whenever the show threatened to sag. , Durante, with « reprise of his ''Hink-a-dink-a- doo" routine, and Martin ; and Lewis were particularly standout. Benny bandied around some more variations of his tightwad tendencies, while Miss Vague gushed her man-starved gags, both performing in a familiar groove ; for steady dialers. Skelton pro- vided a welcome /Surprise in a comedy sketch which struck a: se^ , rious note • in spotlighting the cur- rent plight -and treatment of the American . Indian. It was a serious note, lightly handled, but effective- ly struck home. " : Musically, the show varied from the superb pop warbling of Frances Lnngtord to the operatics of Mario Lanza, including some harmonies bv the Mills Bros, and some bril- liant pianislics by Andre Previn, JV'Uss Langford's "Just One of Thoi5e Things" and "Can't Help Loving That Man" were socko. Topping off this holiday contri- bution, the hankroUer rates a bow for keeping the plugs palatable 'and brief. Herm, THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL . With Arthur Godfrey, emcee; Gene Autry, host; Abbott & Costello, Amos 'n' Andy, Candy Candido, Dorothy Lamour, Danny Kaye, Abe Burrows and Milton DeLurK> Andrews Sisters, Carmen Mi- randa, Louella Parsons, Marie Wilson and "My Friend Irma" cast, Roddy McDowall, Phil Gor- don, Buddy Claik^ Louella Par- sons; Lud Gluskin oroh; Lou Crosby, announcer Producer-Director: Les Welnrott Writers: Stan Davis, Elon Packard, Weinrott/';. ' 120 Mins.; Tburs. (25), 4 p.m. WRIGLEV CBS, from Hollywood This Wrigley-CBS pitch for the Thanksgiving: afternoon listening audience was sti'ictly bigtime stuff. Originating on the Coast, where Arthur Godfrey, one of CBS' top personalities ti'aveled to handle the emcee chores, the program listed names from the top ranks of the film industry, legit and radio. How much of the turkpy-stuffed audience Columbia was able to snare from Elgin's ex-CBS .show, now on the NBC web, is for the Hooperatings to decide, but CBS let its listeners have it in spades, i Choice of Godfrey for the emcee role was a wise one, since the guy's homey qualities were geared for the family. Gene Autry,; whom Wrigley regularly bankrolls on the CBS web Sunday nights, lent him a neat assist. After Godfrey got things colling with a nifty rendition of "Buttons and Bows;" the tworhour parade of talent teed off. Andrew Sisters did their swift-paced "Sabre Dance" after reminding the audience that Wrigley r was their, first bigtime sponsors . Marie Wilson and the cast of "My Friend Irma" raced through a funny episode based' on Irma's attempts to' get a Thanks- giving turkey. Carmen Miranda, after swapping gags witlr Godfrey and Autry, sang her "Cooking With Gas" number. Abe Bun'0>ys stepped up with what emerged as : one of the brightest spots in the entire show, doing two of his special numbers for' sock results. Following liim were Dorothy Lamour, with a neatly-done job on Jerome Kern's "Bill'^ " " HARRY SALTER MUSICAL DIRECTOR Stop the Music— ABC It Pays to B« Ignorant — CBS SPOTLIGHTING NEW YORK With Benny Rubin, others 30 Mins., Moii.-Fri., midnight Sustaininff WOR, N. Y. Benny Rubin, who has replaced Harry Ilershfield on "Spotlighting New York,'! now takes the: mike around to various Gotham night- spots in on-the-spot intei-views and fill-ins of recorded music. Rubin makes for a fast-paced show; He's agile on the ad-libs, is able to im- part a warm quality to the show and has the knack of making the majority of his interviewees look good. -' As is the case with this type of display,' overall quality^ depends on who's around to step before the mike, Siiow heard Friday (26) which emanated- from the ' Oak room of the Shelton hotel, had ex- amples of good and bad: moments. The inane chattering of several performci's from "Bowdy Mr. Ice" provided dull and purposeless lis- tening. But interviews with Annit Laurie Williams, the literary agent Archibald Ogden, of the 20th-Fox , Amos"'n'7ndy,iranotrer^ department, and a little skit with a Thanksgiving ta'^ with bandleader lom Grant prestige this air motif- Autrv in his solo snot on I ^^'^ direction and interest. The "You' Call Everybody Darlin';" "tf^'^**"*"* . interesting Danny Kaye with a terrif rendi- ^^'emng wU^ tion of his now-famous "Stanislav- de of se ling and biiyin sky" routine; Roddy McDowall in ^^}^'}^»!'J'^^i^!ttL?Z^^^^ a recitation of a special poem ^is swi^^^^^^ onv,«t»rf »,„ A,^^h..,. u..„„u/,„ '»ng for the priesthood to that of BOSTON SYMPH REHEARSAL Producer: Jack Wright 30 Mins.: Mon. 1 p.m. Sustaining NBC, from Boston Kirst designed as a show tor FM a year ago irni oi. a rehearsal ot the Boston Symphony orchestra under Serge Kou.ssevitzky adds up to one of the top instructive musical pack- ages on the air Show takes the listener behind the scenes as the conductor re- hc^arses the orch for its weekly I concert series, ]\like setups in- I elude one on the conductor's music I desk, others i)laoed before the i ccilingrto-floor rehearsal curtain i swung 20 teet away from the 1 stage. A brief talk-in by Olm Downes. vvho planed up lor the fiist as.sigtiment, leads directly to the desk mike ot : the conductor, long lamous hereabouts for his re- hearsal technique. Kousscvitzky, who.se Russian ac- cent is sdll fairly thick after 24 years in the U. S , nonetheless has a natural approach and a dislin- guislied , speaking voice Part of his radio charm springs from his vay with Engh'=h senlfnccs; often scripted by Arthur Hamilton for the holiday; Miss Miranda again, this time with "Guanto La Gusta" (but why. no Andrews Sisters, with whom she recorded the tune?); Ab- bott & Costello in a typical A. & C. skit, again based on ThanksgLving; Buddy Cli^ik. and others. . " Lud Gluskin and his orch backed the show excellently, han- dling each of the variety of acts well. Wrigley commercials were ing batoning. There are very few raikesters that can rise above the material at hand. Even an accomplished perr former like Rubin must take .sec- onci place to his cast of characters. Jose. From the PlFodiKlion Centres ♦♦«♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦«♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦»♦♦♦ ♦♦♦ ♦ ♦♦♦V YOU AND MARRIAGE ■ With Quincy Howe, guests ' Producer: Bob Allison inVerteri>reve^y 'Ts-mTnuU '.spot I J? Mins.; Mon.-thru-Frl., 6:15 p.m and were mostly palatable, con- sisting of one of the cast from Aufry's regular show looking for Sustaining CBS, from New York This is a stimulating show which KANSAS CITY PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA With Hans Schweiger, Ruests; Dick m mW YORK CITY ... Penny Morxan, who was production asst. for Itving Mansfield on the Arthur Godfrey "Talent Scouts" show, has become director ot iiu- ditions for the CBS program, succeeding Judy Abbott, who has re- signed. . . . Radio actress Anne Seymour off to Mollywo6d to play oppo^^ , site Broderick Crawford in "All the King's Men,''; which Columbia : Pictures has started shooting. - ; George Ivan Smith, UN Radio Divi- sion's acting production chief, will speak next Wednesday (8) on "Mak^ ing Programs tor « World Audience" at the New School for : Social Research. Fred Allen has finally chucked his insuranee gimmick, announcing on last Sunday's (28) broadcast that the eight-week trial run failed to produce a single Allen fan being called by the opposition "Stop the ' Music'- . . .".Mayor William O'Dwyer this week made a special record- ing for a new Voice of America show beamed to Berlin. , . Frank Roehrenbeck, WMGM's general manager, returned to his desk' ^ Monday (29) after a long convalescent period. . . , Leo Shull, publisher : of "Actor's Cues," will collaborate with WNEW on a quarter-hour show called "Show Business." Stanza, tentatively pegged for Sunday night, 10.15-10.30, two or three weeks hence, will be slanted at average list- ener as well as the trade . Jack Sullivan, WNEW account exec, is the : father of a girl, . born la.st week at Harkness PavllUon. Tot's mother is , the former Joan Dillon, ex-secretary to Bemice Judis, WNEW gnl. mgr . . : . Earl Harder, program and sales and service manager of WNBC ' and WNBT, (and Jean Glynn, of i NBC Guest Relations, were married Thanksgiving Day at St. Ursula Church, Mt, Vernon; Both are former members of NBC's International Department . . :. . Ray Johnson added to- : "David Harum" cast. Radio Harris' "Broadway and Vine" switches to the 4:25 p.m. slot, Dec. 6. Show will be followed by the new Don Ameche show over CBS ...Radio actress Marilyn King back in New York after a season with WONS, Hartford . Patsy Campbell featured on "Big Stoi-y" next Wednesday (8) . . . .Rosemary Rice into "Aldrich: Family" next Thurs^ day (9) . . . . Finis Faar checking out of Mutual as script editor to go with Paramount . Radio Execs Comedy club luncheon tomorrow (2) at. Roosevelt will Induct Jack Guilford^ Herb Shriner^ Mervyn Nelson and: Arnold StanK into "Museum of Modern Wit" Novel party being set up for Monday, Dec. 13, at Old.Knick Music Hall td mark 15th anni of "Ma Perkin.s" show, with leading characters of all the network soap operas and the authors as guests. Guests will show up in the costumes ' of their radio characterizations . . Anita Ellis into "Sing It Again" as replacement for Fran Warren. m HOLLYWOOD . . . Bill Robson flew in from Paris after helping Raymond R; Morgan set up his audition, for Maurice. Chevalier's "This Is Paris" weekly , Variety show. Morgan is planning a similar format for other European capitals, with the tape to be flown to U. S. for recording and ultimate sponsorship, participating if need be . ; . .George Allen making good progress after a heart attack and taking dally walks. ; . .Robert Redd broke his arm in a fall Thanksgiving day. . . .Bob Garred's news strip; on CBS (Coast) IS now solidly commercial.. ..Hanley Stafford is So determined to gadabout Europe next summer that he insisted on 14 weeks off when new "Blondie" contracts were drawn. . . .Tlie nimrod- ' ding McGees (Marian and Jim Jordan) are keeping many larders filled with fowl; No sooner do they finish a broadcast than they're off for the happy hunting grounds. . . Bob Hope emcees an AFRS recording Dec. 1 to salute the Berlin airlift. It's called, and aptly, "Operation Vittles." Incidentally, Hope will find out Dec. 21 what he's got no more of than Gregory Peck when he gets a chance to "fight it" with the guesting filmstar. ...If there ever was a one-man job putting together a two-hour whopper (for Wrigley) it fell to the lot of Les Welnrott. And, according to Arthur Godfrey; "he went nuts doing it^i . There's heated sponsor interest in the Abbott and Costello kid show, with all monies going to the Lou Costello' Jr. Youth Foundation, . . Hedda Hopper, Hollywood's mad hatter, will show off her new millinery cre- ations when KTTV goes on the air. She'U have her own show with I guestars and chit chat of the cinema scene . . . Harry Ackerman and his CBS production staffers recorded three new house shows in a week. One is a quizzer. ' Earn Your Apples," and the others are whodunits, with Dick Powell as an old sleuthie . . Charles Smith, -erstwhile radio rep, issetting up 4 trade showing of his patented continuous background process with automatic interlock for television. Or, in simpler lan- guage, ersatz props for TV studio shows . . Judy Canova has been renewed for another quarter by Colgate Ace Ochs, producer of Club 15, claims he is the first producer to quit TV for radio. He did "Face the Music" and "We the People" for CBS-TV but listened to "The 'Mr. Artery," which gave an- should generate some lively din nouncer Lou Crosby an honest op- ner-lable conversation for dialers. portunity to break in. . Stai. Continuing the '- You And . .* ." _ series which tackles a new topic ] Money Song" by Ward Wheelock and gave up cameras for microphones ot public interest each week, the] Few producers put iiioie working hours into a program than Larry current discussion agenda is being , Bems, whose apple is ' Our Miss Brooks.". And it's beginning to show angled tor stirring comment and ' on the program, which is on the climb. : : :- Dick 1 controversy, by Quiney Howe; CBS | news analy.st, who conducts the in- I]V PHIf.AfZfi ' ■ loi-mal conversational interviews „ " !r*T . * * * . I with leading experts iii the field. I Herbert replaces; Ben Park as interviewer on "It's Your Life," I On Monday's slan/a (29), guest i with Park concentniting on pioduclioa. : . iChartey Wllseh, fOrmi$«^^^ 'David Cohn, author of "Love m ■ Dancer, Fit/geiald & Sample, joins WGN sales pijvmotion. . . .Beiilah I America," kicked around the mar- 1 Kai"wey, WENR home economist, planed to Detroit over the weekeind fbt . I riage problem in the U. S and, in- . the preein of WXYZ's "House of Charm" Ted Malone here Wed. (1) sas City Philharmonic lishei^ 'm"a ' kicked the American to salute 4-H Clubbers . Jack Angell, asst. chief of NBC continuity new facet of local broadcasting in '^'^^^ ^''Sht in the face. According I acceptance, sliifts to the newsroom this week, with Harry Ward replac- K. C. Philharmonic has been ^'^ Cohn, who was adroitly egged ing in continuity . Lorraine Baukla, of D.illa .Tones Productions will Wangerin, commentator Smith, John Thornberry, m- nouncers 120 Mins.; Tues., 8:30 p.m. KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN LINES WHB, Kansas City Tuesday night series by the Kan on by Howe, American manhood dislikes women in general and can't understand them as inde- handle touts and; pri.zes for ;!' Welcome Travelers" when Bea Biittis ;j-etires tb llausewif ery pefc. ;B, : ^NBG plugged ;Elgih^ holiday show , ^ . , -1 ov releasing .'500 balloons over Chi the day before Thanksgiving. Some on concert is being picked dependent personalities becau.se he , ot the gas bags contained dollar bills and certificates for Elfiin watches .^,?i?:„ ?.?}\^}?.^ ''Pons'ir !f,Jl^H;=t?.^ei-<=5...'.',"'"atuie and.m- Ed Kasser. former chief ot ABC announcers, now with the sales I staff of WHOW, Chilton,' 111.;. . , Miles Laboratories renewing "Queen For a Day';' over .425 M.utiial. stations , for the fourth cfins^ year ;.Kiiw .E.ai:0.tik :of .Egypt' h ordered six Mbtorolji^^^ painted' Jtt^the,.B|[SPt^an,rt^ WGN's' script . dept., : wbii ' lop . .priVe as : songstress,- in the SUth-'iiriie& :"ilarvest broadeasfc before for !»jany seasons in special radio .conceits, btit this is :the first tiriie the regular sub- scription up in tot „ underwritten the full season on the [■hibited'. by. .a puritanical traditibhi scale done by the :Kansas City | Aside.:' fi'biii' the truth ; or: falsit,v ■ Southern , Lines this time. , The : of these sweeping Benoralizations;! he gets Ihcni jii.st a little mixed | "love should, a.ugur: some consider- Cohn .s remarks .should jHill heavy ; but they are usually very much ahle prei-tise tor the railroad, the mail trom the male sector In to tlie point. Nor ls he i he speech- station and the orch and its new closing, Cohn sugeestcd that men T./r„„„" ,„„(„,i ei, • . . ' . ■ making type of conductor; he ' conductor. take full comm.ind in the roman- ,< on'^^^- ^'ie s « t lor a guest shot on a forthcoming ''Dufiy's never gives inflated lectures on | Concert Nov 23 had a double- tie situations. "Don t a.'-k a woman ^■'^^F'^ "i" "cnry, ABC flack chief, house-hunting to be.it a Jan. 1 the music. lIis approach is <-e\ ere- ' auoed aitr.iflion in Bl.mclie The- vhat she v.-ints in a restaurant" eviction notice Qui/. Kid Joel Kiippenti,)n uses this formula in prcdict- Jy technical yet u bom's third appearance \Mth the he .said, "order for her" In that '"^ winners ot giid games' team's score will be the difference between CMsional flai-hes of musical insight ' Philhaimonic and the hacking up case, nuike mine two hambui'gei-s. 'ts total oflensive score so lai in the season and the opposinfi team's total for the audience , by the C'onserv.itorv's male chorus, Ucim detcnsive .scoie Annual Xmas parlv itaged by WLS bain dancers First broadcast found him re- all under capable direction ol new ' lor Chi needy is , set lor Dec. 18 at the Eighth St theatre N-itional hearsing Liszt's Faust .Svmphony. i maestro, Hans Scluveigcr ' OUR ,10B IS MANHATTAN ! Safety Council kudos in its farm safely contest go' to ABC's "Ainenean "Don't scratch, gontlemen, ' he Coinmentary throughout the pro- With - Ed Reimeris, narrator-an- ' ''"ai'mei" " the Tp\as Quality Net, Rural Radio Net, WHO WlOU WMOII nouncer; tape recorded inter- ' WGY, WIUO and WLS Charles Coombs named New york district i.;^W ^^ , ^■■'4:»^:^«^;^Vtpttt«Ja: ,..,v.'?^ 60-mintite;.sfrip witli,Biny,'LVacii, ' !):JU p.m. i Connie Kusseir and Louise King^, preemed via WBBM Mon. (29). vould say, "or dc music iinist , g>'a"i bv Ditk Wangenn adds con- eing, gentlemen" For the fir.st 20 sider.ibJe to the bioadcd.st, as he minutes he sHopped the orch cverv | has a voice highly suited to the as- few bars, finishing up with a full ! s'gnmcnt and a useful knowledge reading of what he had gone over of music The sliaight coinmei- Jmpression wa.s lie stopped them cial.s at the opening, middle and views 30 Min"..; Thuis., Writer: Ira Marion Producer: Peter ATarlin too' much In the end lie pla>ed ''f^ic are hriiulled by Ditk Smith. Sustainins far beyond what he'd lehcarsed WHB's senior announcer, from ABC. from ? Director- Chailes Powecs Fort Wayne— Edwin M, Martin- I has resigned as veepee and seere- ;Thurs, '.'Z5\, TVlaey's. ;dep.arttTiont - .; ^'Store w''a.s;scj.^iliriii'e:d'v^^^ New York corded jntervie;W's: -^vil'h variotts ' and the musicians, who hadn't copy prepared b.v the .Soufhern'.s AUC's "Our .lob Is M.inliallan" emplojees. - tary of the Farnsworlh Television seen the music before, .sounded . Cecil Taylor. An added fillip throws the spotlight on the Individ- "f ♦'^p "hcaithcats'' of and Radio Corp., but will continue just as good. Downes, now pretty bring.'S John -Thornheiiy, WHB ual chores of the masses which Manhattan, Macy's, ot couise. is a ^^ g^^p „. „ounspl for ihe rornn- secure on the air, broke in with news man, in at inlei iiii's.sion with helps make pos.sible the operation noiiseho d woid to eiti/ens of the ,..,1,0 and retiin tiis memli^^^^^ comment from lime io time, but the le^ular evening newse.iM of Sev. Yoik's fo|) mk antile, so- nietropolitan area Funetions 'ot on the i .irrl of rlireHn -^^^ the .show was about lOOCi Kous- I budging the u.sual lull at JialC time cial and other instilutions. In the, Ihe -store and duties ot lis workers t„ relurn to Vri^^^^ sevllzky, Elie, J Quin. ; second; iHiSlaHmenl ot a .ncw scrlesi (Continued on page 34) 1 law in Was'hingtoti. ' We^newlayf December 1, 1948 RADIO- 2S 17 NO IHREAT TO N Y. AM INDIES Radio With 2 Pairs of Pants What started with Barney's "calling all men" plugs in the early 1930's has burgeoned into a $500,000 annual double-breasted bo- nanza for the New York indie stations. Other men's clothing out- fits, taking their cue from Barney's radio success story, have since entered the airlanes to add their advertising shekels to the total Indie take. But even more phenomenal: than the indies' take is wlut thesf have given to this majbr source of revenue. In at least three cases, the metropolitan stations can claim sole credit for making their clothing chain bankrollers into paying businesses. Beginning with Barney's, which expanded its downtown N. Y. shop into a national institution via heavy air plug dosages, the list of radio- croated clothiers currently includes the Robert Hall and Prcntis companies. Ripley Clothes is another outfit which owes a large share of its trade to its airlane advertising. Robert Hall clothes has come to the fore in a startling spurt during the past year as one of the fastest growing companies, re- flecting its heavy splurging in radio commercials. Already spend- ing well over $250,000 in the metropolitan area alone, it has re- cently expanded its spot campaigns into 50 different out-of-town niavlv'ets and has opened over a half dozen new stores in Chicago. Tlie Robert Hall company's advertising strategy is based on total saturation. Through the Sawdon Advertising agency, it buys, vir- tually without discrimination, available spots and programs at all times of the day, spreading out over a number of radio outlets in a single area, In New York, WNEW, WMCA and WOV divide the major part of the $250,000 melon. Barney's, however, continues- to depend exclusively on the spot announcement technique which nurtured it from its modest be- ginnings. Slightly tapering off from its peak radio spending, Bar^ nej's, through Emil Mogul ad agency, is shelling out about $100,000 annually over several metropolitan stations The, Prentis company, through Hirshon-Garfield, stands alone in accenting the disk jockey shows. On WNEW, where it's paying about $100,000 annually, the company is bankrolling six segments \\oeklv on the Martin Block show. Ripley, which shells out about $50,000 yearly on WNKW throuRli Bobley ad agency, goes in for buying as many random programs as its budget can stand. . , ; Nov. 30 Hooperatings Walter Winchell 27.7 Jack Benny 23.3 Lux Radio Theatre 22.5 Fibber St Molly 21.8 Bob Hope 20.0 Phil Harris 20.0 Talent Scouts 19.2 My Friend Irma 18,0 Fred Alien lt.7 Duffy's Tavern 17.3 Edgar Bergen 17.0 Mr. D. A 16.9 Stop the Music 16.9 Suspense 15.7 Deniitl$ Day 15.2 Nighttime Stars Into Soap Opera Set As TV Changes Program Patterns • Trend-l^appy radio is heading-f ulto a new cycle. More and more big name shows are infiltrating daytime logs which less than a year ago were programmed almost solidly with soap, homemaker and audience participation stanzas. -Latest manifestation of. . the SPG Wins ABC Hacks MFORSYRS. In face of the television boom in th« metropolitan are« over the last two years, the New York AM in- dies are holding .up firmly with* no sign of an early knockout. Far from being groggy, the leading in- dies are still operating with a healthy and undiminished margin of profit. Both rating and billing- wise, video has as. yet failed to nick the standings of the N. Y. inde- pendents in any appreciable man- ner. A cross-sectional survey of indie executive opinion reveals that the local outlets expect to operate on a business-as-usual basiSi despite, the growing spectre of TV, for the next five years at least. Beyond that, they'll wait to see what hap- 1 pens. i xVt WNEW, the top grosser | among the metropolitan indie sta^ | tions, general manager Bornice j Judis said "we haven't felt a thing," referring to the TV erup- 1' tion. Pulse measurements of local | radio rating.s during the past year 1 1 has disclosed no marked shifting i l ot' dialers from one medium to the ! I other to scare bankrollers out of-i I the AM market. According to , I WNEW sales manager Ira Herbert, the station's gross for this year will , I certainly equal, and probably ex- ' ceed, the fat take for 1947. j Local radio execs pointed out ^ I that most ol the sponsors, who are I now taking a fling in TV, are alio- ■ , caling extra funds for this purpose I in their budgets. Tliere will: be no I ' move on the part of any bankroller . perties so it can bid separately' for to place all their advertising eggs the tele outlet, in one TV basket for some time, Palest round in the battle be tween the, lawyers was a petition Nets Claimed Pressuring Aff Oiates For Spots in TV as Well as Radio Beefs Pile Up On Thackrey Lump Sale to Warners Washington, Nov. 30. Warner Bros, deal to acquire video and radio stations owned by Mis; Dorothy Thackrey in Los Angeles and San Francisco is un- dergoing baptism of legal fire with pcti tions being. . bandied . back and ^ forth between- willing package tween network and the station, the Washington, Nov. 30. Networks are putting pressure on their affiliates to take over spot sales representation not only in radio but also in television, station rep ' Witnesses ; charged yesterday (29) at the opening of the FCC hearings on agreements between nets and affiliates for the sale of national spot advertising, and other -■ commercial time. More than a score, of -reps and network execs were on hand to testify , during hearings expected to last a week. The hearings, held before the Commission en banc, resulted fronv a complaint filed by National Assn. of Radio Station Representatives alleging the tie-in agreements bet tween nets and affiliates in sale of national spot time are in violation .' of FCC regulations. The Commis- sion .is attempting to, determine:, whether these agreements restrict stations in meeting their public responsibilities and whether its chain broadcasting'rules Should be ' amended. " ' " , ' Appearing as first wit,)les$ Mon- - : day (29) for the recently formed NARSR. H. Preston Peters, prexy of Free & Peters, cited Rayve Shampoo, Vicks, National Biscuit and Wildroot as accounts in which spot and network broadcasting are : in competition for advertising, ap- propriations. He testified that in relations be- buycr and Ed. Pauley's Southern California Television Co., which wants the FCC to unlump the pro= Hollywood, Nov. 30. Screen Publicists Guild was cer tified by the National Labor Rela tions Board as collective bargain' , t^^^^ t°rLfsffl -^:£iALSJZ.^t. it was predicted. . When television can supply the same market satura- gj^^ j ^ ^^^^ ^y Mrs. Thackrey and tion as AM radio at about the same | virarners jointly in opposition to a ''*l!L.!!l!"A'„^li„^^*l'?^., ^'^''^ I request by Southern Cal to induce FCC to reconsider its approval of ment workers - at CBS. Negotiations between the guild ot course, has been heard for years, fore In a show of his own worrying, the execs agreed. I • Minor Biz Fall-Off Bert Lebhar, WMGM sales man- ager, did concede that video was causing -some fall-off in business.; "But it's only minor," he said. Leb- har declared that a few small ad -an eerie hour as 9:45 a.m., when I his Vacuum Foods quarter-hour is heard on WCBS, N. Y. Kay Kyser, Fred Waring, Don Amoche, Kate j Smith, Arthur Godfrey are others] •ntrenched in the daytime picture, i There are indications that other I w.k, radio entertainers soon will forsake the night air for daytimers of their own. " | Feeling in industry circles is thatj tele, as it gains momentum, will i make increasing inroads into niglU- j time radio audiences. Radio's big- time nighttimers, the belief is, sooner or later may be forced to concode the fattest part of the ■after-dark audience to the video camp, capitalizing on tele's more elaborate productions and to a de- gree on its sheer novelty. Thus, radio pundits foresee ra- (Continued on page 34) at such i pending the certification. FCC To Carry WORLCaseTo H^hest Court Washington. Nov. 30. Overi-ulod by the U.S. Court of Appeals last week on its revoca- tion of the license of WORL Boston, the FCC will carry: its case to the Supreme Court with con- rj,^^^^ plienomenon Oper- fidence its action will be upheld, [ ^^^j, ^j^j^ indirectlv, he said, but V.\i!iETY learned. The Commission .^j^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ account executives has 90 days in which to hie for ^^^^^^^^^^,3^^, ^,1^^^ possibilities. 1 paoka ge sale ( KLAC and KL AC TV in L. A. and KYA in Frisco) to ■ the film company. Pauley's I a,rguinehts to persuade the Gom- rmissidn toC break up the package, • . , , • * u 1 said Thackrey-Warner, puts "very vertisers, "who have no right to be I strained construction" on the pol- in television at this stage, were i adopted by FCC when it ap- spendmg coin in IV that ordinarily ; pj-o^ed lump sale of Crosley broad- would be going to local radio. , casting and manufacturing proper- Lebhar stressed the paradoxical ■ Cincinnati to Aviation Co. point, however, that the indie sta- 1 (y^ygo) The Avco: decisioni" Thackrey- reciutres only that tions will temporarily profit from a specific stage in TV's eventual ' emergence as the top commercial ! v i a.- t ^t, n »rti,1m nf the lirlanps When the ^^^^'^ ^'^ * separation of the pur- mafo? advertisers begin knock ng , cl^^^e price between broadcast and fTff their bietime AM „etwOTk ' non-broadcast properties. Accord- fow^t^ far '^^ro.■ htS iiJ'f .,the Comm™^^^^ they will net selects the advertiser, estab- lishes the rates for time, terms and conditions 'and that the; station must deliver time up to 50% of its op- erating hours, including the best hours for size of audience. The sta- , tion has:limited power of rejection; he said, apd receives as revenue (Continued on page 32) pealed' or modified Avco in restat- ing what has been evident from the outset — that no rule or regula- back this : move up by heavy AM spot programming. But tlie bonanza \\ill only last, he said, until they are confident of video sales impact. Another TV factor now at work against AM radio. Lebhar said, is IV- its absorption ot the ad agencies' : JNOV.-Ulit. " tAR Georgia Flood Waters Take Atlanta Indie Off Air for Full Day Atlanta, Nov. 30, High waters of Peachtree Creek flooded transmitter of WQXI, At- lanta indie, on Cheshire Bridge Road, and caused station.to go off the air at 1:25 p.m. Sunday (28). Bill Walters, station's chief en- gineer, earlier had . reported to studio in Buckliead. Atlanta suburb, that creek was rising and trickling into his bailiwick, but stuck to hiS: post until swirling waters reached depth of three feet. He then pulled all switches while Bob Corley, pro- gram director, made the announce- tion or decision or statement of j ^g„t that station was being forced (Continued on page 34) Chi Trib,N.Y. News Bond On Radio-TV Tightens In Directorate Exchange Washington, Nov. 30. Chicago Tribune and New York Dally News last Friday (26) tight- ened the bonds between their radio and television properties, via an exchange of directors. : : : Added to the board of WGN. the Trib's 50,000-watt Mutual outlet in Chicago, were F. M. Flynn, presi- dent and general manager of the News, and president of WPIX; Eichard B, Clark, executive direc review. • The lower court's action, by a two to one vote, in reversing FCC's order of April 21, 1947, against WORL. was similar to a previous ruling in the case ot WOKO, Mbanv, N.Y. The Commission went to the highest tribunal in the (Continued on page 34) (Continued on page 34) IN FM SET OUTPUT Washington, Nov. 30.^ Novelnber and December FM re- Ed Kobak Radio Head For Brotherhood Week off the air using; appropriately, "Slow Boat to ::ehina:" as his, baefe- ■ ground mu.sic. ■■■■■.,:;;■:■■'■■.■■ " WQXI transmitter is located in flats on banks of creek, with its ground wires in creek, and 10-incli rain of past five days made raging torrent out of normally docile stream. WGST. Mutual outlet , . J -It t I here, has its transmitter within ceiver production 'will top any of igtone's throw- of WQXI pOwer I the previous monthly figures," ; plant, but it is located on high Everett L, Dillard, president of ! ground and safe from creek waters o matter how high it rises. Using rowboats for transporta- ABC Guild Airer, CBS Documentary Unit Cited ithe con"" ntdl FM Network and i no matter how high it rises. i WASH- ;:',, I last w«k. Washington, predicted .^^ ,»qxI crew, under Walters' 1 supervision, returned to transmit- Chicago, Nov. 30. "Theatre Guild on the Air," bankrolled by U. S. Steel over the , rj,,,g steady increase in FM set ', ter house and made necessary re- ABC net, and CBS documentary ■ output in the past four months, pairs, enabling station to get back unit copped top honors from the j.^fleded in the October report of I on air at sign-on time Monday (29) National Council of Teachers of ^^^^^ Manufacturers Assn., .English as "the best literature on ; pjUj^^jj said, should be of interest , I the air" during the 1947- 48 iLScat 3^ygj.jjgj„g ^gg^pigg Ijggjjusg it Edsar Kobak. Mutual prexy, will [ school year. , , shows "the rapid acceleration in Farnsworth Liects chairman the Brotherhood Week | Awards vvere forma ly anno^^^^^^ audience which FM is Fort Wayne, Nov. 30. - - here <27 > a' t^^^^^^^^ ^ Nicholas has been elected Tn kudoina the (3ui"d show Dillard cited the RMA report of chairman of the board of directors M « ;H„^«tnrs felt It did the mo^t FM set production of 170,086 units of FarnSVvorth : Television, and f^Xr listeners' understTd- ' during the four week work month .Radio-- ■■<»ri».,.|B«!«ft«n| - JesSft.;?, . to furthoi listeners unoerswna October, a gain of 24% over I McOarg«> J*Sl8n64."W»ta» I yea tor oT'the' Daily News; and Robert , Feb. 27. L. Coe, vice president of , WPIX Added to the board of WPIX, NCCJ e Radio Committee at the request of Nelson A. Rockefeller, general chairman Sponsored by the Na- tional Conference of Christians and Jews, Brotherhood Week this ar extends from Feb. 20 through morning. the News video station in New York, wore C. M. Campbell, treas- urer ot the Tribune and vice presi- dent of WGN; and Frank P. Schreiber, treasurer and station manager of WGN and WGN-TV. Announcement was made here by Louis G. Caldwell, counsel for tht stations. ,((..,. further listeners' iiig and appreciation of our lit- , erary heritage and to awaken a All (I S stations will be sent greater love of good writing." t kits of one-inmut. and 1 Besides rating praise for its doc- spots station breaks, lumentary unit, CBS al.so drew, en: nd a double-face 16- comia for a "superb stafl: of writers the September weekly output, as will also continue to serve as presi evidence o£ a trend to climbing I dent, a post he has held since 1939 30-socond live scripts in'rh • i^cm-rfeaturm^^H^^^^^ producers," which was aided As in iLt years, the Advertis- shows singled out for commenda- ing Council also is gi^l " wrS" TolV'Xd Theatre and'-Studio durtion "n°Oaobe7exceedrd^eU^ currently a Washington allor- port to Brotherhood Week observ- lold,_ Foid iheaire ana siuu y^^.^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ sales. Adding RMA non-member production and television sets in- corporating FM bands, he esti- mated the actual overall total of sets with FM reception capabili- ties produced during , October at probably 210,600. Dillard added that FM set pVo- Charles II. Buesching, Fort Wayne banker (president of Lin- coln National Bank and Trust Co.) and Burton A. Howe, New York Citv, resigned from the board. Newly named to the board was Abe Fortas, formerly Undersecre- tary of the U. S. Dept. of Interior I ance. 26 Wcdneidayf December 1, 1948 V More Coverage, Quicker and with less effort! The greyhound gets more coverage per Btride than any other canine. That's whot makes him the greatest raciiig dog on earth. That goes for VARIETY, too. Coverage, quicker and with less effort, has made VARIETY the most effective advertising medium in the trade. When you tell your sales story in VARIETY, you are telling the entire show world . . . particularly the' executives who spend the most dollars for talent and product. These men consider VARIETY "self imposed, required reading." For instance, in radio and television, every agency which has the responsibility of spending over a quarter billion dollars annually counts on VARIETY each week to keep it in touch with what's new so that that agency can plan accordingly. In January, VARIETY will celebrate its 43d on- niversary. Because there is more to record for the trade than in any previous year, the best minds of the entertainment industry ore contributing articles detailing their estimates of the trends and possibili- ties of the future. So to get back to that greyhound previously men- tioned—if you want to increase YOUR stride in 1949, your story belongs in the "international show case of show business." NEW YORK 19 154 West 46th St. CHICAGO 1 860 No. Michigan Ave. HOLLYWOOD 26 6311 Yucca St. LONDON WC 2 8 St. Martin's Place Trafalgar Sq. Weftneschy, December I, 1948 ilT N. Y. PRICE WAR ON TELE SETS Hoopers Top 10 TV Shows With the fall and winter television programming now rolling In higli, the liv« studio shows are apparently copping the major share of the audience. Latest Hooperatings for November reveal not a single sports pickup among the top 10, Vaudeo is still high, with Milton Berle's "Texaco Star Theatre" and Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the^own" In the one-two spots. Following are Hooper's top 10 sponsored TV shows in the N. Y. metropolitan area: Program v., . Texaco Star Theatre Toast of the Town We, the People Small Fry Club (Thurs.) Amateur Hour Kraft Television Theatre Chevrolet Tele-Theatre Americana Bigelow Show NBC Symphony Station . Rating WNBT 80.7 WCBS-TV 51.8 WCBS-TV 46.4 WABD 36.3 WABD 31.9 WNBT 30.2 WNBT 29.9 WNBT 28.6 WNBT 25.4 WNBT 24.5 Educators Eye Remote Control TV Experiment at Dobbins School Philly Philadelphia. Nov 30. A group of 14 educators, operat- ing as a subcommittee of tlie Na- tional Education Assn's. depart- ment of secondary teacliers, will study the television system now being operated as a classroom function at the Murrell Dobbins Vocational School in this city. Operated by remote control, the Dobbins setup sends educational and informative video programs to 15 separate TV reproducing units in' Classroom. GI students and pupils majoring in radio at the Dobbins School built all of tlie equipment used in the system- Antennae and cables were strung by the students. Donated and surplus TV parts were used and the reproducing sets were given to the school by a manufac- turer. Lawrence J. Lipp, radio and television coordinator at Dobbins, and Ben Polin, an instructor in the radio -TV department, sponsored the idea. -i "A setup such as we have here j is practical for hospitals, apart- 1 ment houses, hotels and other i pubhc buildmgs, because it elim- 1 mates the need for individual an- I tennae and receivers," Lipp said Harry Ruby humorausly countelt "/>on'f r About Tele- vision — ^i^'.'* J :ly A Passin;^ Fad Thafs Here ta Slay" ,..■*..,*■ ■■*■ one of tki many . fcataret In »ht 43d Anniversary ISiimber of Due Soon UNDER TABLE SALES MOUNT Flock of N. Y.-Midwest Gbmels, 21 New City IMs on AT&T Agenda '.television set dealers and de- partment stores, confronted with persistent squawks from customers on the high price of receivers, have started an all-out price war in the N. y. meti-opolitan area. Manufac- turers, with no intentions of trim- ming prices because of the con- tinued high, cost of component parts, have to date been unable to stop the price slashes, even on price-fixed articles, because most such deals are. made, under cover. | Situation. Is a. paradox in 'several aspectSj since receivers are still being bought and installed at the rate, of 1,000 daily. Distributors ad- . mitj however, that the increase m rate of sales has. fallen off in the 1 last several months, indicating that > a near-saturation point has been reached at the present price levels. :| Thus, while manufacturers claim there is no need for price cuts be-; cause of the current tube shortage I and other factors, dealers have I been willing to take a cut in price I in order to achieve a more rapid tiinuiver of sets. ; ■ Faced with indie dealers mak- 1 ing undercover sales, department have recently announced i th^ . HiEirry Sosnik fivm. Hi« Intld* en Scoring for Television in the Vpeoming 43d Anniversary Number of WPIX Envisioning Black Ink in 2 Yrs. With a decision on allocation of time to the various television net- works on the east to midwest coax- ial cable still pending before Amer- ican Telephone & Telegraph, the phone company disclosed plans this week to expand its networking fa- cilities within the next two years to link 21 .additional cities to the 13 now connected by relays. Expansion will include the open- ing of additional channels on the main routes of the two links now in operation. Even more impor- tant, however, are plans to provide for five, channels between Phil- adelphia andCleveland, the east to midwest terminal points^ Thusi by the end of 1950, tlie impasse created by five different webs bid- ding for virtually the same thing on the single existing link should be overcome, with : one channel available for each broadcaster de- siring it. A. T. & T. was forced to halt negotiations for time on the calile last week when none of the broad- casters would budge from his original demands for. time alloca- stores . , ^ , I tlohsr. Phone company decided tdi ^^?P''« P^J'"!*^"' , . "^^'^ sVoi-k out a sharing arrangement o - , e N. Y. Daily News WPIX is up ^ its own and expects to announce its openly a 10% reduction on non- , tor sale, B . M. Flynn, prez and gen- , decision as to who will get what price-fixed sets. In addition, Macy's eral manager of the News Syndi- ■ time by the end of this week, this week came out with its own cate Co., declared this week that Present expansion plans will set, especially manufactured fori'"", oner has been made to buy carry the cable in two years only the store by Hallicrafter's. Named I WPIX and no one has offered the 1 as far west as St. Louis and Madi- the "Artone," the feet is listed at station or any part of it for sale $239, marking the lowest price yet In fact, Flynn told Variety, the established: for a 10-inch table 1 model. DuMont Policing Among the - manufacturers only DuMont has been able to police GM's $1,000,000 lone Ranger Tab News belfeves it will be able to son. Wis., so that its extension to the Coast won't: come until some ' time after that. By the end of its dealers sufficiently to prevent i mount. According to Flynii, the the price cuts. Even brand names p^iy discussions with Par have sight a break-even point for the ; 1950, A. T. & T. plans to have in tele operation within the next year- operation five channels each be- and-a-half to two years. | tween N. Y. and Boston, N. Y, and Station had reportedly been of- \ Washington, Philadelphia and fered to both Metro and Para- — - such as RCA and Pbileo are being sold under the table at less than list price; DuMont is in an espe Clev#ah^. Glevelahd and Chicago; and Detroit and Toledo. Two C^ , nels now link Chicago and St. been in relation to a cooperative 1 Louis. theatre tele venture and the pos- sibility of opening up Par features cially advantageous position in this I f^j. yj^eo transmission. respect, since it has far fewer deal ers than the others. Sales chief Ernest A. Marx has threatened to Cancel the franchise of any dealer cutting prices,, thereby achieving stability for DuMont sets- Manufacturers claim that not only have they no intention of cut- Flynn admitted frankly thai the station's losses during its five-and^ a-half months of operation have been far in excess of what was originally considered- He declared, (Continued on page 32) Hollywood. Nov. 30. General Mills Foods has set up! At present the cost of installation |a $i,000,000 budget for a series of to otlier scliools throughout the j.'Lone Ranger" television pictures. ,,city would be too gi-eat peal is being set here by George uuij- .mv<= o..^, ....^•...^ | _„ -....^ vrTlirAnir 1 "t'ler cities scheduled to On the sixth floor of the school, 1^. Trendle, owner of the "Lone ! ting prices but that they may be rROSLEY OHIO NETWORIV I by the end of 1950 a a master control room has been 1 danger " and Freddie Fralick for 1 forced to up their prices even more ■ iiu.nw ^^^^^ ^^^^ Haven W set up with three television rc- 'the filming of 26-half-hour pro- if the cost of components continues | TA TAIfF ^HAPF FFR 1 one for each of g,.ams "Ranger" airs for Cheenos, to mount. Some manufacturers, | 1 u 1 nlVti OIUU It 1 liU. 1 — ■ '- ' ' ' such as RCA; while, not trimming I list prices onVcurfent models,, have initiated lower prices by '.turning ceivers installed the three Philadelphia stations, a General MUls Product,' On stand Connected to the receivers are a |a(,£( jajjo. series of push buttons, :Which are 1 _, , „jv anrl Vi-ilirk arp disfuss - m turn connected by cable to the ; J't-^ll'a^'fp.^iduitn with S a new line of receivers to sell 16 reproducing units. fiiTn nnkprs here now Deal is ex- 1 for less. Each of the master receivers has ( n l,e c onsmn^^^ While 'the price war to date has its antenna adjusted to pick up the , ^^^'.^'l /° 'ot' tlTS fims ' been confined to the N Y. metro- signal of its one particular station, ^ug^e have been no decisions made ' Politan area, nianufactunns are »5-^i.i? s«r'"',s S V" f;n,sixr^E'!hri"ix,^r:,p»^^^^^^ «... sometlling goes wrong ^Mth any "^t*- "f ? ' °Rai^^"er'' r^i^^^^^ Point is reached in them. Broad- 1 Crosley. one of them. If a teacher wants 1 hich has been''airing for 1 casters, meanwhile, are not averse I Corporation plans an eventual the class to see a certain video lPi"K' , ' all he mu.st do is send a i^^e Pa^t ye<"'> Columbus, Nov. 3D. Crosley Broadcasting Corp. m- tended. television network will be* come a reality Feb. 1 when WLWC, Columbus, and WLWB, Dayton, are slated to begin operations, accord- ing to Robert E. Dunville, vice Largest new area slated for cov- erage lies south of Toledo, where it : is planned to install three channels : between Toledo and Cincinnati via Dayton.: Two more, channels will also be placed in operation be- tween Dayton and Louisville, via- Indianapolis. On the Coast, two'; channels will be ■operating between Los Angeles and San Pranciseo. I Other cities scheduled to bo linked are Provi- ■ Wilmington; V Rochester, Madison, Hartford,-, Reading, York Ilamsburg, Johns- town, Pittsburgh, Youngslown, Erie, Akron and Fort Wayne. Hodges' Ch'field Pact On Baseball Cues Exit From Camel Cage-casts program,: r - - Sportscaster Russ ' Hodges, con-* to" uiie' price war, since it mean.s five station Web "based on the home , tinted with contracts from two that more sets are being sold, ■ studio, WLWT, at Cincinnati. Other ' competing cigaret firms, has been note to the control room and at' Mills entry into film TV PrO" . ^vhich in turn, provides them with ; stations are planned for Indian the appointed hour the operator , grams marks the second large scaie {jgttgj. toverago for commercially- apolis and Louisville, presses a button and projects the money deal ^°^f svonsarvA -^huus requested program into the class- and the tourth telepic order from ; " room The teacher can regulate the, any souiw An^^^^^^ .... sound and the brightness of the is gned a $1,000 000 pact witl Ma^^^ p j j^n's [ggitgr ImTe. Tsimnar s=U i^.o^-si^U-Reaim Pro ductule eration at Dobbins for transmitting radio and.- recorded programs to classroom^, ABC-TV'S GOT THE DAYTIME URGE, TOO ABC television may be the next network to launch a full schedule of daytime programming, foUowr ing the financially successful ven- ture into the daytime hours by WABD (DuMont, N. Y.K As the first step in its operation, WJZ-TV, key N. Y. flagship station of the ABC web, will conduct closed circuit demonstrations next Monday (6)", Tuesday and Wednes- series of video pix based on the classics of literature. NBC and | Jerry Fairbanks have inked con- j tracts whereby Fairbanks is mak- 1 ing films for Veb with the aid of) their coin. Both parties will par- As another indication of Cros- ley's stepped-up activity in central- Ohio television, the corporation an- nounced that James Leonard, who will resign from WSAI, Cincin- nati, Dec. 1,; will be general man- ager of the Crosley video outlet ;to narrate radio broadcasts of the jn Columbus.- Brings Thompson East To Finish CBS-T^ Pix Patricia Morison's cast presence , Columb us has already beg un, ticipate in the moiiey gained when ; "Kiss Me Kate." the new Cole | pix pull a purchaser. CBS has put rehearsing out-of- TLJ* 'TJpvJ-J-n MaHnPp' iMP?«?„''J.-.r/Vr'l:'"„^f Kdd e town, necessitates HarUn Thomp- tHl S leleVISIOn Malmee ^fieldjob. foz'ced to drop his .scheduled play- by-play on 40 college; basketball games to be aired during this fall and winter by CBS-TV from Madi- son Sq. Garden, N. Y, ; Basketball , games are being bank- rolled by Camels. Hodges last week was handed a five-year pact N. Y. Giants' baseball games over Construction of WLWC north of '^^J^^'^^^J J'l^'^' field.s'.: With both ciggie outfits definitely averse to his working foir both firms, Hodges, naturally ac- the more lucrative Chester- . based on "The Cases of Eddie .- |: » .■■ n ,• n t Drake" on a straight purchase plan, son and his IMPPRO to shoot ber , /^ngy^gf (q Daytime ISeeiS ' Places him on the CBS-TV basket- part in four of the ''Cases of Eddie , r-h- ' ■ is -in "'^'^ pickups and, in so doing, be- Drake" series in the east. Thomp- j . . . ^"'^ago. jnov. ju. ; comes one son's Independent MoUon Picture ; Producers Releasing Organization KTSL's Twofers' Hollywood. Nov, 30. Chicago. Nov. 30. ^^^^ 3^.^)^, Squawks from dealers and tele Uportscasters now working in video, set owners over the lack of day- Allen ju.st completed covering the 'reducers Releasing urganud 10. Columbia Univ. football games and TWO television sho.s get aiHng , -klng^^l3^hal^hour Jea^^^^^^^^ [red tn. (29r with U.e sllrt of ' - -w doing the dog shows from T VT-5T fnrtheDrice-^'^'" CBS television. Miss Morison, leiieeu mu.a. wiuu u.c ^v^ i the Garden, as iwell.a^^^^^^ over Don Lees KTbL lor tne pwce- j^^g ^^j, Haggerty and The- ^ two-hour, six-a-week ''Television nig^t lights ove^ tte of one. Station has set a deal with odore Von Eltz, is in the entire Matinee" on WGN-TV. Show has . - :./.:.:■ : , , J FHward Finnev to teevee an actual ] series. Paul Garrison directs and as participating sponsors Philco. PL^I-. IrtJn, IfTTV ' day of a show tentatively scheduled I f^""'"'".^^^^^^ DuMont, Admiral, Motorola and rneips JOin» IV 1 1 v fOt bankrolling by Bohacks, chain , ' ^laygy^ for his' The 30-minute three-reelers, av- Hallicraftcrs, plus distriJjs for Hollywood, Nov 30. of N. Y. groceterias. Format of 1 J.'J*^.!:" " ' eraKing around $10,000 each to Crosley, RCA-Victor and General | Stuart Phelps is joining Tinies- the show is being kept under coyer I „ „-T,or fil^ director make, are shot in 3,>m for CBS. Electric. Mirror-CBS t e 1 e v 1 s i o n station, but, if it proves successful in the Don Hme, K'TSL wm oii^^ Thompson retains the 16m and 8m Series will be the first afternoon KTTV, as director of sports an4 off-the-air demonstrations, WJZ-, has "'^de arrange^^^^^ fi m ' rigMs The H^^ Roach Studios are tele programming here, apart from special events after leaving similar TV will adopt it as the first step ney to n»7„ *7„/^^f;Yt the fol- used on the Coast. Thompson has Saturday football, since the end of .rapacity at Don Lee. in a full daytime schedule. ^ ' reduced to 16m and play ["* j^' ; ^^^"^"^t^jo ^.^ile east. He the baseball sea.son. To lessen led Phelps will handle the Rose Bowl Web officials emphasized that owing week. Statio^ brought seve„''ansvver.MinU east ink stations, have .Jjeen operating .football game ^^;hich marks KTTV'l the idea is still In. the preliminary to make 'Sereentest « ^'.?^^hiin 1 between' six p.m. and "miAiight. ■ opening day of telecasUng. Vednei4iiy« Pecerobcr 1, 1940 Saiesmen Radio Mo study the stations they represent, Radio Sales Account in aii Executives (the men who call on you) last year hit the road a total of 261 times! It means that, on the average, ihejre is a Radio Sales Account Executive on the move every working day of the yesiY — ivorking for you. By visiting twelve of your most important markets regularly, these Radio Sales speciahsts gain on-the-spot knowledge of how lo custom-build your advertising to local listening likes. They get inside information which otherwise you Avould have lo dig up for yourself- or do without. For these facts -wliich can send your sales cuitc traveling up to the top of a sales chart—call in your Radio Sales Account Executive. Radio Saieg STATIONS R£PRESK\TATiVE...CBS 80 TELGVISION BEVIBWS WjnineBiafi December I, 1948 Opera Thrown for Loss on Tele Debut as Met 'Otello' Preem Fizzles By ARTHUR BRONSON Opera put its worst foot forward Monday (29) nigiit, when tlie Met- ropolitan Opera Assn.'a season's opener, "Otello," was televised over ABC from New York. First telecast of an actual operatic offer- ing, it -may have :been a landmark for video-or music, But it was also a mediocre affair, and the perfect- ly wrong way of introducing grand opt-ra to the television audiences. Whoever had the job of pre- senting the Met's debut : on tele, bungled it completely. The color of an opening night wasn't caught at all. There were no pre-perform- ance sidewalk or lobby scenes, to show the traditional minks,' er* mines, white tie and tails, for which a Mel opening nlgbt is fa mous. What a viewer first saw . were extended shots of the audito- rium with rows of empty seats; drab shots of : announcers , and associate announcers filling long PHIL SIL'ViEllS ARItOW fJXOW With CithHle Sawyer;; jleirry: jSaiiS* . : ■ ner,: ten- ".Hale>' MacJs-; firiiiKst^ :"'\.Hei:|ieri,Co|ema)ft'..V ■• ::Harry 'Sailiier 'Orcli /Writerst^-'tariry, ' M'«''r.l['S^, ^'-Ernle Glucksman/ Danny Simon, Doo ■■Simon. ■■■■'■,"' Pii«ctorrHrt Keith;f-:,f:; /-^'V;: ■producer: Wes MctCrt '^r"-- 30 Mins.; 1Ved.» 8:30 pM. V ' i . ; GtttlETTi PiEABODt & CO* ■\":,(Tf j)u»ff .^''ij^bitctfnj ) ■' ; '; " Latest of ; the yaude^^ on the kilocycle circuit, this half- hour session jiss t>yp ,,i)jBsitive:' fac- tors \vhich ; should ,^U^ ■ high-rati««/Ty;. (are^^^ ,a-rste ■■■';■"'■ , : & .eincee,' a^^ perforhief, Silvers- revealed ori' the preem (24) enough stujffi to esta)?lish hini as one of TV's standout comedy per- sonalities. Carrying over his stige know-how, Silvers dresses, his gags for visual impact. Whefie the lines are weak (and maMy of ihehi were I wholly limp on the opener) he gives a risibility lift via his mug- : ging and well-timed double-takes, j The kickoff stanza as a whole, " however, was uneven. It started I minutes with dull talk about the solidly with a sketch about the | wonderful Metropolitan or about show's gag writers in bondage to j the opera's libretto; duller inter- .Silvers. Another sanitary bur- views with web brass and sponsor lesque ; skit,, involving Connie heads. Then long shots of the Sawyer and kid actor Len Hale in curtain before the conductor finally a domestic squabbl^e, was also appeared and opera got under way. well-executed, but these were the When the curtains finally parted, I program's sole comic highspots. there was utter .confusion— as far [Miss Sawyer, incidentally, showed as the tele-viewer was concerned, j good comedy form, recovering The first . scene of "Otello" is i quickly from a breakup and run- normally quite dark, and ABC's I ning the incident for a good laugh Infra-red technique lightened the j again. The rest of Silvers' material Stage admirably for the video , were flat segues into the. Arrow audience. But this had a reverse | shirt commercials, with stooging METROPOLITAM OPERA ASSN. ("Otello") : With Licia Albanese, Ramon - Vinay, Leonard Warren; Ed- ward Johnson; others; Mil- ton Cross, George Hicks, announcers ^ , Producer-director: Burke Crot- ty 210 Mins.; Mon. (29), 8 p.m. TEXAS CO. ABC-TV, from N. Y. {Buchanan) effect than intended. The stage was ternbly . overcrowded, with the chorus iconstantly milling about to. no apparent purpose. And when the principals finally appeared, there wa.s utter death to illusion. TJioir makeup was pallid; tlieir costuming lacklustre. ; ' Production was h a p h a z a r d by Jerry Hausner Two other acts in this layout in- cluded the Mack Triplets, person^ able femmes who delivered nicely on a couple of rhythm numbers, and Herbert Coleman, a Negro ]uve singer, with precocious poise and a moderately good voice. The camera work in framing the kid. throughout. There were no shots , however, was flagrantly defective I of orchestra and conductor m ac- 1 instead of dollying av^av for a I if» cii°''„^/tho^^?.Ji"^?V'*^™ °^ I 'couple of long shots, the camera' the size of the stage, or. the mas- jammed up sS close to his face' siveness ot the auditorium. that nothing of his gestures was ! All this v,as doubly distressing seen except some thumbs waving because the singers sang well, the before the lens,. » v -v «(, orclie.sti'a played in keeping, and , , , , „ I the sound came oil the screen . ^" over-large chunk of this half- 1 ■ brilliantly Warren's second - act 1 1""'^' w?s devoted to plugging the' Credo cnmp off '■o magnificently ' pankrollcr. Not only overboard in ; thai foi-, its duration' it persuaded I'^^'S*' ' , ?ommemal. pitches a MC'woj that tins v\as art. But Oy-^""^ without being clever.' only briefly Oveiall bungling had i ''"^^''^ also made a poor ad lib in ■ I commenting after one of the its rtiglit. Dm ing the intermission between P^^Ss, Isn t that a cute way ofj fa--.! .ind second acts, cameras and ""'"f^ commercial ' U only annoiinceis wtnt backbtago to in- '■"^ evident too obvious terview the leads,. and' iui-tlier de-|.; ; " -..: ' - .' ...:;■■'..'...■. • ; 7 ; " H-efrtf, =1 stroy all illusion. Interviewer:; j . ': '■ '; ■, ''■..-'' ' - ' ., | cor. allcd singers, stage director, I . ^ homf Aivn wnwi ' choial director designer, conduc- wlih i n^l.iiTr wfi^SI?^^^^ i r. * ' toi- to bnn« them to the mike to '^"'''' '^"""'«^ Wmslow, Carl East answer stupid questions — "what is i ,vIV*L1.. t..,,,..^ i > oui lavoriLe role? what is your ' p "nt..'.^. rh- t V-^'^^ t fa^•orUe opera?" Surely, they could E^rector BabeUe Henr^ ha\e been prepared with better M'^f^- rV™ questions than those . wi^tv' ' VT" Tele biings out the static quality "JZ-TV, New York of opera at its worst. It's obvious i At Home — and How!" is a how- , that opera, to succeed on television, ] to-do-it show featuring demonstra- 1 will have to be devised specially i by Louise Winslow. of Colum- for the medium It will need new Univ.'s Home Economics Dept. i sets, new costumes, new staging, Working m a General Electric- j new makeup. And new singers, equipped model kitchen on Satur- ' Singers who look the part as well ' day's (27) preem. Miss Winslow ' as sing it Oiherwise — ^video speak- I whipped up a turkey loal and made . Ing — it rates the axe. ii look absurdly easj With a niin- ' ' __ ble change of pace she shifted to ».^« „„ .another set to transform a mouth- ^.^.u THANKSGIVING SHOW ' ful of pins and a length of silk into « itn. Bill Robiusion," Jane Pickens, [ a snazzy eyening gown. Deep River Boys, "Kukla, Fran and Ollie," Eddie Arnold, Wes- Supporting her in the guise o^ a friendly neighbor who dtopped in or ,^p Of tugar and s-^yTcHo b'^ Keane, Jack Lathrop; Eve Young, Helen Ryan, Juanita and Her Clianipions (3), Dorothy Keller, "No Shoes" (kinescope); Wendell Niles, emcee, Joe Mulvhill, an- nouncer; Walbert Brown, Cleve- land Aires Orch Co-Producers: Warren Wade, Vic .'.-.McLeod .' ■ 120 Mins.; (25), 5 p.m. (CST) RCA-VICTOR NBC, from Cleveland :(J. Walter Thompsoii) As an antidote for torpor follow- tog a heavy meal, this one induced rather than forestalled sluggish- ness. The pace was slow, the lay- out repetitious, the lensing prosaic. Victor disk talent was rampant to tContiaued on page 92) briefed on homemaking was Carl ' Eastman. Latter's role is to lighten ■. the show as a dubious male. This characterization was rather fuzzy j and could stand considerable punching up, especially with live- 1 lier dialogue. Miss Winslow did well with her part of the show, a difficult one i because it was virtually a 30-min- 1 ute monolog with occasional asides ■ to Eastman. However, she might : guard against a tendency toward over-repetition. ' | WJZ-TV cameramen did an ex- cellent job, particularly in shooting closeups of the cooking steps. De- , tail was such that a viewer should have no trouble in following the culinary lesson^* 1 1 ( t . t ' "I HOLIDAY STAR REVUE With Georre Jcssel, emcee; Paul and Grace Hartman. Jerry Co< lonna, Ethel Smith. Phil Silvers; Connee Bosweli, Paul Draper, Charles Trenet, Morey Amster- dan^, Paul Whiteman, Phil Regan, Mr. and Mrs, Bill Baird, Gloria Agostini, Andre Baruch Dlrector'Producer: Burk Crotty 120 Mins.. Thur. (25), 7:30 p.m. ELGIN-AMERICAN ABC-TV. from New York (Weiss & Geller) This was television's first super commercial one-shot, video's coun- terpart of the brace of two-hour Thanksgiving radio shows spon- sored by Elgin and Wrigley on NBC and CBS. With an array of talent perhaps topped only by the Palace Theatre (N.Y.) showcase which attended the premiere sev- eral months back of WJZ-TV, El- gin-American, the eompact-cigar f ret case makers, plunked down $25,000 for this 120-minute ABC- TV "Holiday Star Revue" on Thanksgiving Night. It all added up to the prize production fizzle of the year, All the ingredients were there for a sock marathon production, with George Jessel booked in at $5,000 for the one-shot emcee role and surrounded by such surefire personalities as Connee Bosweli^ Jerry Colonna, Paul Draper, Paul and Grace Harlman, Ph.il Silvers, Charles Trenet, IMorey Amsterdam, Phil Regan, Ethel Smith and Paul Whiteman, among others. Beading backwards or forwards; that's a "dream" video parlay . calculated to satisfy even the most fastidious viewer. Yet the sum and substance of this Elgin- American splurge was that "Holiday Star Revue," as it ! came off from ABC's Ritz theatre j studios, may well serve as an ob- , ject lesson in things to avoid in I order to attain maximum produc- i tion values for video. Not that the talent was to blame, Individually, the acts for the most part were socko. The Hartmans, for example, were probably at their TV peak, reprising one of their better comedic sequences from their "Angel in the Wings" musical and showing to even bet- ter advantage than in their recent video version of the legiter on '■Philco Television Playhouse.'' Colonna demonstrated he's a natural for tele with his "Manda- lay" hit. The Phil Silvers routine with a ' Clarinet was clicko; Trenet whammed . over his distinctive Parisian songs in a manner that suggested his stylized delivery for the smart intime saloons is equally adaptable to TV, particularly forj the femmes; Connee Boswell's ren- dition of Harold Rome's "Thanks i for Thanksgiving," and Phil | Regan's tenoring, were distinct as- , sets; Paul Draper's now standard tap interpretations, backgrounded ! by the Golden Gate Quartet's i vocalizing of "Jericho" was class ' video fare.' The puppet wizardry i of the Bairds was delightful. And even if Ethel Smith had a tendency to overmugg at the . organ, or Raye & Naldi committed the on-too-long sin of doing three turns where the finale waltz would i have sufficed, or if the sequencing i of acts failed to spot a stronger i comed\' act than Morey Amster- dam's for the next-toTclosing spot, I the fact remains they contributed i distinctive bits to establish the show's diverse pattern. I But as a two-'hour bigtime pro- i duction it completely missed fire, i It lacked cohesion. Too often it i suggested a lack of proper camera ! rehearsal. The lighting was fre- ' quently bad and the cameras, too l often, were in the wrong places. ! And those commercials! Granted ' that Elgin-American was in it for ' a 25G nut and spread itself for , 120 minutes of time, that trip- ' hammered barrage of filmed com- mercials was inexcusable, turn- I ing annoyance into viewer resent- ment as they were piled on one on top of another. Within the two-hour time, there were i)rob- ', ably a . dozen showings of the canned black - and - white plugs, wholly unimafiinative and unin- 1 spiring, despite the use of attrac- tive models. They were brought I on with such recurring frequency; as to disrupt the show's continuity. ' During the first portion of the | show, the home viewer missed out [ completely on the Jessel between- ! act b.vplay ^vhlIe the commercials' got in their inningsi. And even' more awkward was the midway i switch in technique, with Jessel | compelled to do a "stage wait" as the plugs rolled on. | Perhaps the answer lies in ef- fccling an integrated commeicial formula for such type shows. But whatever the answer, Elgin-Ameri- can has only itself to blame for Inducing sponsor resentment , aihOng'televi^tv'^rs. Rpsc. i er$ Put Over the TV Coals It's open season on television for the 10%-ers. By one of thos* odd programming quirks, last Sunday (28) witnessed two successiv* video productions dealing with the peculiar' species known at agents. Second hour-long production of the CBS 7:30-8:30 dra- matic sustainer, "Studio One," was an adaptation of Richard Meal- and's satire on the publishhi^ biz, "Let Me Do the Talking," with John Conte In the central role of the literary agent. The following half-hour (8:30-9) "Actor's Studio" on ABC-TV showcased an adaptation of the Beatrice Blackmar-Bruce Gould hl-jinx on tha agenting biz, "Ten Percent," with George Keane giving his own distinctive version of how a 10%-er cavorts in office hours. While the two plays were vested with the external aceoutrementa generally associated with agents, it remained for the*"Actor'a Studio" production to really capture the brash egotism and pe- culiar eccentricities of the guys Who know how to turn a fast buclt. Despite a fine production Job by Worthington Miner on "Studio Onb," the Mealand adaptation fell short of the goal ot embodying the high-voltaged peculiarities native to the agency character. As.it came off, it left the impression that the agenting biz merely served as a springboard to relate a story that could have been . backgrounded by any other go-getter. The casting did nothing to overcome the inherent script weaknesses. Mostly, the production rates comment for the- techniques once more Introduced . by Miner. The two-way telephone conversation, for example, while impeip* feet, nevertheless intrigued the viewer and held forth promise of -> possibilities. Miner's continued exploration into filmed' montage ■ shots to give the production, scope and breadth also rates a nod. And while "Studio One" as . a sustainer may be 'handicapped by limited budgeting, those repeat tavern shots ' carried over from Miner's initiali production of "The Storm" were too easily spotted by tlie viewer. While "Actors' Studio'' paid less attention to production furbelows, the casting, particularly in the lead, was fine, and the characteriza- tions were sharper and more brittle. And certainly it was moro fascinatihg. Keane, as one of the more successful 10%-ers, em- bodied all the agents' traits in a smooth and believable perform- ance. Rose, ':: Tele Follow-up Comment t Bert Lytell, program host and production coordinator on the "Philco Television Playhouse," made his bow. as an actor on the NBC-TV series Sunday (28^ night in "I Like' It Here," recreating the role he originated on Broadway. Hour-long legiter, with Oscar Karl- weis co-starring in< his Broadway role, was an affable presentation and an easy-going 60 minutes of televiewing. Play itself, scripted by A. B. Shiffrin and adapted by Samuel Taylor, retained most of the naive factors which made it such a weak- sister offering on Broadway early in 1946, Buti with a capable cast working under the usual top- drawer direction . of Fred Coe, it emerged as a charming , little comedy. Lytell, as tlie henpecked college professor, was fine and KarlweiSii wisely underplaying- his role of the all*around handyman, turned in a job at least as good as that which won him : unanimous critics" approval on Broadway, Marjoite- Gateson, too, as Ly- tell's;. domineering wifev was good, and the supporting players, includ- ing Jennifer Bunker, Dort Clark and Richard Derr; handled their, roles capably. Coe's production mountings included a neatly-exe- cuted trio of sets and his cameta direction, though static in spots,, was adequate. With Lytell in the cast, .Bob Stanton was given .an assist in the Philco plugs by ven- triloquist Paul Winchell and his dummy. Added comedy they lent to the usual staid and dignified commercials spiced them up con- siderably. *. > *.■»■ * * * tations of "The Valiant" is the por- trayal by Bert Lytell, nowi the con- f erencler on the Philco Tele vision- Playhouse w^ift. did the sketch at the Palace in September, 192.3. Ac- cording, to Variety's Ibee th* sketch . was grim and perhaps . too . talky but nevertheless worthwhile/ Transfer to television Aasn't changed the characteristics, al- though there has been some mod- ernization of the piece by Robert Skidmore; with Muni having a hand in the rewrite. ' The original' vaude presentation lasted 28 min<'- utes. Current playing time haa been shaved to 25 minutes, but con-: : siderably more tightening might, still be affected. The- garrulous characteristics of the show come before Muni's en- trance, < Whitford Kane, as tha priest, and Curtly Cooksey playing : the warden, take a long time in setting the scene, although line*: could not have been short.ened too much without impairing the total running time of this half-hour show. Muni is, as alwa.vs, an ac- tor of excellence and Augusta Dab- ney, as the last-minute visitor, doea a highly creditable job although the cameras in closeup were un- kind. The generally good calibre Of this piece suggests that the fik" of vaude's vast storehouse of sketches could be utilized to video's ad-^ : Vantage, ■ The dramatized and comedy playlets, once a standard element in vaudeville, are still-, solid fare in television, especially lor performers of Muni's stature. Chevrolet Tele-Theatre" chalked up a video first Monday night (29) ; with the transference of a full-' length vaudeville sketch to TV. I "The Valiant," excellently enacted ! by Paul Muni beading a good cast, I was written more than a quarter ! century ago by Holworthy Hall and i Robert Middlemas for a Lambs i Gambol. The sketch has been a' standard in variety houses all over i the country since, having been en- 1 acted by several, top names in the theatre for many , years, . Foremost among the Interpre- EARL WRIGHTSON SHOW With Wrightson; Betty Jane Wat- son, Buddy Weed Director: Jean . Heaton 15 Mins.; Sat., 7:45 p.m. ABC-TV, New York Baritone Earl Wrightson looks like a sure video bet in this suc- cessor to ABC's "Three About Town," An assured, ingratiating performer, he seemed entirely at ease whether singing a ballad, ducting with guest Betty Jane Wat- son, of "As the Girls Go," or trad- ing mild repartee with piani.st Buddy Weed. Show's debut (27) was just about topnoteh In every respect. Good camera work gave strong support to the telegenic Wrightson and his attractive guest. The casual, off- hand flavor of the stanza is a wel- come antidote to overproduced tele offerings. A different femme vo- calist is to guest oh' the' show, each week. • ' 'It "Toast of the Town" dropped to a mediocre level on Sunday's (28) telecast over CBS-TV. Calibre of acts varied sharply, to prevent any flow of high-grade continuity; High spots w'ere the reliable Brick- layers dog act; the Waldorf's Mar- : garet Phelan in .songs, and Dava Barry, amusing banter. Closeupa; . on the dogs made for some ex-, cellent video, but camera should have used more long shots. Es- pecially in the final dog-jumping , bits, camera cut off part of th« - picture by its faulty rfinge. Miss Phelan's songs were sniart- ly delivered in a nice dramatic soprano, : and singer adds to her appeal by being highly photogenic. Constant camera shifting during one song-number, however, waa . bad. So was Sullivan's unfinished talent-handling. Miss Phelan went off to a good studio audience sal- . vo, but there was no calling back for a bow, or even a "thank you. Miss Phelan." Omission was ac- centuated by the fact that other acts received these kudos. Block & Sully, looking highly videogenic, occupied a box and heckled Sullivan for their bit. Gags were pretty corny, though they got the studio -audience chuckling. Olsen & Joy, aero , dance team, opened, following' brief appearance of the June Tay- lor (6) line, while show also fea- tured another terp act in Greb St Lober, barefoot satirical dancers in the East Indian: jive idiom. Commercials also varied sharply in quality, with Ray Morgan work- ing valiantly in all of them. Open- ing one, involving Ray Bloch and the? 'o1rchestra, -«v-as ibod. ■ ' ' Vedne»j«y> Dceeiwher I, X94B Inside Television The Army-Navy game was the convlncer to video vets that tplpvuinn • has not yet learned much about football. The service school «nnn«^ was sent out by NBC from Its Philadelphia affiliateVwPTZ 4wever NBC sent its own camera cre>jr to Quakertown. nowever, In this Instance the camera work was particularlv deolorahic nn kicks and passes. Both long tosses, the big gainers in two Amy touch" down marches, were completely missed, and the blame traces haok to where it always goes and belongs-the camera direc™. • Salvation Army is working out free tele plug deal with Madison Square Garden, N Y S. A. officials hope to hang an o^size banner in the Garden so that video cameras can pan to it occasionally during breaks m all tele shows originating there. The banner would advertise the S. A.'s fund raising drives. If the arrangement with the Garden works out as planned the Sal- vation Army hopes to get similar permission from other auditoriums and convention halls for video tieins, , Warner Bros, appears to be moving into KLAC-TV on the Coast though the Federal Con^munications Commission has not yet okayed the sale of the Thackrey stations to film outfit. Station is readying its newly constructed studio for video beaming. WB is helping alleviate the equipment shortage by supplying gear from their electrical depart- ment.. With Zenith's new Ime of receivers adding to production totals, some industry leaders rate Chicago the chief tele set manufacturing city of the world* Current output of its dozen plants now runs more than 2<000 sets per day as against an estimated national daily total between 4.500 and 5,000. "Keport that Mary Margaret McBride is the first "casualty" of tele- vision isn't strictly so, in tha trade sense. For one thing, it doesn't mean Miss McBride wouldn't capture the same attention on a daytime TV show as she does on AM; In addition, she insisted on doing a mara- thon 90 minutes, too long for that sort of program at night. CBS Defends Hob Tele Bid Washington, Nov. 30. CBS, answering a petition filed !'by Boston ;Metropolitan Television Co., asking FCC to throw out the network's video application in the Hub because it is buying the Ray- theon Mfg. . Co. station permit, came back yesterday (29) and re- quested: the Commission to dismiss Boston Met's petition on grounds it was- "prematurely" filed. The network contended its ap- plieatioa to buy the Raytheon, per- mit of WRTB in Waltham has only been "tendered for filing" but not "accepted for filing" by FCC. It said further that Raytheon's re- quest for extension of time to com- plete its station Is under consid- eration and that the Commission cannot act on an application for transfer until the e.\tension re- quest is acted' upon. ^ CBS added that its application for a television station in Boston, has been desig- nated for hearing and has been held In abeyance by the Commis- sion freeze order, of last Sept. 30. NBC-TV Dickering With NX City Center to Air Year-Round Events NBC-TV is currently dickering with officials of the N.Y. City Center on the possibility of airing the year-round events staged at the theatre. Present plans, still In the talking stage, call for NBC video cameras to be placed in the theatre auditorium for pickups of such events as opera and ballet. ' One ,of -the prime considerations, of course, would be getting clear- ance from the various unions in- volved. NBC-TV claims the nego- tiations have, not proceeded far enough yet for huddles with union heads ,but it's known the web would be forced to pay upped rates to the theatre stagehands,:' lighters and other technicians, , same as ABC-TV was forced to do when it picked up the Metropolitan Opera preem Monday ' (29) night. TBUBVISIOlir 31 Spiegel, Inc., sponsoring 13 one- minute film spots on WGN-TV, Chi- cago, through Schwimmer & Scott. Two-hour "Television Matinee," which preemed Mon, (29) via WGN- TV, Chicago, has as participating sponsors, five days-a-week; Ad- miral, DuMont, Motorola, Philco, Hallicrafters, Harry Alter Co. (Crosley), R. Coitper, Jr. (GE), and the General Electric and RCA dlstribs. - Turns, through Ruthrauff & Ryan, launches sked of one-minute film spots in New York Dec. 20. All five stations will be used In rotation, on daily, for 13 weeks. , New spot biz on WIIMJ-TV, Milwaukee, includes Consolidated Apparel through Gustav Marx agency, P. J. Kaufman Co. direct, and' Pioneer Scientific Corp. through Cayton, Inc., All are for 13 weeks. King Packard Sales & Service, Milwaukee, will bankroll 10-minute interviews on WTMJ-TV preceding 11 Marquette U. basketball games. Rahn-Chlupp is the agency. ■ Hecht Bros., of Baltimore and Bendix : Radio St - -Television : Co. signed V to . . sponsor ''Television News/' 10-mlnute newsreel aired twice nightly over WMAR-TV (Balto). Sun Oil Inked to pact the same station's "Curious Camera" show, maB-in4he-street program. . Delta Air Lines signed for a se- ries of 13 filmed spot announce- ments over WBKB (Chicago) through the Burke Dowling Adams agency. Seven new accounts added by. WCAU-TV, Philly. Barr's Jewelers, Inc. contracted for weekly one- FCCer Jones Plugs Strato, Color TV As He Gets Honorary Degree 'Gorgeous Geo/ on TV No Dent to PhiUy Gate Philadelphia, Nov. 30; ThC; unsolved question, 'IDoes Television Cut In on Gate Re- ceipts?" maintained its status quo with the appearance at the Arena Friday (26), of Gorgeous George, currently the hottest piece of grunt and groan property on the grappler circuit. The Annenberg interests, which own both the Arena and the Phila- delphia Inquirer station, WFIL-TV, telecast the wrestling bout but played It safe with no advance an- nouncement of same. The news- paper television listing for Friday, 9:30 p.m., on WFIL-TV, read: "To be announced." .v . Gorgeous Gorge, the perfumed glamor gladiator, drew his third capacity house in this area, and the unheralded, although generally ex-, pected, program went out over video to no apparent boxoifice detriment. TRIM SILVERS SHOW AS SHUBERTS BALK NBCiTVi . unable to get permis- sion from the ; Shuberts to deliy the curtain time on Phil Silvers' minute film announcement over 13- , "High Button Shoes" leglter, has weeks, and for a similar announce- i, been forced to push Silvers' TV ^„„j. .ii„„+v,„nrnATT T%rf„ t fshow ahead to 7:30 p.m. Wednes- Ml teTcast thSh the Edw^^^^^^ "'S''^^ " 20 mln- Dau telecasts, tnrougn tne tawara i ^^^^ pamoi ivroTOcroei hac fhp 7 Kn Prager agency, of Baltimore. Er ianger Brewing Co., Philly, through E. L. ^ Brown agency, signed for weekly announcement for next yeiir. Harry Krouse, Studebaker dealer, has: taken Sunday evening spot, set by Samuel Taubman & Go. Young and Rublcam ; con- tracted for six one-minute ' an- nouncements per week for Royal 'Typewriters. S w a n k Jewelry Camel Newsreel has the 7:50 to 8 p.m. .slot across-the-board sewed up, so the Silver show could not run past the 7:50 marker. Silvers' show, bankrolled by Ar- row shirts, teed off last Wednesday (24) night from 8:30 to 9, under an arrangement set up by the web with' Joseph Kipness, producer of "Shoes." Shuberts, howeveri who have a large financial interest in MARLOWE EXITS AS WPIX PROGRAM MGR. Resignation of Harvey Marlowe last week as program manager of the N. Y. Dally News' WPIX points up the Inner strife among the sta- tion's staffers which led to reports .that. the. station was up for sale. Constant bickering, coupled with the steady financial losses suffered by WPIX since it took the air last June 15, are believed to have been responsible for tlie reports, circu- lated widely in the industry for some time. News of Marlowe's unsuspected resignation was disclosed In a bare statement issued over the weekend by .station manager Robert L. Coe. In his own reasons for the split, Marlowe declared that he had "found it inrpossible to work un- der conditions imposed upon liim. and that conflicting views as to what constitutes , good program- ming contributed towards his de- cision," Those conflicts. It's known, were mostly with Coe, with the ar- gument between the two over new program ideas resulting in the final blowoffi last Friday (26\ James S. Pollack, WPIX film manager, meanwhile, has been named acting program manager, with Ed Stasheff, religious and ed- ucational programming chicfi as- sisting. Marlowe has no specific plans but is mulling the reactiva- . tion of the Harvey Marlowe Tele- vision Associates, a packaging and ' consulting agency, which he head- ed up before joining WPIX. 'SOMETHING OUGHT TO BE DONE' ON TV, TOO •'Something Ought to Be Done About It," Martin Stone radio package which has been aired, over WMCA, N. Y. Indie, for more than, a year, may make Its television, debut within the next several, weeks. Stone is currently dicker-j; I Ing with several N. Y. tele broad- I casters for time, with Sachs Qual- I ity Stores, which bankrolls the AM version, also set lor the TV show. Program may be aired as a .si- multaneous AM-TV pickup in Its: present Sunday afternoon 1:30 to 2 slotting, or may be switched to an evening hour. Show has been one of the most progressive on the air; having recently dealt- .with, such subjects as venereal diseases i and homosexuality. through Arthur Kudner Agency, i the leglter, objected to the delay- ed curtain, forcing the switch in time. has purchased 20-second film an. nouncements on a four-times-a- weck basis. Curtis Publishing used the station in a four-day promo- tional drive for Ladles Hom«f Journal. Stanley-Warner, Philly film dis-i tributors, contracted for four trall- I ers of the film "An Innocertt Af- , fair." Trailers, used over a four- 1 Bizet's "Carmen" will make tele- day period, were on 16m film and vision history Dec. 12 when it will ran two minutes. I be presented here over WBAP-TV; 'Carmen' on Texas TV Fort Worth, Nov. 30. , The North Texas State College's opera workshop production of nights on the NBC-TV web, is set for another 13 weeks. Formerly bankrolled by local Chewy deal- ers, the option has been picked up by Chevvy's central office in De- troit. Agency Is Gampbell-Ewald; WCAU-TV's Daytime Binge Plilladelphla, NOV. 30. "Modern Living-American Plan," twice-weekly pi-ogram, has taken over the Tue.sday and Thursday segments (3 to 3:30 p.m.), at WCAU-TV, giving that station a solid hour and a half of afternoon commercial programming. It fol- lows the across-the-board "Home- maker's Malinee," presented from 2 to 3 p 11). Program is .sponsored by Ameri- can Stores, one of this section's largest food retailers, and features Marion Camp, director of the American Stores' home service bureau. Seattle 1Y Bows With Civic Hoopla ^■y'\''''Seattle,; JI«ivX'30; W Television catne ip iSeattle on Thanksgiving Day bvfer KRSC-'iPV with a great buildup and fanfare, approaching Status of a city-Wld« ■' celebration, tvith seemingly every : mani woman 9hd child in the Seait- -^ tie 9r^ awa'ri^ of the Inaiigu^at^^ : Both daily 'papers pubhshed' jspecial sections the day before (24), thf Times with 18 pages; the Post- Intelligencer with 12 pages. All ; radio stations trallerized that i KRSC was televising the state phampipnshiipt high schdbi:. f game here on V their he%s. sho*^ and are also plugging the new medium via commercials on tele- vision set distributors sponsored shows. ^-.-'r KRSC-TV thus finds itself get- ting more publicity than any event here for sometime, with kickpil . having aspects of a community eno . terprise In mahy ways. ■ , ^ ^ Opinions on quality of first video guesting on Wendy Barrie's "Pic- 1 froj^ WBKS to WENR-TV ... show, a remote from the football ture This" show on the NBC-TV . jia„„y opper, comic and former 'game, varied greatly, but chief web tonight Wed.) ^^Jo"" T. , ivij,i„„BerIe writer, preemed a half- : feeling was that KRSC did a good Murphy, until now with NBC s sla- i ^our strip on WBKA'Mon. (29) . . . , job, 'and it was a fact that local tions relations department, named j^^^^ Herbuveaux, midwest Chief . production came over better than : fnT'nh?„1°^frn,llv i'eT; outlet >^ '^^ for NBC. named prexy Of film broadcasts. Installation and . I' , ^A \r. Si thP tir^Pvt Merchants and Manufacturers' I service mon were kept busy around =nHn» Guv lobow assiened ^^^"'' " • • WGN-TV and WNBQ | the clock the first few days. Dlf- , spiing . Guy Lcbow «^si8"ed r ^^^^^.^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^ Inter- , ficulties with receivers seemed to me iv. I. ndiigeis, I L,ve Stock Show . . . I be almost universal, with experi- Press Club typical. At the here three sets were in- stalled, only one functioned after peddling an art Shirt produced, In I ^/"the T^aS^^'"''^^^ " ' Italy with English titles and dialog ; ojt^e l"^^^^ lohn Flat- was all film. With no local and titled 'School ol the World," j^^^.^^ames ''Brown an/mu - Cat . Prod-ietion planned for the first: ruth added to WBKB's sales staff ■ months of operation beyond sport« .:.'. Motorola will bring out a new remotes, receiver with a 16-inch screen this spring. Full .surface clarity is promised via a so-called "anastig- matic yoke" developed by Dr. New York Emerson , Radio board voted year-end divvy ot 20c per share, 1 payable Dec. 16 to stockholders of record Dec. 6 . . . James M. Toney, ' formerly general manager of RCA I Victor Distributing Corp., named i advertising manager , of RCA's I home . instrument departmenti in I which jpost . he'll supervise promo- _ I tion of radio and TV merchandise i ing~NBC's" video ' setup Cartoonist Milton Caniff ; rj^jj,,^ production staffer, Chicago Norman Collins! chief, of. tlie I BBC's TV section, in town ganderr ' . Tony shifting Columbus, Nov, ^0. FCC Commissioner Robert F. Jones believes rural dwellers should be allowed to share the benefits and pleasures of television along with their city neighbors and says the development of strato- vision may be the solution to the problem. Jones delivered this opinion in a banquet address Saturday night (27) here when he received an hon- orary doctor of laws degree from his alma mater, Ohio Northern Univ. It was his first official ad- dress as an FCC commissioner since he resigned his Congressional seat during his fifth term to take over the FCC post. "If stratovision, transmission of television signals by high-flying airplanes, is the answer," Jones said, "the FCC should plan for stratovision and provide for it in the ultra-high frequencies reserved jfor television." Television comprised the major portion ' of Jones' speech. M^jor points were his advocacy of strato- vision for rural areas; his declt>«T tion that color television should be launched as soon as possible and some optimistic statements, on: pro- : vision for more space for tele- vision broadcasting. Regarding color television, Jonef declared, "I am one Commissioner who believes color television is not: for the next generation or the next five years. I think it is not neces- sary to wait for perfection before launching a new service." All major companies are conducting color research, he pointed out, some of which has been inspected by the FCC- "If color can work in actual practice as it does in the laboratory and will utilize the same channel space, should provision not be made promptly?" he queried. Lto announce i hockey telecasts from Madison Sq. ^^^^ ^ Co named sales reps 'of e„ceTI ^¥iT "r.^ih^'^s^ns^t "^as i rd^ Vw"^^^trk"' rrke^s''"^" q"?' Stores Picking^up^the Ub ^Urti^^^^ , f^,^^^- ^.Tl^^l " ^ United Telefilm Co. Boston— -WCOP, ABC outlet In the Hub, is eontinuing its service clinics with a video clinic for service personnel in : studio. B on Dec. 15 and 16. G. E. Supply ,Corp. 9(ji]iau -created Television Equipment Corp., established to produce TV pickup and Iransmi.s.sion equipment . . . KCA. handing out gold watches next month to 853 em- ployees with the company 25 years or more. Buchanan to Scophony London, Nov. 30. Jack Buchanan is joining the board of directors, of Scophony fol- lowing the latter company's acqul* upped from crew manager to dl rector at WBKS . , . "Tomorrow's Celebrities," originating, at the South Side Casino Cafe, bows on i slii^n"^oFBuciianan's telWiMon o^^^ WENR-TV Dec. 6 with Tommy j ftt, John LOgie Baird, Ltd. Pur- Bartlctt and Irv Kupclnet as co- i chase price was $400,000 payable emcees . VVBKB began regular i ,„ 2,000,000 common shares in Sco- • Vanity Fair," CBS-TV daytime ' use of AP's tioKer tape news bul- ' show starring Dorothy Doan and;letins Mon. (29) via a flve-mlnute i now aired Tuesdays and Thursdays, ■ strip. Station plans to expand the will be aired on Wednesdays as tape throughout its Whole program I well starting early next month... '•Chevrolet Tele-Theatre," haif- Uour legit se^ie* . aited^ .l^Ippday sked Ernie Simon, disk jock. Scophony Is taking over con*- tracts negotiated by Buchanan 19 America and is planning television launched "Curbstone C;ut-Up'' via ' installations in new theatres asso- WBSJ3 Mon. iSm., ; , 1 1 1 , ciated'^ttl^ emcee lacked the spark that might have galvan- ized the bill. ' After an opening rou- tine that was standard model Coast celeb, he relied on straight introes, overworking "wonderful" as an ad- jective; Don Prindle, publicized for co-emcee choresi was missing.' So, too, without explanation, were Robert Merrill, a tele transcription of Toscanini and the NBC Sym- phony, and Dinah Shore, who re- cords for Columbia. Show, originating at the Masonic Temple with guests on stage in formal garb,: got off to a brisk. start via roller skate twirls of Juanita and Her Champions. Standard vaude acts fared better throughout than diskers, with the exception of Jane Pickens and the Deep River Boys, each registering in choice style. Eddie Arnold, Helen Ryan, and Jack La throp were passive , but Eve Young projected bounce. • Dick and Gene Wesson were as- sets to the bill, even though their tele impact was lesS'than what they settle for with on-the-spot auds. Betty and, Jean Keane ^went over- long, since tap terpsj vocals and celeb carbons already had been hit. "Kukla, Fran and Ollie," the WBKB show with Burr Tillstrom's puppets and Fran Allison, came as welcome relief from the mounting mass of vocals despite the fact that almost one-third of their lO-minute feed from Chi also went to singing. . Next to closing was held down I excellently by Bill Robinson, whose | classic soft-shoe terplng slirred surf eited viewers. High point was his cane-clutching turn as a bent- backed oldster with the Deep River Boys. Latter group wrapped it up in top shape, .Toe Mulvhill vvas impressive in voicing commercials, illustrated by pictographs adhering to what was apparently velvet or velour. Tech- nique, used by RCA-Victor on its election night show, is simple- and elfective when sparingly presented, but ends up a boi'e in a two-hour span. Baxl. WBKB s Top Share Of Chi Audknce Chicago, Nov. 30. Ratings on Chi's four tele sta- tions, released by Jay & Graham Research on tlie basis of dairies in' 450 tele homes, give WBKB th* largest share of audience during the week of Nov. 1-7. The Balaban and Katz. station was credited with 36.7%, as against 29% for WGN- TV, 24% for WENR-TV, and 10.3% for WNBQ, which Is in its experi- mental stage. ;: Expansion of Jay &. Graham "Videodex" ratings to New York and 11 other TV cities is under way. Firm, the first in CJii to enter tele research exclusively on a con- ' tinuing basis, began field work here this summer. Local clients include CBS, J. Walter Thomp- son, Foote, Cone & Belding, and Roche, Williams St Cleary.' ' Max Liebman TV Show Seen Set for Jan. Bow The Max Liebman TV show, which 'is on the verge of being signed by:.;Admiral as a replace- ment for its- current ''Welcomo Aboard," will not go on the air un- til the coaxial cable to the midwest is completed around the first of tht year. The Liebman variety show has virtually been selected by the Ar- thur Kudiier agency, and comple- tion of the deal lias: been described : as a "matter of commas." WPIX Continued from p.ige 27 i liowever, that WPIX will keep go- ing regardless, and is prepared to protect its original investment bv sustaining the losses until the black | ink is Sighted. Pointing out that" .some of the station's personnel had been hired less than a month be- fore WPIX took the air, he said it niiglil perhaps have been better to delay the opening until about September. Taking that September dale as the point at which the sta- lion aclually began functioning, he declared revenue has almost tripled since then. "We must continue to operate on a tnal-and-eiTor method until we discover how to make the station succesilul," he said Flynn adiiiil- led the station has a tough nut to crack in convincing advertisers of ilie advisability of using a local outlet, as against networks, but pointed-out that the percentage of .spending in the N. Y. metropolitan area i> nnicli larger than that in- dicated by the population. According to the News' prez, lo- cal stations such as WPIX will be in « particularly advantageous po- sition eventually by being able to (•onal all the local sports and spe- Lial e\eiils that the major networks uoii'l be able to carry because of their commercial web commit- meiUs. Inclided in tliis category would be the big league baseball games, all but championship prize fights, etc But, while WPIX will piogram as much sports as pos- sibly. It will striva for progiam- mihg balance.' ' Adler's Telepic Pact Hollywood, Nov 30. lyai ry Adler, harmonica virtuoso, has signed a five-year contract with Paul Gordon, head of concert Films, to- star' in an unannounced number of pictures and at least six telepix. '.■ • , ■■. .. .: . First-film under the contract will be a' : :50-minut« featura titled "Larry Adler if playing Tonight." It will b* distributed by Morris Saphler. '■'::. ": . '■ .. Was he prophet or poet who wrote of music, almost two centuries ago, "Theft is in souls a sympathy with sounds. , . tha ear is pleased... and the heart, replies; i."? We think William Cowper. was both;' For he foretold with uncanny accutacj why advertisers on WQXR do so welf^^ Good,inusic,selective1y programmed and constantly beamed, brings them a choict- audience of more .than half « million New York families . ; . lovers of 'good things who havt also the means to buj them. So constant art these listeners ta WQXR that no other station in thisbig^ gelt and richest of all market! rtachel them so effectively. Day in, day out/'thf ear is pleased . ; . and the heart replici." A thought worth pondering if your tastel ' run to poeti . . , or. to profits. Rerlna, Sask. — Don Cakes, of CFAC, Calgary, Alta., has Joined CKRM, Regini, as commercial manager. H» gucceeas Bruce pirie; now commercial manager of CkRC, Winnipeg. mNOWQXR-FM RADIO STATIONS OF THt NEW YORK JIMU Vedmetldayt December 1, 194A P^T ORj^Sit Under the Creative Direction of Mark Warnow 1938-1948 COLUMBIA WORKSHOP — MARCH OP TIME — WB THE PEOPLE THE ED WYNN SHOW — VICKS MATINEE THEATRE JOHN CHARLES TKOJ^AS WESTINGHOIJSE PROGRAM ALL TIME HIT PARADE — BLUE VELVET MUSIC NORMAN CORWIN'S PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS HELpiN HAYES THEATRE OF THE AIR SATURDAY NIGHT SWING SESSION THE BORDEN PROGRAM YOUR HIT PARADE SOUND OFF! NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA ROCHESTER SYMPHONY' CARNEGIE "POP" CONCERT NEW YORK PARAMOUNT CAPITOL THEATRE BROADWAY MELODIES" ALBUM Managemenf: WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY. INC. 202 No. Canon Driv* Beverly Hill>. Calif. "SOUND OFF!" ALBUM "BLUE VELVET WALTZ" ALBUM RCA VICTOiR "HIT PARADE" ALBUM Personal Representaiiont AL SAH^JAWAY 1520 No. Gower Street Hollywood 28. Calif. S4 Wednesdaj, De««nber 1, 1948 Benny 'Supporting Cast' Jamup : Continued from paga Zir. low's Benny at 7, Phil Harris-Alice Fayo at 7 30, Edgar Bergen at 8 and A & A at 8:30, 'Sam Spade," cur^'ently In, the 8 o'clock segment, would be given the 9 o'clock niche, so as not to disturb the full two-hour, back-torback comedy se^ quencing. A & A Don't Move Luckman, however, told Variety on Saturday that it's no dice, so far as moving Amos 'n' Andy. Tiiey've already been yanked out ol one long-prevailing time period (Tuesday at 9 on NBC) and it's risky enough to develop a whole new listening habit without start- ing f rom : scratch a second time. Furthermore, Luckman argued that signing a new four-year con- tract with Columbia for continu- ing A & A under .the Rinso 'ban- ner entailed going out on a limb. • Luckman doesn't thing it fair that CBS should ask him to make new saci-ifices and feels somewhat hurt that he's "being made the villian of the piece" in refusing to move i A & A into 8:30. I Anyway,, Luckman goes along I with the general; premi.se : that a | "Benny at 7-A & A at 7 30" lineup , would be nothing short of terrific. ' Luckman, for one, likes it that i way. But it's a question whether ) Eexall's Justin Dart and Phil Har- iris like the idea of moving into 8 o'clock, the slot CBS originally reserved for Bergen under his new | Cora Cola "capital gains" sponsor- ship deal. j It ii: generally ^recognized ; that, I with Benny moving to CBS, Harris I couldn't conceivably stay put in I his 7:30 NBC time; For one thing i there's an . impossible physical [ hurdle involved (the Coast NBC- CBS studios are several blocks apart, and Harris, of course, is an Integral part of the Benny pack- age) That, of course, CBS is quick to point out, doesn't prevent Harris from going into the 8 o'clock seg- ment; rather than 7:30, for he'll stiU be riding, the crest of: a Benny- A&;V audience pickup. ; As though that headache weren't enough, tne question of whether Wildroot, sponsors of "Sam Spade," are willing to relinquish the Sunday , at 8 period, is still a moot point. At the last check, Wildroot was, still contributing towdrd the upset of the CBS com- ed\ apple cart, feeling "why should we move?" and pointing to an impressive 9.5 rating, even in the lace ot the present Bergen op- position on NBC. However, it's fig- ured the present odds are in favor ot ' Spade" eventually moving out «t the: spot and accepting the 8:30 segment. Newest CBS, blueprint is for Beraen to move into the 6:30 Sun^ day evening time, thus piyjceding Benny, A & A and Harris.' Tlve 6:30 time is currently occupied by the: Coca-Cola sponsored Percy Faith-Jane Froman "Pause That Refreshes" show, which the coke company.: has scheduled for caUT cellation because of its Bergen pickup. Thus coke would: stay put in Its same time period, but with a new cast of characters. Trammel! Sounds OfT No sooner had CBS gone- on the air last Friday (26) with station break announcements trailerizing the Jan. 2 preeni of Benny as a Columbia acquisition, than Niles Trammell, NBC prexy, came out with a statement precipitating a controversy with Paley over the legality of pacting talent to cap- ital gains deals. From Trammell- came the fol^ lowing, statement: "Until the U. S. Treasury says that such transactions, are lawful, NBC will continue to refuse: to purchase stock m socalled produc- tion corporations where the artists who control such corporations are performing on the NBC network. "Such arrangements are bound to lead to charges of discrimina- tion between: artists who are payr ing. income taxes at the higher regular rates and those- who are ])aying at the lower rates of only 25% based on so-called capital gains." Paley hit back with the assertion that Trammell was doing an in" nistice to '.'many creative artists." He said" "If and when : any deals are made for the purchase of radio producing companies or radio properties, all details of . such transactions . will be submitted : to the - Treasury Dept. . for approval or- disapproval. Therefore, how by any : stretch of : the imagination: can there be any question as: to the propriety of such transactions? "Trammell's statement lis unwar- ranted, reflecting:unfairly on many creative artists who have done no more than abide by our lax law like any business man or corpora- tion." , . --^ Qf $104,500. Agreement ends May 1, 1949, "unless extended." Opposing Southern Cal request for extension of time in which to file a competing bid, Thackrey- Warner told Commission "extreme inequities" will be caused both purchaser and seller if final action is delayed; Other applications in- volving sale of multiple broadcast properties for a single purchase price. T-W petition stated, "are currently being processed expedi- tiously and granted with reasdn- able dispatch." Nighttime Stars Continued from page 2S dio's nighttime mahatmas, already bereft of many of their listeners and threatened with a steadily di- minishing audience as tele ad- vances, muscling in on the soap opera set. This line of thinking is coun- tered by other theorists who point out that the existing pattern of daytime programming is based on years of audience surveys and re- search projects which are supposed to have proved that the backbone of the daytime audience was the housewife, who craved nothing but "John's Other Wife'' and maybe an unobtrusive organ recital while she vacuumed the rugs. If this is true, it's asked, how are you going to sell high-powered variety shows and other radically different daytime radio fare to the same audience? There will be a brief pause while the researchers figure out an an- swer to that one. }mk Stuff-Radio Tlie Radio Writers Guild will let down its hair at a cocktail party Iii New York's Hotel Astor Dec* 10, emeeed by Milton Berle and with Al Capp, creator of Ll'l Abner, as guest of honor. Two hundred prizes to be raffled off at the soiree, include a one-shot acting stint on a top ranking network show. Producers of several web programs have agreed to: write in a part: on one stanza for the; lucky number holder, even If he's an amateur. Other prizes, all kicked in by giveaway sponsors and valued at a total of $5,000, include a wire recorder, dinner at the Stork Club, the- atre tickets, and a baby sitter. As in past years, the Guild party !• open to the public, Fifty or 60 prospective announcers will be auditioned on Dec. 13 bv the New York Civil Service Copimlssion for 11 spieler jobs at WNYC, New York's municipal station. This number represents the survivors of more than 300. hopefuls who filed applications last February and took written examinations for tha announcing spots in May. The auditions will be judged by local and network producers and announcers. Results should be known in • week or two, according to Sy Siegel, WNYC head. Disabled American Veterans are distributing six five-minute record- ings, cuffo, to all American stations. They are entitled "Hero of th« Week," and each one features Sam Wanamaker. and General Wain- wright, who is the National Commander of the organization. They are stories of disabled veterans who have successfully rehabili- tated themselves. Music is by Hank Sylvern, and Irving Tunick wrot* and produced the series. ^ I • ;.. ■ ■■; '■..•;:;,"• ' ■',', ",' ;:..:';r '- WORL Continued from page 2il Radio Reviews 5 Continued from page :Z4 ; Tliaclcrey Continued from page 25 i . policy requires - a further separar J tion of the price between individ- ual broadcast properties.'! Meanwhile, Thackrey Warner went on, more than six months have elapsed since sale agreement was concluded and Warners have already advanced to . Mrs;: Thack- rey more than $500,000^ in addi- tion to a: down payment last June WNJR presets THE JOHNNY CLARKE SHOW 9i05 AJ(*, to 12:00 Noon Monday Ihroogh Sa>urdqy Thr* outst«inditt9 ««tltn9 feom of Johnny Oarke ond WNJR will carj7 your mesjog^ to q mHlion North Jertty hornet «n« of the rfchatf markeH In the country. Represented by AVERY-KNODa, Inc. New Yorl< • Ailontn • San Frnndico Chicago , 1, - los Angelet are familiar;; to most New: Yorkers. Hence the program: offered little information to localites that isn't already known. Tape recordings ably caught the hubbub and flavor of the estab- lishment from a brief interview with a patient information clerk who's been answering questions for the past 15 years to the chief window dresser who handles a staff of some 20 people in order to con- stantly change the displays. Most interesting disclosure of: the layr out was that Macy's has five Santa Clauses because a "man: can stand only- so .much of ' talking to little children." ; While portions of New York dialers are .hound to be well versed in some of their :local landmarks, it's logical to assume that listeners elsewhere on the ABC net will avidly absorb this partially re- corded "magic of Manhattan." For the metropolis has always been charged with a colorful aura to the hinterlander and this show points out that the glamor, after all, is: merely the sum total of the efforts oMots of little people. There are endless possibilities of a program of this nature (Henry St; Settlement is 'covered tomor- row (Thurs.) ) On the basis of the Macy sample, ABC can cull ample goodwill. Naturally the city itself is boosted by descriptions of its civic assets. And the net itself rates a nod for- its imagination' in conceiving such an airer: Nar- rator-announcer Ed Reimers helps weld the format into a fairly co- hesive unit. Cub. the radio station of the Newark 2 N. J. Wheeler Continued from palge 22 ards case although this cannot be done until a date, tor the hearings has been set. So far, the Commis- sion has only ordered that hearings be held; with Commissioner Webster designated to preside, and with time and place to be de- termined, However, it was learned, the hearing will soon be scheduled for probably late .lanuary m Los: Angeles. Other possibilities sug- gested are that Wheeler, with close contacts in Congress, might at- tempt through that direction to de- lay hearings on the Richards sta- tions;-.' Another sidelight on the case is that Fidnk K Mullen, former NBC ex-veepee, has been spending a great deal of time m Washington since he was made president oi the Richards stations. Mullen promptly issued a 'statement here, following the FCC order two weeks ago on Richards, expressing confidence that "at the hearing, which the Commission has ordered to be held, these charges ( by the Radio News Club of L. A ), will be shown to be without foundation." latter case and won. In both' cases the - Commission ordered revoca- tion on findings of concealment of facts regarding, ownership of the stations. As a result of .the Court of Ap- peals decision, WORL is expected to continue in operation under its present ownership for at. least an- other six months and indefinitely if the Appeals Court ruling is sus- tained. The station will receive further temporary license renewal pending Supreme Court deter- mination. In reversing the FCC. action on WORL, the lower court majority (Justices Bennett Champ Clark and Wilbur K. Miller) took the view that the basis for the WOKO decision by the Supreme Court is not necessarily applicable in the order revoking the license of WORL The WORL case, Clark and Miller ruled, ■ differs from WOKO in that "no motive for con- cealment has been established . . . nor have we by 'independent search discovered any- 'such -portion Of the evidence." Justice Henry W. Edgerton, dis- senting, disagreed with the major- ity view that the Commission find- ing of willful misrepresentation by WORL lacked support in evidence. He cited a financial statemeht filed; by the station in 1937 showing a bank balance in excess of $25,000 when the actual balance. Justice Edgerton declared, was only. $362. WORL, the Justice .stated, "did tills consciously and deliberately. It does not claim to have believed it had the missing $25,000; either in banks or elsewhere, in cash or in any other.form." Upholding the revocation order, Justice Edgerton held : the Communications Act ' does not forbid the Commission (.0 regard ■ mere indifference to truth as contrary to the public in- terest." The case against WORL was in- stituted five years ago when the Commission charged that for six. years following acquisition of the majority of the voting stock by Harold A. La Fount, George Cohen and Sanford H. Cohen the station had filed '' more than 16 reports "knowingly. - misrepresenting" the i-eal ownership. In a subsequent decision, the license: was - ordered revoked and a temporary- renewal given to: the licensees pending dis- posal of the property. La Fount was a former member of: the Federal Radio Commission, predecessor agency to FCC. Sam Pickardj . a major stockholder of WOKO, had also been a former member of the FRG and was charged with eoneealing owner- ship. stations that we would have to dis- continue free programs but plan hasn't been put into effect;"- ; Other highlights of the survey: 1. Small papers feel there It less demand among their readera for station logs than among the readers of the large newspapers. 2. Papers with aS:rauch as 80,000 daily circulation are contemplating the swing toward a "paid only" policy on station logs; 3. Programs are most often • printed free of charge where, the publisher also : -owns a . station. -- When he prints his own logs with- out charge;- he feels he must print those of the competitors cuffo also. - .4; In order to sidestep this, some newspapers have trade deals with their own stations and demand, similar deals to print logs of in- dependently owned stations. TV No Tlireat Continued train page 25 I the less time they thi nk about radio ! and its advantages. WMGM's vulnerability to TV competition because of - the local station's heavy accent on sport* coverage was ininiinii'.ed by Leb-, bar. Eventually, the station may be. put out of business or have te change its character, he said, but: right now there's no cause for alarm. The sports promoters will : have to slice their prices for AM ; rights to events which video is also ; covering, but radio time costs will remain more or less stable during- the next period, Lebhar said. ' However.: despite the current ; minimization of video as a com- mercial competitor, both WNEW and WMGM designed their newlyr constructed studios for quick co»" version: into TV :programmingi Cleveland— WSRS has sold two sports shows to East End Nash and Pepsi Cola. Nash takes home hockey games of Barons, and Pepsi moves into college basket- ball (•ii'des. Dailies Continued from page 22 sertion of the daily program loga The survey, which was made con- fidcntiallj for the benefit of mem- ber newspapers, turned up a num- bor of comments like these- "We are contemplating a cliarge but are uncertain as to the rate classifica- tion " "We are planning to dis- continue them entirely in the near future unless on paid basis." "Have been considering charging for this service " "We think a charge should be made but have not been doing so." "Served notice on the F.AMOUS OVER ^5 f ( , STEIN'S iVTHlATRICAL — TELtVISIOll AT lEADINO DRUG STORES AND DEALERS EVERYWHERI Three-quarters oi a century: of know-haw in the excluiiv* mcmu4^ .iactura ol line make-up for tha pro* lesaiou has made STEIN'S ptelenad by more ' theatrical, movior— cm4 now television people everywhera.1 ■new up* t-i»-lh».«;".:. i minute illust^ata< lashion showsi photograph]^, ettt |i. Write lor your copy today! STEIN'S ^-^r 430 Iraame Sinaf, New Vetfc U N.V,i WejnoJiyt Pfl qiMilUy., Brllliniifoiie Fiti-. isU. ProitVDt Serf loo. Wrile fi>r snin- pleA mifl lirli-en: 'Oil otliev si/i>N; KIER PHOTO SERVICE DEPT. V Cleveland IQ, Ohio I the Meredith Syracuse TclevLsion l'<"-iis> Stevenson. Arthur Shields. Corp., wholly-owned subsidiary of '^'i" O'lterlihy, Morri.s Carnovsky I Meredith Publishing, is now Hear- ing completion. Five-man board, meanwhile, was completed thi.s and Allone Roberts comprl.se the ca.sl Charles F. Hass is directing Vidcoplay Mas- wrillon by Stanley MONDAY THRU FRIDAY 4:00 PM est There^s a lot of warm human interest . . * and lots of gaiety, too, when Bert Parks (of Stop the Music and Break the Bank fame) gets the ladies to teUhim why they want a second honeymoon. Each day's winning story -. gets a free luxurious trip for two— a real second honey- moon— along with a host of other exciting prizes. And the "Heart of Gold" letter contest gives women every- where a cliance for additional prizes. Get all the details from your ABC representative or week With the election of Cloud R"'^'" and Louis Lant,; Wampler, pre^ ot Carrier Corp , to Grant-Realm film will rem,ake .ioln Meredith g.m. E, T, Meredith; , Guy de Maupassant's "Necklace" I Meredith prez Fred Bohnen; Frank - following the completion of "Door " Furbush. and Pays(in Hall. , "Necklace" was made as a 15- mlnute presentation - and is the sample responsible for inking; of i the pact with American :T(3bacco; > : CBS' 'Make Mine Music' , *':V i'«ntly new iirosnim.itleii." Tifivrs, Stt I'fftersburjp, X'la. ''WHAT MAKES YOU TICK?" MC Monday Thru Fridqy 1 1 :4S to 12:00 for PROCTER and GAMBLE CBS, Monday, thru Friddy; 2!45-3 P.M, .•with JOHN K. M. McCAFFERY VVriflen and Direcred by ADDISON SMITH ABC PROGRAM DEPARTMENT 30 Rockefeller Flaza— Circle 7-5700 "Make Mine Music," new 15- ^ T i n n minute musicomedy shovv, will be IVriA I^rCpS ICSl l^attem ■ launbhed Monday (61 on the CBS- san Francisco, Nov. 20, i ; TV web as replacement for the cur- ' , KSl*"0's television station, KPIX, ■ rent "Face the Music" strip. Carole 1 expects to transmit its first test' Coleman. Danny Daniels and Larry pattern early in December, fol- Douglas take over in the new offer- towed, in middle or late December, ing, replacing .Toll nny, Desmond ib.v regularly - scheduled ■ progvani- . j and Sandra Deel of ".Faco;" : ; imnfi; according to A. li. Tovvne, ' New show will provide basically 'KSPO-KPIX director of engineor- the same format as the old one, but ing. I will have the added aspect of danc- KPIX preview demonstrations' ing, provided by Daniels, now in were held Nov. 16 at the Hotel I the Broadway cast of "Make Mine Mark Hopkins, in cooperation wilh Manhattan," Tony iVIottola trio ■ Northern California Capehart ; 'holds over. .Farns worth dealers. , ROBERT REINHART'S ^^.^ CIRCUS Th« Perfect Television Package = for . Children of All Agei Show Date$, Dee. 4, 5-11,12 nt llie Inllmiite ■ PftOyiNCETOWN PLAYHOUSE 133 MttcDougal, N. Y. C. For Information Call AL 4-9833 er Write 67 West Third St.. N. Y,. i&.:Cilliytllrt:lt lo-lS. ' : :'V--;:.'-'. .-■ : Weilnesday, December 1, 1948 EYE END-OF-BAN PACT SNAGS OROIESTBA-MITSIC Shock ASCAP-ites Into Action -It's an open secret within the music business that if N. Y. Federal Judge Vincent L. Leibell's adverse anti-ASCAP decision |s allowed to stand It may well be the undoing of the American Boclety of Composers, Authors and Publishers. The motion pic- ture interests within ASCAP, and also the dominant theatre radio and other Interests outside ASCAP, not only don't want to see that happen, but many will urge the Government against it. Disintegration 6f ASCAP would create smaller groups of copy- right owners, from whom would have to be obtained the licenses for films, radio, auditoriums and every place else where copy- righted music is used for profit. The bookkeeping costs and problems are obviously staggering. Meantime, now that Judge Leibell ruled so strongly^ ASCAP- . Ites have been shocked into action. It's no longer important that a Federal district court jurist went beyond his province when he ruled in favor of the_N. Y. independent theatre owners who , brought the action. There is strong evidence that Judge Leibell's overly strong findings will be reversed or considerably modified. There are too many U. S. Supreme Court-tested pro-ASCAP cases on the record. But the setback and the shock have prompted a new stance on ASCAP. Heretofore the rank-and-fllers referred to "they" as the doers within the Society's board rooms; The intra-organizational dipsy-doodles are legendary. Only sharp intra-trade knowledge can interpret such Lindy'S' small-talk as "the country club set" within ASCAP, the "side" deals with this or that publisher, and the like. The curious secrecy about some of the legal negotiations through the years have made every faction's lawyers wonder what somebody else might be getting— or getting away with. ' Thus, Judge Leibell has done one affirmative thing for the ASCAP-ers. The talk about what "they" did up at ASCAP has prompted the shirkers into workers. It's no secret that some of the top songwriting brains; for Instance, are conspicuous by their absence in the management aspects of the Society. Some say they have other Interests which preoccupy them too much; some : profess Impatience or disgust with the inner machinations. Therein lies the most heinous error. An AA songwriter collects almost $20,000 per annum. -A top publisher 10 times, that. For the AA WJ^iter, a 26g annual yield is< like a $1,000,000 annuity at 2%. It's no secret that without ASCAP's regular quarterly pay- offs, many publiishers couldn't survive. It's no longer a case of what "they" do up at ASCAP. If these always-complaining— but little-doing^ongsmiths and publishers' don't start looking more closely Into what "they" are doing, then they— not the "theys"— have themselves to blame. Of course, the Society, as with so many other segments of show business, has become weighted down with legalistics. By the'; nature of copyrights, lawyers are not only present but essential. ASCAP owes its very being to the shrewdness of a lawyer, the late Nathan Burkan. Lawyers are known to be ardent about their clients. Not only does factionalism among the publishers crop up, but recent events have suddenly catapulted the writers Into renewed prominence, especially as regards the licensing of their rights. This is where the songsmith's barristers are now starting to storm the barricades. ASCAP can't stand this pressure from within and without. And certainly, if there Is something awry, or the courts look askance at the manner in which a pooling of copyrights is administered, the Society should clear the decks so that it can continue to, operate under the protection of the Government. There has been one consent decree. Another may become necessary, Whatever the courts may think about licensing theatres, or anything else, the Copyright Act is fundamentally designed to protect creative talent. Not even the belligerent film exhibitors think they can get away without paying for music rights. If the manner of pay- ment must be clarified, the law of the land should assist all Interests. MI1E8TII0S FR[[D OFOLBCOraCTS Some disk men are wondering what sort of situations will prevail in regard to their contracts with name bandleaders when the Amer- ican Federation of Musicians' disk ban is finally called off. Since the start of the ban, according to AFM edict, all maestros have been foot- loose and free, to sign with whom they please when the no-recording rule is lifted. And their agents, aware of this, assertedly have in some .instances been trying to make better deals elsewhere. i Whether the AFM's freeing of ' maestros from term contracts would stand up in a court of law is untested, of course, but it's a fact that at tlie time the manufac- turers signed a deal with AFM prez James C. Petrillo in 1944, which ended a previous ban, they okayed a clause which stated that if the AFM ever called another strike, or ban of any kind, all lead- ers would automatically be released from contracts. Name vocalists, at least tho.se. who aren't members of the AFM, are not affected. Another angle of a possible mix- up lies in the length-of-run terms of individual pacts. In the event a bandleader and a recording com' pany agree that the old contract is to remain in force, is it length- ened by the interval of the no- 1 Authors and Publishers has begun recording period, or does it expire ' at the dated time as though nothing had interrupted the obligations of one or both sides? . This latter angle has further ramifications that are interesting. Most companies have maestros they Mixed Reaction to Gaik's Delay In Indicating Stand on Disk Plan EMINENT VIENNESE COMPOSER Robert Stolz rtpriie*' thw- ranaUtane*' «f ih« Autlriwi Secltly of Aiithen, Compoitri and Music PubllsKert : (AKM) In a sentimental . piac* "A Meeting After Death" an tditerial feature In the upeeminig 43d Anniversary Number of ASCAP Extends Tele s $1 Pacts Pending Deal American Society of Composers, to move toward the licensing 61 television for the use of its Copy- righted music) Society's board of .directors, in ineiefinM SjM^ afterriopn (Tuesday) authorized tlie, dispatch Of letteics to tele people ,., , J „ , V, I extending its $1 a year licensing would like to drop. But pre-ban i arrangement for two months be- contraets called for the disker to . yond the Dec. 31 expiration date guarantee ^a minimum number of | of all such gratis grants, but, the communiques explained that if sides. And, say, ..only half were (Continued on page 40) Music Men Fear Rockier Going If Ban Continues a licensing - rate arrangement is Recording men„are getting fidg- ety over the delay by Attorney General Tom Clark in indicating a reaction toward the'disk ban set- tlement plan filed three weeks ago today aVed.) They expected Clarlc to take his time in informing them of his thoughts on the blueprint, but the majority fully anticipated an earlier answer. Some diskmen do not feel that Clark is deliberately delaying mak- ing known his decision, in hopes of evading the issue , until the Taft- Hartley law is repealed" or revised. Others feel he is ducking it as a means of building up pressure from the recording industry .and the AFM to nail down President Tru- man's cited intention of, seeking repeal or revision of the law. Some feel that the American Federation of Musicians James P. Petrillo will not exert too much pressure on- Clark's office for a de- cision, since if the current situa- tion' is maintained and the T-H law's APM-crippling terms are re- pealed or changed, he will be back where he started before the ban with nothing to interfere with di- rect AFM control of the royalty fund built up by record sales. This is denied by a provision in the agreement made with the re- cording companies which Clark's office is now mulling. It states : that if the blueprint i& okayed and a trustee appointed to handle the fund, and thereafter there Is a re^ vision of the T-H law, the AFM'g deal with recorders would be re- vised accordingly. In other words, if the deal is stamped okay and a trustee is appointed and at some future date T-H is knocked out or its union welfare fund clauses re^ vised, Petrillo would resume com- plete control of the fund. Meanwhile the majority of the HeidtMCA In New Pact Snarl Leeds Piles Standard, Edncational Holdings Jan.. 1. ASCAP ■ stresses to the tele in- dustry that; complete : returns on the gathering of grants of rfepre- sentation rights for video to the I Society by publisher'inembers had hot yet been completed. It's ex- pected that the 80% of assents required by ASCAP by-laws will be surpassed during . Deceriiber, and the Society will immediately . , , , , , ; I work out a deal. In the event, Music business, not in good shape I ho^.e,,er, that an arrangement is currently (not even Xmas material „o, ,„ade within the two-month has begun moving in appreciable i extension, the scales will not be quantities), will find even rockier | ^gtroactive. They will be effective going if the disk ban lasts much | whenever agreements are com- longer. Because they anticipated a > pjeted ['rTirfor"the paT'six' to °S 1 ASCAP has surpassed the re-' weeks music publfshers have hlld 80% of okays from writers, tack th^ cream of tl^^^m^^^^^^^^ ""^'^^ i'lfl"^^ \he they bought during the months [upmost composers who, hereto- since the ban started, rather than , been dubious abou^^ have them done with foreign back- 1 ^^CAP the rights it sought grounds, harmonicas, ukuleles, etc. As a result, the b.^ckIogs hold by manufacturers, whicli are near made within those two months, the | recording companies are continu. scales set up will be retroactive to , ing to record. Some had observed the no-recording rule during the (Continued oh page 40) > Higher With Delkas Buy ; 'i'- 1 'lif:t's1me"::'f'^he record Horace Heidt and Music Corp of America are involved in another ing companies are continuing to wax, even with* musical back- grounds. But the material they are making is either current stuff from shows and films, or spot hits that show up on small labels. They I artiluitcs are not- cutting plug songs sub Lou Levy added substantially to the already l?rge educational , and .standard catalog held by Leeds tiff" over the management contract j j^.j^^,;^. completed a deal the leader signed in returning to , • ^^^^^^ the agency less than a year ago. , ^^^"^ *^ . , Heidt has advised MCA that the piibli*ing organization. Transler, agreement is void as far as he's which has been in the works for miUed by major pubhsheis. Ihe Srned due to his claim t^^ ^^e6ks, involved some $40,000 pubs would rather wait for full- the agency his noriived up to aUhough Levy refuses to comment sea e rec« certain guarantees made him at on the com. r™i Tom Clark d^^ the time it was written. Leeds will pour the copyrights ! Gencial Tom Clark deldys in deem Case Is supposed to have been ■ obtained through the Delkas put- referred to the American Federa rock-botton levels, are not being i of the Society's contract with ra. dio. hanging fire for months. Stymie is - whether networks or. net-affiliated, stations are to pay retroactive coin differences be^ tweeri sustaining and = comrrtercial rates on shows sent out sustaining by the nets and .sold locally by Morris Agcy.,GAC Talk Booking Deal William Morris agency heads have been discussing arrangement ' with Th6rria.«i G. Rockwell; head Of General Artists Corp:, via which GAC would take over booking of the Morris band properties. Rock- well, Milton Krasny, GAC V.p., wlio flew in from Hollyvvood; last week,; and Momst.ex'eci^'are -to have discussed the ' deal .witli. Rex Rfc- : fiardi,' of :the Aihericau FedefatioM ' of Musicians, but were advised to" secure the signatures of individual In the event a tele deal is set i Morris properties on GAC con- within the next three months, it j tracts, that, no. lump transfer could probably would precede renewal j be made without such procedure. Meanwhile Morris execs, and Rockwell; incidentally, continue to ■ state that the Morris agency will continue in the band business on a curtailed basis. Whether that .state-, ment means that Morris wiU re- reive 15% of the commissions gar- nered by GAC from the booking of ex-Morn."; liands is anybody's gues.s. chase; into a pot that already bolds the works Of sucb coniposers as ueni« vu«. »u... -o .... Darius Milhaud Alexandre Tans- Its tangles with Heidt are man, Paul Creston. Henry Coweil. ■ • Philip James, Robert McBride, .■ , , J those of Joseph Wagner, and ing whether or not the settlement plan effected by the disk manu- facturers and the American Federa- tion of Musicians is legal, it will delay the marketing of new pop tunes that muehjonger. And the longer they are held up the longer the music business figures to ^^rkfandlEostte^^^^^ maintai n its downward tre nd tion of Musicians for adjudication but MCA denies that such is the case nothing new; some years ago the maestro took violent exception to MCA's inability at that time to get him what he wanted and, unable to — -„ - a^v.^^^ (hAc sectirp' a rplpaqp from his contract, Am-Rus catalog. Among inose K uVht band and'^^^^^^^^^^^ "'I'^n'.h' Walter L«"ny Herman Set retired to the operation of his ! Bela Bartok, E^jist Toeh JWaUer other interests, a California nitery, , Piston, Frederick Jacobi and Clif- hotels etc I fo"'*! Vaughn. When Heidt did return to the 1 About tvvo year* ago with an business about a year ago, he i tovvaid building a solid s^^^^ started out on his current Philco I and educational library, Lm^^ commercial, an assignment secured purchased the SP^af e-f o^man for him by Joe Glaser. Associated catalog and the pul^ ish.ng Booking Corp. head, who has been , rights to all of Joseph Schillingers drawing commissions on the work. I compositiona. At Tavern-on-Green Lenny Herman's six-piece orches- tra takes over the top slot at the Tavern-On-the-Green, New York, Dec. 8, replacing Irwin Kent, Com- bo will have sustaining wires. . Herman's orchestra just closed a long stay at the Congress hotel, Chicago. Christmas Gift Order Form Please Send VARIETY for One Year To (Pleate Vilni .N'mnc) Street City Zone State • ■A. ntJI with yovr nam* wiU accompany . >h« firtf (Spy of VARISTY^ REGULAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES FOR ONE YEAR VARIETY $10.00 VARIETY and DAILY VARIETY $22,00 USniETT Inc. 1S4 W«t46fii SfrMf N«w York 19. N. Y. ORCHBSmA-MIISIC WmAt Wednesday, December 1, ' 1948 micnBSTRAs-iMnusic 89 Les Broms Strictly-Instrumental Disk Click Seen Key to Band Biz Hypo Penn hotel, N. Y., in a band that he claims is the best he ever had. That totals 15 men, including him- self, a little' less than half the num- ber of men he- used during the war. Of course, operating costs in-' volving even 14 good musicianis are double what they were pre-war, but at least: a portion of the cost corners are cut, enabling prices to come down somewhat. That's a step toward reducing some of the economic barriers that name banded have been unable to hurdle. Many band agency executives are especially jubilant over the in- creasing sales success of Les Brown's recording of "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm." Because Brawn's arrangement of the stand- ard is strictly instrumental^ and its , appeal, is based completely on mu- sical interpretation and the ^ize of the .current name .combo ts back almost nt the level it was 10 years ago, when five brass, four or five saxes, and three rhythm were sufficient. The number of bands that retain huge brass sec- tions and enlarged reed and : rhythm groups can be counted on the lingers of one hand. Tommy ■iJorsey, for example, is using six brass, five sax^ three rhythm at the 11 Songs with Largest Radio Audience i; The top ^2 songs oi the week, based on the cop'ynghted Au6ki ence Coverage Index Surbey of Popular Music Broadcast Ouet- Radio Networks. Published by the O/fice of Research, .fnc. 0r* John G. Peatman, Director. Survey Week of November 19-35, 1948 A Himdred and Sixty Acres ' *.,., Leeds vi A Tree In the Meadow , Shapiro-B Ah But It Happens ... ... , . . . . . ;\ . . . . .... . Bourne Brush Those Tears From Your Eyes ■ Leeds Buttons and Bows — ■■"Pale Face" Famous Cuanlo Lc Gusta— ;"Date With Judy" Southern Down Among the Sheltering Palms .... . . . . . Miller Ev'ry Day I Love You. ... ... . . : . . . . . . ... ... . . . . Harms v ; Far Away Places . . . > . . . . .... . . . . . .Laurel ..y.- For You , , , Wilmark Galway' Bay ' , Leeds Hair Of Gold . Robert Here I'll Stay— *"Love Life" Cliappell I Love You So Much It Hurts , Melody Lane I Still Get a Thrill Words & M Lavender Blue Santly-Joy Love Somebody Kramer-W Maybe You'll Be There Triangle Money Song Crawford My Darling, My Darling— ♦"Where's Charley" Morris My Happiness . . Blasco Night Has Thousand Eyes— |-"Night Has Eyes" Paramount On a Slow Boat to China , Melrose One Sunday Afternoon Remick Rambling Hose Laurel Say It Isn't So Berlin That Certain Parly Bourne Until . . Dorsey Bros; With a "Twist of the Wrist Patmar You Call Everybody Darling Mayfair You Came a Long Wav from St. Louis Jewel You Were Only Fooling Shapiro-B When the Pavilion Royal Cradled Many a Name Band Beverly Hills, Editor, Variety: Variety is part of the warm life- blood of show business, and in my eyes it: is difficult to conceive of a mugg doing wrong. Occasionally, though,: even the gods nod. In your Nov. 10 issue, under the headline "Name Band Spot Eyed for- L. I.," you ran a story saying that: Long Island had never had such a spot. Do you remember, when you stop to think about it^. the Pavil- ion Koyal, on the Merrick Road in Valley Stream? Its most important period of operation extended over the whole decade from' 1929 to 1935. Wouldn't you consider as name bands Paul Whiteman, Abe Lyman, Vincent Lopez, Rudy Vallee— -and that same Guy Lombardo (God bless him; he runs on forever) whose coming to the Caca Seville is so proudly and properly being heralded by Gene Seville? They all played one or more long summer seasons at the Pavilion Royal; Lom- . (Continued on page 44) : : Probe PhillyAFM After Funds Shortagfe Philadelphia, Nov. 30. A special investigating commit- tee, headed by A. A. Tomei, French horn player of the Philadelphia Orchestra, has been going over financial procedures of Local 77 (American Federation of Musicians) for the last two months. The pom- mittee was formed several months after a shortage of funds had been disclosed, although a bonding com- pany since refunded the shortage of $4,100. Frank Liuzzi, president of Local 77, said that a member appointed by secretary Guy A. Scola to col- lect assessments "got mixed up" in his accounts. When the shortage was discovered .the member was- fired Liuzzi said. The special com- mittee of investigators included 1.5 rank-and-file members of the union and three members of the execu- tive board. They probed business procedures in the offices of Liuzzi, Scola and treasurer Louis R. Schvom. , Woody Herman Loses Library InMgmLF^ht N. Y. supreme court Justice Ber- nard Botein set a precedent last week In deciding against ail appli- cation to vacate an attachment pre- viously secured against maestro Woody Herman by his former at- torney-managers, Goldfarb, Miren- burg & Vallon. While the judge upheld an attachment of the lead- er's library of arrangements, im- pounded by the sheriff's office, he refused to allow a similar .move against Herman's salary at the Royal Roo.sl, N. Y., to exceed 10% of the net to Herman after his mu- sicians were paid. In all previous cases in N. Y.- at- tachments against a leader's coin have been , secured on the basis of- the full amounts. In deciding that G. M. Si V. could take only. 10% of Herman's:: share of the $3,500 weekly he dKew from the Roost. Justice Botein was following a precedent set in a comparatively recent case before an associate, Justice Rivi'r,s. This case had notli- ing to do with the music business .and it is on appeal. It's probable that in the event Justice Rivers' decision is reversed, the Herman decision will be affected. . ; : Herman'.s total cost for musicians at the Koo.st was slightly over $2,- 800 weekly, which meant that G. M. Sc V. were able to attach only 10% of less than $700. But at the same time, the leader : lost his library, worth approximately $15,000. He was allowied, under the law's "tools of trade" terras to keep $400 worth of the book, or four arrangements, and Goldfarb & Co. ' did not at- tempt to take his personal instru-; mentSi worth about $1,000^ ' Leader is being sued on a charge of abrofjaiing a management con- tract that Irad about two and a half years to run, One suit had been I filed by liis; ex-managers which has |not yet come to trial. Second ac- : tion . and retjuest for attachment rights is for $20,000 in commissions due between the time the first ac- tion was filed and the present. BMI Renews Marks Music Untfl 1959; RdiiHiuislies $1000,000 Option to Buy GRANH 'JAZZ' UNIT IN 2HG COAST CLEANUP San Francisco, Nov. 30. Norman Granz's "Jazz at the Philharmonic" unit cleaned up here last Wednesday (24), overflow- ing the Opera House (300 standees) and running .up a gross of $8;400i including taxes 16,000 net). Pre- vious evening the unit had played to a $5,200 house at the Oakland ^ Under a new deal just closed between Broadcast Music, Inc., and the Edward B. Marks Music Corp., the SS-year'jOld publishing house remains in the family's hands and doesn't pass over to BMI for $1,000,000, which was its privilege to exercise. Instead, a new con» tract to run until 1949 continues the licensing of Marks music to BMI under virtually the same terms as have obtained since the first contract was entered into ik- 1940. At that time, dating from the' BMI-ASCAP fight, Marks received aud. ($4,300 net) and on the 22d ran up a $7,800 figure at the Shrine $200,000 per annum in quarterly in> aud., Los Angeles, working for the first time here without ttte plug- ging and promotion of V disk Jockey Gene Norman. "Jazz" did niceliy on most dates in the east, too, its best a $S;400 $11,000 grofes), at Masonic Temple, Detroit, on Nov. , 13. ■ It played against the combined Tex Beneke and Jimmy Dorsey bands that evening. They were at the Olym- pic stadium. Chicago 'Jara' B.O. Sour Chicago, Nov. 30. : "Jazz at the Philharmonic" at the Chicago Civic Opera . House Friday (26), promoted by Norman Oranz and Mercury Records; was way off at the boxoffice; WelK papered, 3,800-seat house only took in $4,100. Figure is about half the previous low that "Jazz": has ever hit here. Only exciise offered is the pre- vious Sunday concert that sepia disk Jockey Al Benson threw, and which drew terriff $10,000. Gram's 1st Newark Date Granz's"Jazz" show works Newr ark Mosque theatre on a midnight performance Dec, 11. The remaining 22 songs of the week, based on flic copyrighted Audience Coveragic I?idca; Survey of Popular Music Broadcast Over Radio Networks, Published by the Office oj Research, Inc., Dr, John G. Peatman, Director. Again Robbins Ain't Doin' Bad Doin' Nothin' Spitzer Bouquet of Roses .' Hi" & Range Cornbelt Symphony Gloria his Fraternity Pin Hold Me I Got Lucky In the Rain- i'"As the Gals Go". I'd Lo\'e to Live in Loveland If We Can't Be the Same Old Sweethearts . . . It's Magic— I "Romance On High Seas" It's Too Soon To Know Just for Now 4 . . . . Lillette ,• • Pretty Baby Say Something Sweet To Your Sweetheart This Is the Moment : • • • Too Many Kisses Too Much Love Twelfth Street Rag Leon Rene Kramer-W .Robbins Fox BVC Feist , VVitmark . Morris , Advanced Jcffer.«!on . Remick Mills Miller Bloom Harms , Shapiro-B Underneath the Arches m".''''i?,l What Did I Do— f'AVhen My Baby Smiles" Triangle * Lctjit Musical, i Filmusical. . ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦t4««4*4 ♦♦♦♦«««<»♦«♦♦♦♦««♦♦♦♦♦♦ Stan Hassetgard Killed, Mrs. Billy Eckstine Hurt ASCAPGeteStay In Ikatres Case stallments for fiv4 years^' TH« $1,000,000 payments by BMI to Marks was extended another five years, and was to have expired in 1945, with an Option to buy 100% control; for $1,000,000, resting with : BML Instead, BMI riejilaced the bid arrangement With a new pact, extending afifiliatiohs until 1959. In other words, the new pact dis- ; places the ciirrent. contract which' ha<4 two inSire yesfs to run and extend;^ it for nino more yCars. , , : Marks Music is beaded bjr Hei^^ bert IE, Marks, son of tlie ioundei^^^ and among the expressed reasons; given by BMI prexy Carl Haverliri, foir continuing the present arrange-. , ment^ instead of buyj was thieV desii'e to insure Herb Maries' services. BMI. iiref ers .-tliie , present management to eontinui^i and thit includes the Current: president'^: .:uncleSi . Max B. anti Mitcheil B. Marks. Latter, broth- ers of the late E. Bv Marks, who with Joseph W. Stern, founded the music publishing business iii 1894; have been With the 'house! almost' from Incejption.: j- ' r There are two revisions in the new deal. One is that the 2000 per anhiiin Is slightly cut, averag- ing down to arotirid $175,000 an- nually, i.e., $190;000 for the first yeair, 185G next^ i80G nCJct, etc. In exchange, BMl relinquishies its; option : to ■ buy, meaning that the firm can; remain in Herb Marks' contrtit without any strings.' His late father made the BMI deal . at ^8: time' , when' h^ American - Society of Composers, ' American Society of Cpmposers, | Authors and Publishers was not Authors and Publishers recovered 1 giving the Marks Music catalog Monday (29) some of the ground | enough recognition. Today a top- the stayrASCAP can negotiate with them if it chooses without risking In Midwest Auto Smash | Si SrVth^f/rS Stan llasselgard, one of the most ' such monies, promising foreign ;i;iz/ musician.s ; u.i, • £ ■ " ■ i ' to enter the U. S , was killed, and \ MlltOU Ager AppealS Mrs, Billy . Eckstine injured, in an ' auto mi.sliap near Decatur.m., last week i23i. Pair \v,-is being cliauf- feured tiom New York to Chicago when a heavy truck drove the car off the highway,, latter being ovcrr it had previously ■ lost before N.Y. Federal Court Judge Vincent L. Leibell; Society was granted a stay by the U.S. Circuit Court, pending appeal of the Independent Theatre Owners Assn. of N. Y. theatre li- censing case. Stay, until the case is decided on appeal several months hence, . allows ASC AP to continue collecting theatre performance fees for the time being, setting aside the effect of Judge Leibell's deci- sion, which denied'the Society the right to do so. ' . , r Judges Hand, Chase and Frank granted the stay, though Hand had previously refused to act on it as an individual, preferring to wait until joined by the others in a decision. In a conference preced- ing the hearing, ITOA attorneys agreed not: to contest it on the conr dition that ASCAP refrain from suing ITOA theatre operators: dur- ing the interval of the ad:judication 1 for a group of publi.shers, was or in . the event ASCAP is eventu- 1 granted a partial summary j udg- ally returned the winner. > ment against Diamond Records. in : ASCAP's attorneys, Robert P. j a decision handed down la.st .week: Patterson and Louis Frohlich, ex- ; by N. Y. Supreme Court Justice plalned'that certain theatre opera- j Benedict D. Dineen. Fox had in- tors desired to sign licensing agree- stituted action ta recover unpaid ments for the period of the suit's I royalties on some 40 tunes waxed trip through the legal mill. With by the disk firm. flight publisher gets over $200,000 annually from the Society. BMI thought enough of Marks' pool of copyrights, which run the gamut from worldfamed Viennese stand-: ards to a wealth of Latin-American music (among: them Ernesto Lecuona's entire works) to pay $200,000 annually. Then, as now, Julian T. Abeles represented . Marks In the deal with Sidney . Mw . Kaye for BMI. Besides radio, the BMI-Marks contract, of course, Includes tele- vision rights. These are held to loom large in value in the not dis- tant future. Harry Fox Granted Partial Judgment on Royalties Harry Fox, as agent and tru.stee ASCAP-Theatres Verdict The Court ruled that cxamina- ; tion before trial indicates that the plaintiff is due $8,246.30. Suit if continued as .to the. balance owed. Fox' judgment is relatively meaningless since the Federal gov* i ernment -had previously been I awarded a $41,000 judgment cov- ' cring Diamond's delinquent taxes. ■ Milton Ager, through attorney gpitzer GctS TttnC John Schulman, on Friday (20) ap- , „ _ „ pealed the final judgment recently j From E. H. Morris Co. signed by N Y. Federal Judge Vin- Henry Spitzer has taken oVet the cent L. Leibell in the anti-trust i rights to the tune, "Little Old Lady I turned. Hasselgard was thrown out | suit brought by a group of Inde- , Threadneedle Street," tor hid I and killed instantly, and Mrs. Eck- pendent iheatremen against the < pu),]ishing company. Acquired I stine suffered broken arm and I American Society of Composers, , from Edwin H. Morris, the .song I other In,iurie5. : " [Authors and Publishers. , i Hasselpard, a clarinetist and na- j Ager's appeal, according to : live Ho) I antler, hud worked with papers filed, applied to the fir.st 1 Benny Goodman s sextet in recent three paragraphs of the final judg- raonths. He Wcis on his way to ment "insofar as acts or conduct Mexico to renew his v).sa in prep- on the part of mcinbcr.s of ASCAP aration for-a longer stay here. : are enjoined thereby;" The song will be released in mid-January with recordings by Kay Kyser (Columbiai, Carmen Cavailaro iDeeca) and Ru.ss Ca.se - Claris Si.sters 'Victor). It's by Lairy Stock, Guy Wood and Jimmy Cavanaugh. Spitzer is now pushing '"Littl* Hasselgard had just signed a con- ! writer came into the litigation I ; tract with Capitol Records, and his about two months ago as an inter- - Jack Frost, Get Lost, a tune taken 1 first di*k for that company was venpr in an attempt to safeguard . over In the same way from Dav« i marketed last week. I the rights of writers. • Dreytr's firm. 40 ORCIIBSTIIA.MVSIC Wedneaday, Deceml»cr 1, 1948 Kenton to Disbai^ Cites Inability To Cope With R^ular Boolm^s Unleashing ■ blast at booking t' agencies that attempt to bbok "spe- cialized'! bands such as his and others into normal danceband jobst Stan Kenton cited last week his intention of disbanding his orches- tra again. LayofiT will be tempor- ary, and meantime, he says, it is hi* aim to discuss with bookers -the possibility of establishing a • gtring of legitimate, properly op^ erated spot» in which bands such > as his can operate the year around, in conjunction with concert book- ings, some theatres and possibly ISuropcan dates. KMiton frankly admits his band eannot : play dance dates and other types of work that the average* •tyle band can handle. Yet^ he points out, b.o. reaction to the. •tyle of jazz that his band repre- sent* indicates that there is a definite place - in the field for it. And if there were clubs operated along lines such as Frank Dailey's Meadowbrook, but without making dancing the primary purpose, the Acid could be expanded. . Kenton asserts that his g^oup is a losing proposition financially on a short season, and that the limitT- •d amount of work open to him on an annual basis makes it: too difli- eult to 'ke'ep: his men together. He has ideas of getting into Broad- way production if his band thoughts do not pan out. He's interested in a show idea. But first he would prefer attempting to . convince bookers that the radical style of music played by his band and others should not be booked with . the same thoughts in mind that apply to the average danceband. Bookers appreciate Kenton's position, but feel that bringing jazz . out of sidestreet basements and trying: to . place it on a level with so-called commercial music is a . tremendously difficult task^ ; Tops of the Tops Retail Disk Seller "Buttons and Bows" Retail Sheet Music Seller ''Buttons and Bows" "Most Requested" Disk "Buttons and Bows" Seller on Coin Machines "Buttons and Bows" British B^t Seller "Buttons and Bows" Victor Bares 'Front Teeth' As New Title Of Jones' 'Xmas' Dish To avoid confusion: with dozens of Xmas songs, RCA-Victor is re- vising tlie title of Spike Jones' hit disking of "All I Want For Xmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)." Follow- ing a suggestion made by disk jockey Ralph Powers, WBMD, Bal- timore, the title will be changed to "My Two Front Teeth," with the "All I Want For Xmas" part of it preceding in small type and in parentheses. Victor received numerous comr muniques relative to the confusion, and the change will be effective on all pressings of the tune from last week on. Perhaps the closest con- fusing title is "You're All I Want For Xmas," published by Campbell Music, the Frankie Laine recording (Mercury) of Which is going big. Best British Sheet Seflers iW^ek ending Hov. 18.) London, Nov. 19, Buttons and Bowi. . . .Victoria My Happiness ChappcU So Tired Connelly When You're In Love . Wood Dream of Olwen Wright Galway Bay Box & Cox You Can't Be True. .CJiappell Rambling Rose Dash La Vie en Rose Gay Ballin' the Jack F. D. & H. Woody Woodpecker Leeds Anything I Dream . .Reid Second 12 Underneath ; Arciws Connelly All Dressed Up . . . Cinephomc Beyond th& Stars FeUlnipn Call Everybody Darling.Monls Say It Evoi-y Day . . Merun October Twilight Dash It Only Happens Berlin Betty Blue . . . . Feldman When Organ Played . Miller Live in Lovelaud Sun In My Dreams Dash Tears on My Pillow ■ Norris Jocks, Jukes and Disks ' By Bernie Woods Decca, Cap Sued For Aping Hit Los Angeles, Nov. 30. Charging "unfair competition," Supreme Records and Black & a„^,,^.,.,^„ White, record distributors, filed , i"t^maVbVc"orny. it may be "smart", $800,000 suit against Decca and > ^j. 'j^^y straight instrumental Capitol in L. A. federal court on I if hag that certain indefinable, disk, "Little Bird Told Me." Plain- j frequently intangible something tiffs allege majors' releases use that the public unconsciously ap an imitation of Supreme's Paula ! pi-eciates -^ that's all Rprordina and music men are I straight blues piece, is okay, but having an theh- new-found rules ; it's for a restricted market. iiDset bv the rising click of Les : vic Damone "Far Away Places"- Brown's Columbia cutting of "I've "Senorita" (Mercury). Damone Got Mv Love to Keep Me Warm.' | was the fu'st to record this new Just when the pattern of public tune, now showing fine promise, reaction seemed to be charted on I As far as vocals go, he has done the basis of the summer season's i better, but his interpretation of successes with simple melodies ! the tune is good and will take a and corn items, such as Pee Wee place in the overall disk jockey Hunt's gagged version of '!12th > and public attention given the Street Rag", Brown's disk pushes I song. Backing, by Glen Osser's UP through the middle to knock! orchestra. Is good. Damone also the blueprint all askew. For his ' does well with the reverse, from work is a straight instrumental by , "The Kissing Bandit". A ballad, . a heavy band, and with nary a he treats it gently and very com- vocal note. mercially, with excellent back- Brown's recording is currently grounding from Tuttie Camarata's among the first three bestsellers ' baton. on Columbia's list, right behind jimmy Dorsey "At Sundown"- Dinah Shore's "Buttons and Bows i "Angela Mia" (M-G-M>, Tastefully and Kay Kyser's "Slow Boat to ^vritten, Jimmy Dorsey's arrange- China." And it has given some jj^g^j the "Sundown" standard of the thinking music men a jolt, smartly whipped, both musically They figured, and rightly so, on vocally, by Doe Parker. It the basis of what has been happen- bounces solidly and smoothly, and jocks can get plenty mileage out of it. ; . It's iibt thfe equal of Les Brown's "Got My Love to Keep ing, that name bands on records were a lost cause, which more or less narrowed the channel through ^ which to achieve public acclaim ot i j^jg Warm", but it's in the same a song. Brown is proving that, whatever the music or talent in- volved in making a disk, no one can divine beforehand what will be. successful. It may be simple, vein. Flipover brings up Bob Car- roll and "Angela Mia", aloqg only for the ride. ^ Emerson Suit Vs. Indie Watson disking, which they de- scribe as a "unique" arrangement. Suit asks $200,000 damages of each plattery, plus $200,000 in punitive damages fj;om each. At- torney Sam Maidman angled acr tion on unfair-competition theme HAnae'tn Rraalr Pari- ' rather than copyright infringement llUpCo lU mean latl as othei- diskerles have done in Clark-AFt interval foUowAig the filing of the settlement plan in Washington, but as time went 'on tfaey have got- ten in dates here and there. Clark Goinf Slow Washington, Nov. 30. Attorney General Tom C. Clark is still going slow von advising the American Federation of Musicians and : platter companies whether their proposed agreement will be within the Taft-Hartley law. If Clark should advise them : whether or not they are liable to suit, it will be dona very informally, and nothing will be put in writing, it was learned here. : Milton Diamond, attorney for Petrillo; and three lawyers for the recording . firms, huddled with Clark most of yesterday afternoon (29), seeking a solution, but notliing definite was oftered tliem. Understanding here is that the wliole deal may mark time until i the .81st Congress comes into being | and goes to work on repeal of the I Taft-Hartley law. If the Taft-Hart- 1 % ley act should be repealed early j in the session, Petrillo would not have to worry about the provision b?i-iing a union from directly han- dling a welfare fund. Justice department, according to some officials, would like to avoid giving an;opinion. Up to now, it has never advised in advance whether a business contract breaks a law, except in the case of agree^ monts involving the anti-trust laws. This would be the first case of ad- vance advice regarding, the Taft^ Hartley law, and the Government would like to avoid going into that ■■■now. ■ : Singer Jack Emerson dropped charges that Metrotone Becoi'ds has not made proper accounting of roy- alties to hiuif when he filed suit last week in N. Y. supreme court against the label. His action asks only a test of the validity of his contract with the indie disk manu- facturer. He's endeavoring to break the pact as a means of sign- ing with another label. His "Hair of Gold" was a smash on Emerson. as past. Miss . Watson's "Bird" was released Oct. 1. Since- then Decca rushed Evelyn Knight's : version and Capitol is propping release by Blue Lu Barker. ; Eddy; Howard "Sen6rit«"-''Slue 'Tall Fly'* (Mei'cury). MtSrcury is punching out Howard disks takieii. , Over from Majestic at ai' fast pace.' ' This pairing is good jbck stuff since it backs a good new pop with h'rdth'in' I arrangement that has been in ' I demand. .Howard does the "Senor- : There are no lules. j„--,.„p» • ita" vocal alone very nicely and Columbia incidentally, deseives I , „^,j ,, ^ ^ ^ J ^, a nod for the Brown disk^ Not jj^j ^, ^ for the making of it or the maiket- „ , , since Brown has been ! " In his papers Emerson asserts that his agreement- with Metrotone is unilateral and therefore illegal. He makes no mention of an ac- Robbins Has .lessel's 'President' Rally Song Robbins Music will publish George Jessel's song. "Let's Get Behind the PrGsidont," a copy of which the 20th Century-Fox prO: ing of it, —- - . , playing the same arrangement tor years, but for maintaining its name band roster. Rival labels have strung along with band music, but not to the extent that Columbia has, with Harry James. Gene Krupa, Claude Thornhill, and other purely musical combinations. Most other? gave up on them as record hitters a long time ago. ; Vaughn Monroe '^f I Steal a Kiss"-"What's Wrong with W (Victor). Monroe does these songs, both from the film, "The Kissing Bandit", in a manner that makes good jock material of them. : Em- phasis is on the "Kiss" side, done at medium tempo with plain band 1^ background. Reversci however, is fd^eTSy'^^s" Ka^in^V^:^: t!-""^t^." calling on Monroe^and ington last Friday (26). He and his six-year-old daughter, Jerllyn, were received at the White House. The President presented the girl the Moon Maids for the vocal, 1 ... • . c . 1 V>- Hio full hand at co-written by Carmen Lombardo SlyThm^peed'" * Stanley Rochinski, a war vet. Louis Armstrong "Please Stop: Playing Those Blues, Boy"-"Lovely Weather We're Having" (Victor). Louis ^Armstrong's small combo is . big b.o., but on disks its appeal has been more or less confined. This one, however, is different and good stuff for jocks, particularly the "Blues" side. It brings out Ol' Satchmo's vocal personality in com- bination with Jack Teagarden and their respective trumpet and trom- bone. Flipover also highlights Armstrong's sandpaper chords; it's good, but not nearly as effective. Evelyn Knight "Powder Your Face With Siinshine"-."One Sunday Afternoon" (Decca); She's now rid- ing high with "Little Bird Told Me," may have another good one in the "Powder'' side, a rhythm piece counting of royalties, which he had ' with an autographed photograph, a previously claimed were not paid and which Metrotone asserts is not so Mannic Greenfield, formerly ad- vance man for Sammy Kayc setr ting up his own publicity firm. . . stick of gum and an "ollicial" pen Blue Lu Barker "A Little Bird Told Me"-"What Did You Do to Me" (Capitol). First release by Cap of a new artist who shows on wliich is inscribcd^as are many I pj.Qifiise. Miss Barker doesn't give of the President's gadgets, for the "Bird" song, a hit, any more gifting purposes— the legend, "This than Paula Watson or Evelyn was swiped from President Harry Knight give it, but she builds an S. Truman " ' item that will at least get her Jessel wrote the song with Dan ; initial dl.sk some attention. It Daugherty and Sam Carlton. ■ b o u n c e s solidly. Reveri,e, a »-♦-»♦♦ ♦♦ ♦ ♦ > > 1 1 1 10 Best Sellers on Coinlachines w!?!!.!!'-!:.^! V Eye AFM Snags Continned from page .37 ■ ■ 4. TREE IN MEADOW (IG) (Shapiro-B) - ■ 6; ••.7,, ■■.Jti- :: 9. MAYBE YOU'LL BE THERE <1») (Triangle) [IX^'m::^''. : J : : ! Z M^t^^ made before the ban intervened. Now they don't want to fulliU the obligation. If a post-ban AFM rul- ing states that all band contracts inu.st be written anew, those obli- gations can be bypassed. But, at the same time a desired band could get away to another company due to such a decision^ : Disk execs frankly do not eX' pect bandleaders to take advan- tage of the AFM'i free-agent rule. . But agencies , are beginning to look for advantages — • and anything could happen. 1. BUTTONS AND BdWS CJ) (Famous) Di'na'i Shore. , Columbia 2. SLOW BOAT to CHINA (5) (Melrose) Kav Kiyiser ColiHubia ■ ■ ( Eueli/'d Kniglit Decca, 3. LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME (2) (Bourne) fpaula Wotsoii Svpreme ■ yMarmfet: Whiling . . . . . . .Copitol ■■ ''.'■'■■':■■ ' i f. 'y^'ilJU&Mm Decca' ■ : j.Mirari.da.rAttdretijs: . i 'lpeccct ■ •.>:•■;■•■■■;*'•■•' •■v ;■!;■;:,".■■. . ■.'■.■;."■.:■,■.■■..■ ■ , Spike Jones ,i. .,; . . Victor Tommy Dorseu Victor ,.■■;!■;■ ( StaffordMacRae Capitol ■ ■ ■•■■.■■„■ ■■■ ' ?: ■ ( Day-Clark . . . ;. ,■ , . . .Coliiiiibio CUANTA LE GUSTA (4) (Peer-Int) MY TWO FRONT TEETH (1) (Witmark) . . UNTIL (4) (Dorsey) . . MY DARLING, MY DARLING (1) (Morris) ,. 10. HAIR OF GOLD (15) (Robert) YOU WERE ONLY FOOLING (Shapiro-B) BELLA BELLA MARIE (Leeds) ( Jack Emereon. . . . .:. . .Metrotone Coming Up I Harmonicats UniversM SAY SOMETHING SWEET (Mills) GALWAY BAY (Leeds) Blue Barro7i. M-G-M AndreiDs Sisters Decca ( Ink Spots Decca l,A7ii?e SlieUon Londofi \ Bing Crosby Decco lAime Shelion London MONEY SONG (Crawford) [t^^rie^"' [^^^^ LIFE GUTS TEEJUS (Miller) Corso?i Robi7ison M-G-M WHAT mn T no (nvn ( Hplen Forrest M-O-ill WHAl DID I DO (BVU (Dmah Shore Cohinibid IT'S TOO SOON TO KNOW (Morris) { Ella rLgcrald. : ! : : : : '.^De'^ PRETTY BABY (Remick) Doris ' Day CoUmbid FOR YOU (Witmark) '. Gordon Jenkins Decco BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS (T. B. Harms) Art Mooney . ... M-G-M IFigures in parentheses indicate number o] v>eel:s song }ias been in the Top Id.l . She does it well with the Star- dusters vocal group and musical : support and the side has great pos- sibilities. A whistling interlude is . good juke stuff. It's backed by a ^ good version of "One Sunday After- ;, noon" in wait? tempo, aided by : the same grouping. , Shep Fields "Just Once More"- ■ "Slow Boat to China" (Musicraft). Fields' moderji styling of his old I "Rippling Rhythm" works over the |"Jiist Once More" tune, a good one, ' incidental Lv. in a most pleasing manner. It moves smoothly, and ' contains good vocals by Bob John- stone and Toni Arden. Reverse, a hit tunc, is badly recorded, there being almost no background to the vocal by Miss Arden. It's too slowly played, too. Platter Pointers Jerry Murad's Harmonicats hit : a groove similar to their "Peg C : My Heart" hit with their "Diane" side (Universal), backed by "Dance of the Comedians" :. . , Butch Stonei a consistent novelty hitter \ with Les Brown, is now with Cap- itol, and his first release brings up , his standard "My Feet's Too .Big"'; (slight switch in lyric) . . . Another, Eddy Howard release (Mercury) iS' an excellent arrangement of "Mis- souri Waltz" and a "To Each His Own," reissued . . . Buzz Adlam's i orchestra turned out a sock bit of' "Garry : Me Back to the Lone Prairie" for M-G^M . . . SamelabeV. spun a neat novelty with Korn. Kobblers of "We Got To Put Shoes . On Willie." Recommended western; race,-:": hillbilly, country, etc.: Leslie Scott : (Victor), "It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream" , . . Gatemouth Moore," "Something I m Gonna Be" and "You're My Specialty. Baby" (King) . . . Arthur G. Smith, "Little Tow Ucad" (Deluxe) . . . Sam Nichols, "It's My Life" (M-G-M): . . . Jalia Lee, "Living Back Street For You" (Capitol) . . . Lonzo and Oscar, "She's the Best I Ever Saw" (Victor) . . . Ivory Joe Hunter "I Like It," (King) . . . Luke Wills' Rhythm Busters, "Si Si Senorita" (Victor) . . . Todd Rhodes, "Walkie ■ Talkie," (King) . . . Sonny Boy Wil- liamson, "Better Cut That Out" , (Victor). • Wedn«8dajr, December 1, 1948 OnCHESTBA-MrSIC 41 LOCAL 802 EXTENDS VOTOiG ET TWO HOURS Voting machines were installed over tlie weekend on the spacious meeting floor at New York Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians in preparation for to- morrow's (Thurs.), elections. Bi- annual tussle between the incum- bent Blue regime and the Unity and Coalition parties, united this year) begins at 10 a.m.' and stays oped for business until midnight. It's the first time that Local 802's balloting hours have been extended beyond 10 p.m. ABE GLASKR'S SH TIE Abe Glaser, former New York •ontactman who came west early last summer to manage a new ■tore opened here by Masters Mart, partially returned to the music bis: here last week. He joined the new BH Logging Sheet oifice as a Salesman of its service to radio agencies, etc., in this area, He'll continue with Masters and work with RH part time. HH's new listening post is head- ed by Buddy Bernard. Glaser's Job doeso^t ■ affect Bernard's status. % BARBER ^IN THE ^HARBOROF ^PALERMO i a TERRIFIC NOViLTYl SANTLY-JOY : .1619 Broadway . Naw York 19, N. Y. EDDIE JOY, Gen. Prof. M|r. TONY PASTOR "YOU STARTED SOMETHING" with ROSEMARY CLOONEY COLUMIIA RECORD 1U97 'RH' Logging System Richard Himber's new development in looking broadcast pertorm- ancea hsts tunes m the survey, based on four major network schedules. They are compiled on the basis of 1 point for sustainiiig instrumental: I points for iustaining vocal; 3 for commercial instrumental; 4 for commercial vocal, respectively, in each of the 3 major territories, New York, Chicago and Coast. For example,'. a Comjnerciftl Vocol in oil three territories counts 12. Added to these totals is the listener ratings of commercial shows, whicji account for the large point tallies below. Week of Xov. I9th to 95th Add'l Comm. aon» Publisher pts. Buttons and Bows— f'Pale Face"— Famous . . . ,- 27 On a Slow Boat to China— Melrose 14 My Darling, My Darling— **'Where's Charley"— -Morris . ... 18 You Were Only Fooling— Shapiro , . Cuanto Le Gusta— fDate With Judy"— Southern 16 Here I'll Stay— *"Love Life"— Chappell Ah But It Happens^Boume . . vV . . . . ... . . . ; . ; . The Money Song — Crawford 10 Lavender Blue— f "So Dear to My Heart"— Santly-Joy 22 Everyday I Love You— t"Two Guys From Texas"— Harms 7 Maybe You'll Be There— Triangle , For You — Witmark , . , You Call Everybody Darlin — Mayfair 11 Galway Bay— Leeds . . . , . . .... . ......... v . . . . . ; : , .' . . ... . . ■ Night Thousand Eyes— 'Night Thousand Eyes"— Par. : . . .... Down Among the Sheltenng Palms — ^Miller Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart — ^Mills,., Hair of Gold— Robert Rambling Rose — Laurel 11 One Sun. Afternoon— !^"One Sun> Afternoon" — Remick ... . That Certain Party— Bourne ,., 11 Until — Dorsey Bros A Hundred and Sixty Acres — Leeds 13 A Tree m the Meadow — Shapiro It's Magic^ — f'Romance on High Seas"— Witmark. ... . .... . . . Far Away Places — Laurel Say It Isn't So— Berlin You Started Something— BMI I'd Love to Live in Loveland — BVC '. Brush Those Tears From Your Eyes— Leeds. . . .... . . . . ... . . I Love You So Much It Hurts— Melody Lane ,. , . , . . . , . . . . It's a Most, Unusual Day — ^^f'Date With Judy"— Robbms. ; 6. If We Can't Be the Same Old Sweethearts— Feist Again — ■r"Road House" — Bobbins . . ... ... . . ... . -.. .. .. My Happiness— rBlasco .:. . . ... . Lillette — Jefferson Bella Bella Marie — t"Melody Man" — Leeds , Bouquet of Roses — Hill and Range v ... With a Twist of tlie Wrist— Patmar What Did I Do — r'When My Baby Smiles at Me"— Triangle , . Love Somebody — Kramer-Whitney 11 My Fraternity Pin— Kramer-Whitney You Came a Long Way From St. Louis— Jewel Just for Now — Advanced I Got Lucky in the Rain— ♦"As the Girls Go" — Sam Fox. ... , . This Is the Moment — f'Lady in Ermine"— Miller ..... . . By the Way— f'When My Baby Smiles at Me"— BVC A Bluebird Singing in My Heart— Advanced ; , . » . Bluebird of Happiness— T. B. Harms In My Dreams — Wizell Total Pts. 324 254 187 X81 149 133 126 119 117 116 102 102 101 101 100 I 89 77.! 76 76 74 74 66 65 65 65 58 58 57 '55 53 52 49 49 48 48 46 45 44 44 43 43 38 37 37 36 35 35 34 34 Pluggers, Pubs Meet To Talk Contract Music Publishers Contact Em- ployees and the Music Publishers Protective Assn. will meet today (Wed.) in New York for the second time over a new contract to re- place one expiring Dec. 31. Initial meeting of the two factions, sev- eral weeks ago, was arranged only to permit the MPGE to submit pro- posed terms of a new deal to the publishers. At today's meeting those terms will be pulled apart. Crux of the deal sought by the MPCB Calls for a pension fund to be established for contactmen from funds supplied equally by the MPCE members and their employ^ ers. ■ ■ ■ JACK ROBBINS' 2D SON TO JOIN FIRM ACTIVELY Jack Bobbins' second boy joins the J. J. Robbins & Sons music publishing business next June when Marshall (Brother) graduates from UCLAi where he is in his last year. Buddy (Howard) Robbins is already with the firm, handling the business bebop and the Heitor Villa-Lobos subsidiary firm. The younger son will concen- trate on the pops, which will be an enlarged new avenue' for the firm. A new type of "bop ballad," by Walter Bishop and Jule Styne, titled "Bop Goes My Heart," will be a No. 1 plug. Jones' lOG for 2 Dates Hollywood, Nov. 80. Spike Jones pocketed an esti- mated $5,100 on one-nighter at I Shrine auditorj um Saturday (27). I In on guarantee of $3,500 against '60%, Jones grossed $8,900 at $3.60 Itop. ■■ . Following night (28) Jones grabbed $4,900 on similar deal at iRuss auditorium, San Piego, where {he grossed $8,100. «*» for « *^>^- ^ ^^^'♦x ALL AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TRIE (Stuart) Mark Waraow— ^ I'M SENDING MY LOVE FOR CHRISTMAS (BMI) Atiodalad-Enric ModrigUcra • Tlw««iorui-B»b Hannen IT'S DECEMBER AGAIN (Steven) Wayn* Vpn Dyne-Tower U72 Colvin Jdck»on-Jerry Ke»«nerH!Sfllon« ?37, LET'S LIGHT THE CHRISTMAS TREE (BMI) jQck Brown-Rodio Artittt 214 ON THE SANTA CLAUS EXPRESS ''t Encore) Freddy Mortin-Vk. 20-2476 PARADE OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS (Marks) WMtrnum—Me. • Morton GowKl— < <>'• 1*'*? raid >^««"^™;;„,*i«rt b" Stnn"iar.l-NIM; Tl.^anrus-Cai.ltol .W6rlil-Asi0.cla.t« "You Came a Long Way". . . . 4 9 9 11 15 14 DINNING SISTERS (Capitol) 1 10 16A 14 LARRY CLINTON (Decca) "Slow' Boat to China". . . . 2 9 16B 16 LARRY GREEN (Victor) 2 9 16C BROTHER BONES (Tempo) "Sweet Georgia Brown" . . 6 7 9 16D 11 BENNY GOODMAN (Capitol) 2 9 17A MARGARET WHITING (Capitol) 3 8 17B ,. GENE ATJTRY (Columbia) 3 8 18A VIC DAMONE (Mercury) "Night Has a Thousand Eyes" . ; ; . 4 7 18B ANDREWS SISTERS (Decca) "What Did I po" . 18C BLUE BARRON (M-G-M) "Every Day I Love You" . FIVE TOP ALBUMS CHRISTMAS ALBUM ting Ccesby Decca CHRISTMAS CAROLS 'Frtd Waring ■ Deccii 3 JAZZ AT PHILHARMONIC Album No, 8 Mercury tONO HITS 1917-4} Varitd ArtiiU Decca FftOGRESSIVI JAZZ Album No. I Stan Konlon Capitol HiUbillyV Likker Rap Washington, Nov. 30. Connie B. Gay, who operates the suburban Club Hillbilly, had his place fined $600 yesterday (29) for selling liquor to minors. Gay is a hillbilly music maestro. Gets Jewish Music Award Detroit, Nov. 30. Leo Low, composer and conduc- tor, received the annual Levy Memorial Award at a concert of the Halevy Society at the Labor Zionist Centre here. Award is con- ferred for outstanding contribu- tion to Jewish nmsic. : • hdie Record Co. Nixed on Gripe To Govt on LP Paul Puner, president of "Allegro Records, has clrawn a negativtt re- ' ply to Ills complaint to V. S. Dept. of Commerce ovet the marketing by Columbia Records of its 331.^ ! rpm Microgroove LP disks and the • .plans of RCA-Victor to bring out j another type of long-playing record to spin at 45 rpm. Allegro elicited lits answer from Assistant Cora* imerce Secretary .Thomas Blalsdell, who pointed, out, "We can appre- ciate the present difficulties facing your industry, but do not feel, op^, crating, under a free economy as- we do, that this department could interfere in situations of this kind unless directed to do so by law." Blalsdell also told the complain-: ant, "If you believe that there are elements of unfair competition in - the manner In which any new de- velopments are .introduced, the Federal Trade Commission would probably be the agency for you to ^ consult." .. Puner claimed that the actions of the major companies were set- ting up a situation that would con- fuse the i;ecord-buying public, and that the long-playing disks eventur . ally would squeeze Independent re- corders off the classical market. He sought a standardization and a pooling of ideas. Maestro Manages. Dallas Club Dallas, Nov. 30. Jack Caldwell, bandleader whose, combo is currently on the band- stand for an indefinite . engage- - ment at the Greater Dallas Club, has been named manager of the club. ■, Caldwell Will continue on the stand. SAY SOMETH SWEET TO Y m SWEETHEART MILLS MUSIC, INC I 6 1 9 B r 0 J ■! . 1 . S Decca's IZ^/zC Diwy Decca Records last week de- clared a regular quarterly dividend of 121 2C J, share on 776,650 shares of capital slock. Cut is payable to stockholders of record aiS of Dec. 14. I A DREAM OF A LULLABY | TARRA TA-LARRA TA-LAR OXFORD MUSIC CORP. 1619 Broadway New York J For Your Approval LUTZ BROS. MUSIC presents DAINTY BRENDA LEE Recorded by DECCA -Peter Lmd Hayes MERCURY- Eddy Howard VICTOR -Jack Lathrop CAPITOL -Jack Smith and the Clark Sisters TRILON- Eastman Trio RECESS IN HEAVEN . . Recorded by- VICTOR -Deep River Boys M E RC U R Y - Ronnie 'Deau ville WORLD -Four Gabriels COLUMBIA -Dan Grissom DECCA -Ink Spots LUTZ BROS. MUSIC CO., INC. 6272 Sunset Boulevard • Hollywood 28, Californi* W«dn«id«y, December 1, 1948 OBCHESimA-lMITSIC 48 /i^ZEff SONG CAfALCADE ? ♦♦♦»♦♦» (Uu^t^UUtorUnA Reviewt 1800-1948) ****** a Compiled for f^SSSBPr By JULIUS MATTFELD (Capyrighl, Varitly, lu. All Rlthl* Rntrvtd), t*gM«{i anil a'Atr boii* bacfcorvvml inf«rffl«r{*n, •ttmrfanr r« tli* MittpHofran •ltd pnatnfarian, appawtd In f A* Oif^- *, )f 4*, /nu* whin fh*: Yar/vly fang Cavefierfa ilartad' pvUicefian itriaf/y. Ir . Ji luiryfitaif' rfcot. tfttia IflifaMmmM: ba fUppid anrf Wtd far fwiwra rafaranca. ' Attanllan hf harahy. toHad ta ilia fact- that thit malarial b capyright arid' may nat iia rapraducad atlhar-whally ar in part. CConlinuad fram lati Wtak) . 1855 Come,. Wher* , My ■ Love ties Dreaming. Part iung for SATB. w., m., Stephen Collins Foster, Firth, Pond & Co., cop. 1855. Hark: the Herald Angels Sing. Hymn; tune: Mendelssohn, av., Charles Wesley; m., adapted by William : Hayman CummingSi in London, about 1855, from Mendels- sohn's "Festgesang" for two male choirs and brass instruments. ; (The "Festgesang" was written for the in Co., cop. 1856. Darling Nelly Gray, w., m., Benjamin Russell Hanby. Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co., cop. 1856. Hark! I H^ar 'An Angel Sing, w., W. C. B. 01., R. G. Shrival. Augusta, vGa.; G. ; A. Oates, cop. 1856. Kattie Avourneen. w., m., Fred- erick NichoUs Crouch, S. T. Gor- don, cop. 1856. The Last Hope. Piano solo, m AM Ihawt In Cincinnati, wu able tt flay a I7a-f cot itrcvm. Jamca Buchanan waa inaugu- rated nntldent diiwt Justice of the Supreme gourt Taney delivered the Dred cott decision, nullifying the Mis- souri Compromise. The decision stated that Negroes (In this case, the slave, Dred Scott), were not eitiiens, even when removed into free states, and could not claim any oonstitutlonal rights. The Atlantic MonthI]/ was estah- lished. Italian opera now played regu- larly in Philadelphia after the opening of the Academy of Music with a grand ball. Bryants' Minstrels were organ- ised in New York. An immigrant train of 120 was massacred at .. Mount Meadow, Utah, by a band of Indians. "Rachel the Reaper" and "Vic- tims" were new stage plays. One . hundred and twenty immi- grants were killed by Indians led by Mormons in Utah In the "Moun- tain Meadow Massacre^'* After 12 years of prosperity, largely due to California gold, the U. S. entered its twelfth depression sine*" 1790. 1858 Bonny Elolse^ The Belle of Mohawk Vale, w., George W. El * -t. ""vv V , Louis Moreau. Gottschalk, Op. 16; 40dth''"annrversarT "of" Gutenberg i OVatx Ditson & Co., cop. and the invention of printing, and _ . , j /^.j, performed in the public square at j ^ Friends and Old Times: w., Leipzig, June 24, 1840. The hymn , S}}a"es Swain, ni., John Rogers tune is an adaptation of the ! Thomas. Cleveland: S. Bramard's j Uott. m., John Rogers Thomas, •econd. . "oP- 1856 by Henry Tolman, | Wm. Hall & Son, cop. 1858. Kamennoi Ostrow (No. 22 in: I "OstO"- „ ^, „. ,.1 Christmas Song — ongxiMX Kamennoi-Ostrow, Album de 24 1 • w., m.. Rich- , French title: Cantique de NoeL Portraits, Op. 10). Piano solo, m., ■ »™ i:.y^^^f^ ^11- French words, ? English words, Anton Rubinstein. Mayence: B. ^er Ditson & Co., cop. 1856. John Sullivan Dwight. m., Adolphe Schott's Soehne [,18551. i Stars of ttie Summer Night. Part ----- Listen to the Mocking Bird. W.. i song for T'TBB. w., Henry Wads- m., Alice Hawthorne [pseud, of i worth Longfellow, m Isaac Baker Sebtimus Winner]. Winner & ^^."JJ Shuster, cop. 1855. . ^- ^' .Huntington, Melody in F (No. 1 in: Deux : '"P^ 1»?6. Melodies, Op. S). Piano solo, m., ! •l?'"!*'' ^w^mp" Anton Rubinstein. Berlin: Schlesin- 1 with Tom Thumb playing an to ger 1,18567] John Pendleton Kennedy pub lisbed "Swallow Bam: or, A SO' journ in the Old Dominion." Rosalie, the Prairie. Flower, w., m., Wurzel [pseud, of George Fred- erick Root]. : Boston: Russell & Richardson, cop. 1855. Star of the Evening. Words and melody by James M. Sayles! arr. by Henry Tucker. J. H. Hidley, cop. 1855. The Sword of Bunker Hill, w., I William Ross Wallace, m. nard Coyert. Boston: G. P. ^.^vv. , & Co., cop. 1855. I c u r>„„„ Twinkling Stars Are Laughing, *• °- JJana- Love, w., m., John P. Grdway. i o lo*-? Cop. 1855 by J. P. Ordway. ^ Co., cop. 1857. Lucy Stone married Dr. Henry 1857 Gome Into the. Garden, Maud. w.i Alfred Lord Tennyson. .ip,, B^pl i William Michael Balfe. London; Bo'sVon^ G p ' Reed ' Boosey & Sons [,1857?]. Boston, ur. V. Keea , pj^^ ^ ^.^^ Ax*, by George Fredr erick Hoot. Bbstoht. Oliyei? Ditson Jingle Bells; or; The One Horse B."BTakwe7ranrkVpt"he^^MTden^ Sleigh, w., m., J. S. Pier- name after marriage (hence "Lucy Stoners," a synonym for feminine independence 4s well as social re- form). Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass'' was published. . The lo c 0 m o t i V e "Hamilton Davis," coupled to six cars, made 14 miles in 11 minutes on New York Central tracks. First Atlantic Cable was laid between Cape Breton, N; S.i and Newfoundland. The cable was completed to Ireland in 1857, and the first messages were sent be- tween New York City and Europe in 18.'58. ; ; '11 Trovatore" had its American | premiere . at the Academy of < : Music, N. Y. ■. . .■ . .| Charles Blondin crossed Niagara i Falls on a wire tight rope. The "Know Nothings" political 1 parly, originally started to pot' Bibles in public schools and check i the power of the Pope, claimed | 1,500,000 voters. It broke up in I 1860. Adam. Albany, N. Y.: J. H. Hid ley [,1858], (Published earlifer in Pairis; first sung -at tnidhlght niasSi Christmas eve, liB47;) ' ; La Priere- D'Uiie Viegre— EnglisH title; 'A: Maiden's Prayer.: Piano solo, m., ' .Thecla ; Baderzewska. _ Paris: G. Brandus et S. Dufour portant role, was on the stage of i [,1858]; London: Boosey & Sons? Barnum's^ American Museum, N. Y. I Music Library [,1859]; London: Duncan Davidson & Co. [,1859.] . Thou Art So Near and Yet So Far^ortEfiridl German .title; DU Bist MiiP Nah Und Doch So Fern. ! w., m.j Alexander: Reichardt. Lon- ' don: Duncan Davidi^on & Co., [^1858?] (Published in the United States by S. Brainard & Co., Cleve- land ■ [,1861].,)" .:,.-:-' i Warblings at Eve. Piano solo, m., Henry Brihley Richards. Lon- don: Robert Cocks & COv [,1858?1 Except for the; success of "Our American .Cbtisittj" which ran 149 titties, it was a very poor theatri- cal season.: -But P: T. Barnum Oliver : Ditson & ) made money by giving two perr formances daily Of his "Pioneer Patriot" , — the first ' 12-a-week Schedule in' American : theatrical history. : MihneSbta wais admitted' to i the Unioh, . '■ Central Park was started in New York. Longfellow's ''Courtship of Jvtileis Standish" appeared, Lincoln and Douglas had their Massic debate iH llliiiois,' The first Atlahtic cable was laid, and worked lohg enough for Queen Victoria , and President Buchanati to exchange messages. , The panelled skirt came into vogue. , (Continued next week's issue) pont. Boston Co., cop. 1857. Little White Cottage, w., M. S. Pike. Melody by G, S. P.; arr.. by J; S/ Pierpont. Boston: Oliver Dit- son i& Co., cop. 1857. ■ . Mrs. Lofty and I. w., Mrs. Gil- dersleeve Longstreet. m., Judson Hutchinson. (Composed about 1857 and sung by the Hutchinson Family.) My Grandma's Advice, w., m., M.; arr; by fedward Kanski. E. A. Daggett, cop. 1857. The Village Blacksmith. w., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, m., Willoughby Hunter Weiss. Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co. 1.1857]. A fire extinguishing apparatus, operated by hand and built by one Bands at Hotel BeO.'s w.. 1856 The Arrow and the Song. , Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, m., William Michael Balfee. London: Boosey & Sons [,1856]. The Cottage by the Sea. w., m., John Rogers Thomas. Firth. Pond I Band ] Eddy Duchin'i' , I Ray McKlnley. .' Guy Lombardo Tommy Dorsey ■ Hot«l . Waldorf (400; $2) . New Yorker (400; $1-$1.50) ..Roosevelt (400; $1.50-$2) . . ..Pennsylvania (450; $1.50-$2) WeelM Played .. 8 .. 8 .. 9 .. 8 CoTer* fotal TaBt Coreri Week On Data 2,600 22,125 1,300 2,375 2,350 8,425 22,900 15,100 I' V^oXAori, Margaret Phelan, McCarthy & Forrell. Chicago Bemie Cummins (Walnut Room, Bismarck, 300; $2.50 min.-$l cover). Fine 2,000. Del Courtney (Marine Room, Edgewater, 700; $120 cover). Dipped to moderate 2,500. Dick LaSalle (Mayfair Room, BlackStOtte, S50; $3.50 min.-$l cover). Average 1,500. ' , . ^ Skltch Henderson (College Inn, Sherman, 500; |2.50-$3.8O mm.). Healthy 3,200. Frankie Masters i Boulevard Room, Stevens, 650; $3.50 min.-$l cover). Neat 3,500. . Griff Williams fEmpite Room, Palmer House, 650; $3.50 min.-$l cover). Sock 3,100. THEATRICAl PEOPIE USE PHOTO STAMPSI Meceinl>er 1^ 1948 RETAIL SHEET BEST SELLERS Survey of retail sheet tnttsic tale*, based on reports obtained from leading stores in 12 cities, and showing comparative tales rating for this and last weefc. . National Rating This Last wk. ' wk. : Week Ending NOV. 27 • Title and Publisher M Q s i A. ■ 5 ■■«•■ ^1 i T O T A L P O I ■N. ■ T S 1 "Buttons 'and Bows" (Famous) . . 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 119 "$low Boat to China" (Melrose) 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 100 3 3 '^Tree in the Meadow" (Shapiro-B) 9 3 •3 3 3 3 10 3 4 5 6 69 ;4 7 "You Were Fooling" (Shapiro-B) , . 6 6 6 3 3 43 4 "Hair of Gold" (Roberts) :4': 2 5 8 7 5 6 10 41 6 9 "You Call Darling" (Mayfair) . . 8 8 9 5 8, 6 3 4 37 ■:7 5 "My Darliny, My Darling" (MorrjsV 8 7 J'4-; 4 8 7 3 36 8 6 "Maybe You'll Be There" (Triangle) 5 5 6 •■:4 . 9 6 31 9 10 "White Christmas" (Berlin) 4 7 5 23 10 8 9 10 7 6 7 8 19 11 13 "It's Magic" (Witmark) 4 7 17 12 "Here Comes Santa Claus" (West.) 3 4 15 13 -11 -"Underneath Arches'' (Robbins) , . 10 9 8 9 9 10 9 13 14 13 "12th Street Rag" (Sliapiio-B) . . 4 11 15A 9 10 8 8 9 15B "Santa Claus Is Coming" (Feist). . 5 8 9 On the Upbeat New York Stan Kenton added a Cuban bongo drummer to his band at the Paramount theatre ... Johnnie Johnston's current date at the Ra-- : disson hotel, Mmneapolis. which Immediate Openings For Cirl Musicians on Radio Network Show To txpond Misting band and pro- vide iultabi* lubititute for absen- tee* eqn.uf* tho followtnfi lnstru« mcnts:: , TKOMBOXK - \CC0KI)10\ - TK» \(- PV.'r - STRING B\,SS - S\V<»- I'HOMl - OUFT.Ml - I'llTh - iM \M» - obot; - niirM>« - n\iu- T'lK-OI or .rSO «*vi»<'lielU'e of Music, Philadelphia, Dec. 28. . Modemaires' Campbell Soup I radio commercial option renewed 1 until next April, and the group 1 inked a two-year deal with Colum- bia Records . Al Porgie publishes I "When You Left Me," new tune be- ! ing worked on along with the same firm's "You're All I Want for Xmas". . .RGA^Victor handing gold watch awards to 853 25-year em- ployees Eli Oberstein back at work at Varsity Records after knee cartilage operation. . Chicago Sid Mills, of Mills PublishinR Co.. in from. Gotham, looking over : Ghi operations . . . Joe Whalcn, , former BVC Chi head, opening own i publishing firm , ; . . Mercury Rec- ■ ords is settling out of court with Frances Langford. Miss Langforrt sued Mercury for $5,000 for back royalties ;. . . .Leo Rojo, guitarist !, with Felix Martiniciue band at Buttery of Ambassador- West hoi pi. MORREY BRENNAN and His Orchestra Featuring ELMA OLSEN Currently HENRY GRADY HOTEL, ATLANTA, GA. left for L.A., with Armando ller- rero replacing . . . Art Kassel takes over his oreh again and goes into Melody Mill, Dec. 12 . . . King Cole Trio into Showboat, Milwaukee, Dec. 2, then to Oriental theatre, Chi, starting Dec. 9 . . . Ken Grif- fin, organist, set for one week at Lake Club, Springfield. 111., Dec, 10 . . .: Chi Symphony ended season with $166,000 deficit . . . Chi disk jocks Eddie Hubbard, Linn Burton, Dave Garroway, Two-Ton Baker and Rosemary Wayne at AGVA's hospital benefit,. Nov. 27 at Chi stadium . . . Tony Pastor starts a one-night tour in territory, Dec. 3 from Bloomington, 111. . . . Dick LaSalle's opening at Mayfair Room of Blackstone hotel is for indefinite stay . ;. Al Trace goes into Casa Loma ballroom, St. Louis, Dec. 3. . . Desi Arnaz, Ray McKinley, Leighton Nobe and Johnny Long arriving from both coasts for one- night tours in midwest . . . Sid Piermont, Loew's booker, in Chi -last week; looking over Burt Lan- caster at Oriental and Skitch Hen- derson at College Inn. for holiday show at N.Y, Capitol . . .'.lohnny i "Scat" Davis goes back to Silliou- I ette for two weekti, Dec. 28 . . . ; Sonny Dunham skedded for two weekends at Blue Moon, Witchita, {Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 . . Jimmy i Featherstone set for three month.s al Melody Mill, Dec. 15 . . . Tex Bencke will play the Dallas in- ! du.strial show Dec. 4-12 . . . Leigh- , ton Noble set for Edgewaler Beach I hotel Dec, 17 for a month . . . Bob I Tunison becomes disk jock Eddie ' Hubbard's man Friday . . . Duke [Ellington into Blue Note for an I all-time high ot $o 500 for the jazz i bistro . . Three Bla/es open at the 1 Pershing ballroom, Dec. 12. Pavilion Royal 11 . Continuta from f >f« M t [bardo did about four, and It was I during this span of years that he became interested in bo.ating, though at first only with a pleasant old cabin cruiser in which be used, to waddle around Long Island Sound prospecting hopefully for blueflsh. Even in the slKck winter season some pretty good people worked at the Pavilion. Playing one of his very first engagements there, for instance, was Charlie Barnet, who would grow embarrassed when the management would relay ei phoned wire from his mother in* sisting that he should be earefui to wear his red flannel underwear. A chubby arranger with Bert Bloclc was Axel Stordahl, who since has done well with a boy named Frank Sinatra. And so on and on. John & Christo were the team;, that ran it, along with Major Fos- ter. There were Sunday night shows, with Ethel Merman, Sophie Tucker, Alice Faye, Martha Raye, and just about everyone in shoW; business appearing at one time or another. It had perhaps even a slightly larger capacity than the huge planned 1,800 of the Casa Seville. Well, over 2,000 people jammed it the night the Democratic party I in the summer of 1932 there hon- I ored ; their candidate for pi-esident I of the United States— FDR, who ■ like another Democratic candidate who ran in 1948 didn't really hiiye a chance, according to the smart' ■money. The Pavillo^ Royal was a tre- mendous showplace and money- maker all through these last giddy years of post- War I prosperity, and well into the depression years also. It would be running yet, if it weren't for the bypassing of the Merrick Road as a tlirough high- way by better and newer thorough- fares—the Sunrise Highway, the beginning of the parkway system. No; We can certainly A^fish Gene Seville . and ; Lombardo every con- ceivable good ^fortune, and we do. But the Casa Seville won't be the first big spot, chronologically, on; the Island; not quite. : But how come I recall these de- j tails of other years?. Well, I vised to fall asleep, one block away, : to the music of Lombardo or White- man and the rest, when I was a small boy, For. you see, John Stein- ] berg was one of the owners of the j place — and my father. ... , : ;LaTr3/„SfeiOTberg LEVY BOYS WAKEY'S 3 OATUNE PUBBEIUES Hollywood, Nov. 30, Lou Ijevy has' purchased Jimmy Wakely'g three sage^tune music publishing companies. Mono Music, Fairway Music and Jimmy Wakley Music, for Leeds Music Corp. Bob Stern, coast publicist for Leeds, h-s been named to head the western and hillbilly department : of Levy's firms. Leeds now has 5,000 oatunes in its catalog. Freeman Heirs Nix Sale of Jobbing Firm Los Angeles, Nov. 30. Heirs of the late Morse M. Preeman have decided to hold on to the sheet music jobbing business left to them. One of the top music dispersal points west of Chicago,.' the organization had been souglit for purchase by Ashley Music, Carl Fischer and others. For • while. Freeman's heirs were on the verge of selling. Eastern publishers and jobbers were advised last week by wire that Harold L. Preeman, son of the founder, had been named president and that John J. Appf el will, con- tinue as general manager. Mrs. Edith Kritner remains as assistant manager and head of its music.' sales division, and Sara Hill retains her spot as head of pop music sales. THE GREATEST WESTERN SONG OF ALL TIME . Bob Nolan's Immortal COOL WATER (25 Rocords Available) AMERICAN MUSIC. INC. .' Gnret Romero, .Prof, Ust, >tO0 Sunwt BiTdi . 15}< BroadwnT Holb-wood 46, Cat New Xork, N. T. [Jolin Steinberg, ?ioto nianager of the Hillcrest Country Cluh, Beverly HiJls, only recently, and with justi- fiable pride;! apprised , V ar iet y t lia t ; /; is hoy Larry had just hung out his :, law shingle. His ex-partnor, John \ Christo, oions. an east :side~ tavern ', aird is;, d sale.?: e-recMtwe/tiuf^^ the ; Tromtner bi emery— r-Ed.l ; Feiitureil in M-G-M'e Bla Hit "DATE WITH JUDY" IT'S A MOST UNUSUAL DAY Music by, , . JIMMY MeHVGH ROBBINS Pittsburgh Charlie Spivak orch? opens two- week engagement at Bill Green's Friday (3) and Tommy Carlyn comes back the 17th with the Merry Macs . . . Eddy Organ's unit has replaced Stan Bailey three- some at Carlo's . . . Ernie Neif, or- ganist and WGAE announcer, had option picked up at the Sheraton Lounge . , . Duke Ellinerton con- certs at Syria Mosque Doc. 7 . . . Dick Smith's Miami Trio now pro- viding music for dancing as well as shows at Blue Ridge . . . Frances Gill, organist, checked in at Had- don Hall for run . v . Freddie Cor- tcz band into new Clover Club, for- merly Redd's Cafe . . . Barry Lane orch stays at Balconades until end of year. , Capitol Records' Divvies j Hollywood, Nov. 30 1 Oapitol Records has declared the I firsl dividend m Us six-year span on I the oonipanv'si common stock. A divvy of 20c a share will be made I Dec. 21 to stockholders on line be- fore Dec. 9. I In addition. Cap's director board marked off a regular quarterly I payoff of 65c a share on convertible i preferred, to be doled out as of [ Jan. 1 to those on record bv Dec^ 15. UNIVERSAL RECORD -JUST RELEASED "JUST ONCE MORE" . Bached with "DON'T EVER FORGET" JOAN BROOKS . ■.■and, ■ - . HI, LO, JACK AND THE DAME LAUREL MUSIC CO 1619 Broadway New York, N Y / RECORDED ;BYj the mills brothers, decca BUDDY CLARK, COLUMBIA • RAY ANTHONY, SIGNATURE BUDDY BAKER, EXCLUSIVE • THE FOUR GABRIELS, WORLD JOHNNY MOORE'S 3 BLA2ERS, EXCLUSIVE • ALSO RELEASED ON VARSITY. Niw York Offic* 941-543 SIXTH AVI.. HARRY WKINSTIIN LEON RiNI PUBLICATIONS ■ Holly wood Offlc* ' U72 SUNSET BLVD. IRVINO MASSIV Exclusive Managemenf ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORPORATION JOE GLASER, Pres. Now York Chicago i Beverly Hills 745 5th Ave. PI. 9-4600 203 No, Wabash I Mezz, Fl, Bsv.Wil. Hot. V^egday, December 1, 1948 V AVBBVIUJB 4S AGVA Capitulates to Musicians In Hfidwest Jui^ction Dispute Kansas City, Nov. 30. 4- The American Guild of Variety I Artists jurisdictional fight with the American Federation of Musicians has been temporarily settled and bands in Kansas City, Wichita, Omaha and Des Moines are again playing for acts in niteries. Settlement:, is temporary and was marked by. - a complete surrender by AGVA to the musicians union. According to peace terms. AFM rule that no musician need join any other union still prevails, and AGVA organizer Vincent Lee moves out of the disputed territory. Chi Fair Convention Draws 2^50 Delegates :■:■■■ (:; V ChiCago,;?Ndy..;5iO;^-,- ' Registration at the National Assn. of Public Parks, Pools, ihd Beaches and the International Assn. of Fairs dnd Expositions con^ Ventipjis :\yhich opened yesterday (29); has passed; last year's attend- ance with 2,250 dMeg^^ Although more exhibitors are 4 - jxrv„,.j present, buying is uncertain with ]^.^_^.^f.^*^"A^!f5_^l.?"c.5?,"f,?!^^^ on "if and when" basis. Bands in the name class are getting the brushoff with fairs shopping his spot was taken by Smiley Ilart from the Dallas office. The three-week old jurisdictional squabble was started by the status of a marimba player, Vera Claire ■MeNary, an AFM. member who was ' working a KC cafe. .• AGVA rep Lee Insisted she join the performers .union, and AFM local subsequently refused to permit its members to work with performers. Musicians union KC reps held to AFM presi- dent James C. Petrillo's edict that (Continued on page 46) Sati/Uoal Sow^ At iUe Piana JANIE MACK (Jane Mackle) Opened October 18th and held over indefinitely MERRY-GO-ROUND ROOM PARK PLAZA HOTEL ST. LOUIS composer of "I'M LAZY THAT'S ALL' recorded by PEARL BAILEY on Cotufflbio 38328 just rtlcaitd ptrtonol RIO AAAXINE CLARK •1 650 Broadway, Now York direction HARRY LAWRENCE 1650 Broadway. Now Yorii Trompo/iningfy Your» ~" PAUL & PAULETTE TRIO tOV COHAN, 20» N. WaUa«h, Ght<!iif(o Manny Opper that n«w comedion 80th Wtek Hollywood Shew Leunga Clilcagt Pan. Mat.: IRV .LEVIN W. A. S. Douglas from two of kit ai yof wiMod pagoi in kl» World War 11 Notobooki rtcailt hit "L«s« Visit with Ernie" and "A Visit with Denise" runntng tko gamut from Emit Pylt to tko Ho> 1 Can>Can danetr at tko MoHiln Rougo * * * an odiiorlal f •aturo In tko upcoming 43d Anniversary Number of for territorial orchg. Musical nut for most of the parks has been cut about oncrthird. However, act sal aries remain at par, ' > Bad Biz Floors LeDirectoire,N.Y, Le Directoire, N. failed to re- open Monday (26), following a long siege of dismal business. Swank spot suffered through in- ability to get click cafe attractions this season. Last year, Le Direc- toire was one of the most prosper- ous in New York, with Kay Thomp- son and the Williams Bros, com- prising the show. Operators Max Gordon and Her- bert Jacoby have a $2,500 bond with the American Guild of Variety Artists, which is sufficent to pay off performers' salaries. Vlvienne Segal, heading the show, was get- ting $1,000 weekly. Muriel Smith and Mata and Hart were also on the bill. Plans for Le Directoire's future operation are indefinite. There's some talk of attempting to get new capital into the venture. Sale of, the spot is also under discussion. The Blue Angel, also owned by Gordon and Jacoby, isn't affected by Le ■ Directoire's foldo, nor is the Village Vanguard, solely- owned by Gordon. Le Directoire is on the site of the defunct Cafe Society Uptown, which during its wartime heyday was one of the most prosperous operations on the east side. Barney Josephson, who operated CSU, is bonifacing at. Cafe Society Down- town. Talent Agencies Seek Bonanza In Cuban Vaude, Cafe Bookings Eleanor Powell Pacted For London Palladium Danny Kaye s NoY.RoxyDate Negotiations are on for Danny Kaye to play the Roxy theatre, N. y., sometime in January or February. Deal, still to be final- ized, calls for Kaye to play the house prior to his date the Pal- ladium, London, probably in April. Kaye is expected to make the trip after completing "Happy rimes" for Warners. Film was de- layed two weeks so that Kaye could appear at the recent "Com- mand Performance" at the Pal- ladium, London. Kaye will be given a guarantee and percentage, probably along the lines of tfiat just completed for Ar- thur Godfrey. The Godfrey deal, after two weeks of negotiations, struck a snag on the figure on which percentages : were to begin. Original discussions were for a $23,000 guarantee and overages on $110,000. However, Music Corp. of America, handling Godfrey, insist- ed on a lower breaking point. Com- promise was reached whereby guar- antee woiild be lowered to $20,000 and percntages would begin at con- siderably under $100,000. Godfrey will play house after Kaye. Details of the Kaye deal are still to be worked out between A. J. Balaban, R o x y t h e a t _r e head ; Sammy Rauch, house booker, and William Morris agency. He'll play the Roxy with the Gregory Peck I starrer, "Yellow Sky" (20th). f Talent agencies are making a heavy pitch for bookings in Cuba; Havana is expected to have QQe jSf the most prosperous' se)asi(>ni* ^B ' years because of added pl^ne serv- London, Nov. 30. |ice tfnd number of liners making • London, will open run to the island. As a result, entertainment spots in Havana are expected to reach their peak this year with the prob- ability that V. S. talent will bt used at the Teatro America, Teatro • Campoamor, TropicaHa club, Sana Souci and Casino Nacional. It's Palladium, its variety season Nov. 28 with Eleanor Powell topping the bill. Miss Powell was originally slated to play that house in March, but date was moved up. Val Parnell, head of tile Moss- Empire : circuit, which controls house, has commitments with Judy also expected that the Kirkeby ho- Garland, Frank Smatra, Dick Haymes, Dinah Shore, Betty Hut- ton, Jack Benny and Rochester, and Abbott .& Costcllo .to play future dates. Danny Kaye \vill play the Palla- dium in April. VaUee s $7^ At Latin Qnarter Rudy Vallee may play his first N,Y.^ cafe in many years at the Latin Quarter, N.Y., early January, following current run of Sophie Tucker. Deal, for $7,500 weekly, was made possible when Olsen & Johnson were unavailable. Pact is expected to be finalized at the end of the week. Borrah Mine- vitch's Rascals may co-headline on same show. E. M. Loew, partnered with Lou Walters in the LQ, left for Miami Beach Sunday (28) to confer with Albert "Papa" Bouche, who is ne- gotiating a three-year lease on the Latin Quarter there; Preliminaries have already been completed and no hitch is anticipated. Bouche, who at one time operated the Villa Venice, Chicago, will pay an aggre- gate $100,000 rental for the three years. tel chain will install talent at the Hotel Nacional. Ben Marden, owner of the Play- house, N. Y., and former operator of the Riviera, Ft. Lee, N. J., and the Colonial Inn, Hallendale, is re- ported operating the Casino Na- cional. Harry Kilby, General Artists Corp. veepee, now in Miami Beach, will take a trip to Havana" to line up bookings. Leon Newman of the Mark Leddy office planed down to Havana yesterday (Tues.) to sub- mit acts to the various spots. Talent agencies say that U. S. acts will be paid In dollars and all money, with the exception of a 6% tax by the Cuban actors union, can be taken out of the country. Abe Burrows pacted for Park Plaza hotel, St. Louis, Feb. 25. Mitzi Green set for the Copas cabana, N. Y„ Jaq, 12. JACK PARKER "THE JACK OF CLUBS" SWIFT TELEVISION SHOW WNBT, 8:30 Availabit Dee. i TOM niZPATMCK ALAN EDELSON EXITS HILDY FOR OWN AGCY. Chicago, Nov. 30. Alan Edelson, press-representa-; tlve and road manager for Hilde- I garde, resigned that post last week I to reopen his^ own. radio and tele- vision agency here. Parting with the chantobsey- and Anna Sosenko, personal Statler Hotels Back To Floorshows Again As Band Policy Flops The Statler hotel chain is con- | sidering a switchback to an enter- i tainment policy similar to the one , abandoned at the beginning of the i season. It's been reported that | business in the majority of the i chain's entertainment rooms has i dived considerably since talent was j dropped' in favor of society band ! policies. I The chain's new format will ; most likely be determined when a new entertainment director is ap- 1 pointed, Post has been vacant since i Martha Coppins resigned t wo months ago. | Return of the Statler chain to Hildegarde's personal manager, ^ . . . .„ ..^ „ was amicably affected in San Fran- ; enter ainm^^^^ constitute a Cisco where singer appeared at the Mark Hopkins hotel. Edelson, before joining Hilde- garde, did publicity in Chicago, i and ran a radio feature service which included a national football r forecast which is still on the air [on around 40 stations throughout I the country, Edelson plans to ex- pand these activities to include I video as well. . Stocking Shortage Hits Dublin Panto Producers Dublin, Nov. 23. Shortage of tights and opera hose are current headache of pro- ducers readying pantomimes for Christmas season here. None has considerable shot in the arm to dance teams and singers, which have been found most effective in these spots. Dance teams, particu- larly have been hard hit since the chain took to the band format. The chain operates rooms in Buffalo, Boston, Cleveland, Wash- ington and Detroit. TEXAS SPLIT WEEKS FOR 'WYNNUUGH CARNIVAL' San Francisco, Nov. 80. "Ed Wynn Laugh Carnival," cur- rent at the Curran, heads into Texas next month, on conclusion of local stand, to play a series of split-week bookings on the Inter- state Circuit. Deal with circuit head Bob O'Donnell waS set by been made here, or in Britain, ' p^ui gmall before he headed back , since before the war and slocks in j gg^t i,, ^^^^ jiter other intei-ests. theatrical costumers have been re- ^ Texas tour will open in San An- paired to the stage of being un- tj^jji^ Christmas Day and then pro- wearable. I ceed to Houston, Dallas and other' Government won't grant dollars cities, for import from U S., so leg paint i Emmett Callahan is due in this will have to cover the situation this week to take over as g.m., succeed- year. i ing George Oshrin, who returns to — — »New York for Small. Show, with «•„ T. nr„i*„ Pnramniint film- 1 Wynn, Phil Baker and Allan Jones, . ^""fiiVni^v ffrst c^fe date in probably will hit Los Angeles after lon;^"eir's'4en Kes^n^^^^^^^^ the Texas dates, and then head i^almet.House, Chicago. -April 14^ ..east. - iliMiili W'- DANNY BETTY HOCTOR BYRD CURRENTLY 4th WEEK COTILLION ROOM HOTEL PIERRE, New York opening December 15th ROOSEVELT HOTEL New Orleans GENERAL ARTISTS CORPORATION 46 VAVDBVIIJJS V«Jn«idiiy» December 1> ItMH Miami Beach Niteries Face Stiff Competition From Hotel Rhumba Spots Miami Beach, Nov. 30.- The Miami and Miami Beacli cafe owners are faoed witli formi* dable competition from a multitude of hotels in the area. For the 'first time hotels are going in for Mclfi Vice Fox at A0VA Vito Aielfl has bWn moved up from we ^Philadelphia ^ratich of the American Guild of Variety Artists as isi' temporary replacement for Dave Fox, former AGVA east-r erh regional repi'esentalive who till ui * ^ 1 1 - resigned. Melfi's place in Philly holds Lave the problem of making ^a^'taken by Fred Nerritt, former the dirmg rooms pay off, many „f Boston AGVA office, will attempt to lure their own pa-) victor Rocco, AGVA organizer tronagt', as well as those of smaller , yov)!i, and Dorothy Collins, hotels-, With Latin outfits. | coordinator of the N. Y. branch, It's expected that the majority j also tendered their i-esignations of the large night clubs will be ' la.st week. rhumba dance sessions on a large . hurl to some extent by the Latin band ' invasion. A comparatively scale.: It's- expected that the gen- erally lower prices prevailing in the inns will cut heavily into the cafe patronage. For example, the Saxony hotel has already signed the Pupl Campo band; Other hotels are following suit by 'installing Latin combina- tions to entice the dance crowd. In fact; Giro's, a cafe which fea-i tured names for many seasons, has decided not to buck the competi- tion offered by rhumba bands and win operate on a music policy only. - Miami Beach hotel ; operators are taking a cue from several N. Y. liitenes which:, have been ; able to eel along nicely on the strength of tlieir rhumba bands. Inasmuch, as the majority of the.' JANE: JOHNSON small number of vacationers are able to afford the steep tariffs in the c.?f£s. and any loss of those customers to the hotels wlU ^ felt. FRANKIE LAINE IN 3G PLUS SPLIT FOR LA. Hollywood, l*fov. 30. Frankie Laine has been Inked to return to Cocoanut Grove of Am- bassador hotel April 16 for four frames at $3,000 guarantee plus split over $5,000 realized from covers; each week. Leighton Noble's band, current at Biltmore, N. Y., will backstop at flat $2,250 weekly. AFM Buries Hatchet For Chi AGVA Benefit Chicago, Nov. 30, 0.&J.toStage '49 CNE Show Toronto, Nov. 30. Board of the Canadian National Exhibition formally approved re- turn of Olsen & Jolmson to stage the grandstand show at next year's annual two-weeks' exposition. Pos- sibility is that the famed: Calgary Stampede will also be incorporated in tlie proposed spectacle. Taking on the grandstand show for the first time this fall, Olsen it Johnson revue grossed $365,000 at the C.N.E,, with 24.000-seater grandstand scaled at $2 top for the 14-night run. In view of C.N.E; topping all records in its 69 years' history (paid admissions totaling 2;612,000) , expo's running time in 1949 may be extended to three weeks instead of previous custom- ary two. according to Elwood AGVA Capitulates, Continued from par* « ; no musician need join AGVA to work in th« entertainment field. AGVA Fean Petrlllo Griib . Several members of thie Ameri- can Guild of Variety Artists na- tional board will seek to continue the fight with the American Federa- tion of Musicians. . It's held that the terms of the "surrender at Kansas City'' paves way for AFM head James C. Petrillo to grab off the performers* union In slices., It's held that unless Petrillo is stopped immediately, there will be no actors' organization lii a few years. ■ In New York, Dewey Barto de-. clared that the matter can be set^ tied peaceably. He will attempt to contact Petrillo through Local 802 officials in the hope of affecting settlement of tlie issue. However, some ijoard members feel that following the Kansas City settlement, no compromise favor- able to AGVA can be reached^ It's ■AmeActCt Foremost Marimbist Despite current battle between ' Hughes, C.N.E. general manager. American Federation of Musicians j ■ ■ - ■: : and American Guild of Variety | Artists in the midwest, AFM mu- i nvn DACTAM DCCTADCC sicians played for the AGVA bene-i RIVU, DUOlUll, IVCOlUIICO fit at Chi Stadium Sat. eve (27). Benefit for hospital and welfare fund was first ever staged by an AGVA local, according to Jack Irvin, AGVA exec. sec. AFM head James C. Petrillo in- formed the Chi musicians «mon i-,,vins will hi. heaHpd hv Hplpn Friday (26) that they would bel^*"""S wiu De headed Dy Helen STAGESHOWS DEC. 24 RKO theatre, Bo.ston, will play its first stageshow for tlie season Dec, 24 with Miclcey Rooney top- ping the bill. New Year's show fol- " 3/ allowed to play for Sat. night's benefit. Prior to Friday, per- formers did not know whether or not they would get musical accom- paniment. . Forrest and King Cole with Helene & Howard and the Martin Bros. Hou.se has been on a straight film policy because of difficulties with tlie American Federation of Musicians wtiich insisted on a mini- GEORGE GUEST JUST CLOSED BROWN HOTEL T|»nki to Ray LyU iinil Chntu Lurch HELENE and HOWARD CLUB DATES AND TELEVISION Dir.! MATTY ROSEN : V _i i Imum of ■ 20 weeks during the Chi AG V A Benefit Raises [season, compromise was reached 9?;r fAi- TTnenitsil Fiinrl guaranteed 10 weeks ^Oli ror MOSpildl -f unu tm-ough the year but will try to Chicago, Nov. 30. [provide more playing time as more American Guild of Variety Art- ] attractions become available. . Ists Chi branch held a benefit last Saturday (27), for its hospitaliza- 1 , , « tion fund. Star-studded revue , 'Hnliitav nn Ira Amaclt brought in over $25,000. | nOllOay Ott ItC Smibtt Gus Van, AGVA prexy, who at- tended, is thinking of giving a series of shows in other cities to aid the fund. Roily Rolls to Paris Paris, Nov. 30. Roily Rolls, pianistie comedian, is slated here for the ABC vaude- revue, next spring. Mitty Goldin has just booked him. Rolls has a Canadian concert tour ■ and a Miami Beach' (Brook Club) I ongagemen( in America, followina ] Jiis current N.Y. date until Christ- I mas at the Hotel St. Regis' Mai- I sonette room. $140,000 in Toledo Toledo, Nov. 30. "Holiday on Ice," at the Sports Arena, Nov. 18-28, including three: matinees, grossed a- smash $140,000 ( including taxes ^ compared with $125,000 when the show appeared for tlie same length of time last year. Show was scaled to $3.60. BRITISH COMIC FORMBY MULLING CANADA TRIP Glasgow, Nov. 23. George F orm by, Lancashire, comedian, talked here about : pos- sible trip next year, witli wife Beryl, to Canada. Formby returns to dates in Sweden: after pantomime at: Liver- pool. He ended vaudeville tour at Empire here, meeting hundreds of requests for ■ old ukelele favorites like ' Mr. Woo," "Cleaning Win- dows" and "Leaning on a Lamp- i post . (at the corner of the street)." Most recent pictures, he says, didn't do him justice, and he: has no pla ns for ■ return to screen work. pointed out that AGVA lost its first chanca of settling issue in its favor when it did not fight Petril- lo'i abrogation of an old agree- ment, under which musicians who worked as singers or dancers in stage and cafe presentations could join AGVA. It's also alleged that AGVA further retreated when it failed to battle Petrillo on his de- mand that harmonica players must also join the AFM. Prior to that ukase; musicians union refused to recognize the harmonica as a mu- sical instrument. The board members declare that the way is open for Petrillo to make further inroads into AGVA. Once lie establishes his jurisdiction over band vocalists, comics and dancers from band ranks, Petrillo can demand that all performers join the AFM if union musicians are to back them. Once that hap- pens, AGVA's career is ended. The board members declare they'll wage a fight to bring: the issue before the American Federa- tion of Labor council. Failing that they'll enlist the services of the Federal Mediation Board or if necessary, the Secretary of Labor. Wally BOAG iSO Performances in VAL PARNELL'S "STARLIGHT ROOF" London Hlppodremo STAGE . . . "Clever novelty — danen in fine stylt eiiaiiining •tag* personality," : A.URRICA: Mnrk J. Xeddr LONDONi Charles Taokci MIAMI BROOK CLUB SET Miami Beach, Nov. 30. Eddie McCune is slated to open tiie Brook club here around Jan. 15 on a name acts and band policy; Spot will again be managed by Nat Harris, operator of the Harem, N. Y. Saranac Lake ■ By Happy: Ben way: : • : Saranac, N. Y., Nov; 30, The Will Rogers hospital lost its liospital aura on Thanksgiving Day, ^\hen steward Frank Kaplan left i no stone unturned in making the holiday banquet and dinner one that will be long remembered by the patients. , .Eugene (Legit) Heed, who mas- tered the Broncoscophy operation, upped her for film shows,. The Birches has added amateur nights and the Howard Marshall Tiio to lure biz. Nitery is now under management of Frank Par- sons, Joe (UA) Phillips, who is doing a nice comeback, all agog over surprise visit from his sisters Frances and Tomniie Phillips, who planed in from N.Y.C. Cliarles Kaufhold joined the up- for-meals gang after recuping from operation at the general hospital;: William Morris, Jr, planed in to spend Thanksgiving with his mother, Mrs. William (Mother) Morris, at Camp Intermission on Lake Colby. Greetings and thanks to Joe Mc^ Carthy, exec of the Theatrical Protective Union, for the novels shot in to the Rogers gang. (Write; jto ,th9S<^ whp, nrp. UU National AGVA Regains Control of Philly Local Philadelphia, Nov, 30, The three-year flglit for control of the American Guild of Variety Artists in Philadelphia ended last week (24) with an agreement be- tween attorneys for. the national union and Philadelphia Local No, 6, Under the terms of agreement, whiciv was approved by Judge Harry S. McDevitt, of Common Pleas Court, the officers of the local headed by Dick Jones, prom* ised to. vacate offices in the Shu- bert Bldg. and turn over all books, records and assets of the local to Gus Van, prexy of AGVA. Irving R. Segal, counsel for na- tional AGVA, stipulated that in re- turn tor the agreement a suit brought against Jones and the i local would be withdrawn. ' i COMEDY MATERIAL For All Branchas of Thtatrlealt FUN-MASTER "Th* ORIGINAL SKsW-Bix Gog Rl*'' Net. 1 to 22 @ $1.00 •ach |Ord*r In SaquMce OniyJ. SPECIAL: Th* First 13 FIIm for $8.00 ! I ! • DirFERENT BOOKS OF PARODIES (10 In e«cl> Bosk) $10 per Book Send 100 for Iltiti of other romrdy mfiterlnl,' uouirfi; pnrodies, mlQBtral pntter, blnck-outs. etc; NO C.O,I>,'S PAULA SMITH .too .W.: 64ih Street, N«w York It Boswell's 4G in Buffalo Connee Boswell goes into the Town Casino, Buftalo, Monday (6) for one week at a salary Of S4,000. Singer plays the spot annually, butj as a rule, on a longer term; However,- Miss Boswell never works near or over the holidays. . NAOMI STEVENS "CHANTS WITH A CHUCKLE" HELD OVER Until Dee. T4th RALEIGH ROOM HOTEL WARWICK NEW YORK Walttr Winclicll loyt: "Things i lili«! Th* Deep Rivw ■oyt' Victor plotftr of 'Racow in Hoovta'." Currently CLUB BAGATELII NHW YORK All :MnJor Network!,; Thcatrci and Clubi,i U. 8, and Caimd* BOA r VICTOR rAVORIT.Et 1 BOYS i niri-riioi;— KO KIBKEBT. RKO PaUdlil*, New Tork M. N.». Clrale d-iSBB VALDO and PRINCESS PAT MENTAL MAGIC AT ITS BEST Walter Winchell Says:— "Vaido and Prinetss Pat Startle." Per. Mgt.; MAX TiSHMAN. 1674 Broadwoy. New York Vcdweadayt December 1, 1948 PTSSBTf 47 House Reviews Boxy, X. Y. ; Micfcei/ Roonei/, Rosorio & An- tonio, Borroh. Mineuifch Hamonico Unseals. Arnold S/iodo, Joon Hyl- «jo/ti Audrei/ Dcardon, H. Leopold Spitolny ■ chorus, Roxycttes, Powl AsJi House Orch; "When My Baby Smiles At Me" (20th)) revietoed in Variety Wow. 10, '48. The Roxy's presentation is fre- quently: colorful and exciting even If the show doesn't hold up all the way. The major letdown, surprising- ly enough, is headliner Mickey Rooney. The filmster has been ill- advised to use material aimed at sophisticates while retaining his youthful exuberance that charac- terized him throughout his scfken, career. The combination doesn't work out. The general run of Rooney fans would have preferred to see him in the song and instrumental ■ Work which clicked on his former Ih-person stints; The sophisticated commentary on the career of* Andy ■Hardy ■ seems •■ out of . place from Rooney. It's not to^ material at ; that, the laughs written into the verbiage are over the head of the type audience attracted to him in- asmuch as he's the kind of draw that brings in the younger trade. However, Rooney's appearance Isn't a total loss. His clowning with the Borrah Minevitch Harmonica Rascals has some rewarding chuckles. His antics with Johnny Fuleo brings out the qualities usu- ally associated with Rooney, thus providing the best part of his ap- pearance. The R&scals, as per usual, are of hit proportions in this house. Sparked by Puleo's superior pan- tomime, the group provides hearty laughs. The harmonica playing is a secondary consideration, inas- much as whatever tunes are started ■ are soon interrupted by Puleo's comedy. There's no audience com' plaint on that score.: The most colorful part of the ? how is by Rosario and Antonio. ;his flamenco team, equally flashy In concert work as in the presenta- tion houses, performs its class terping in an applause winning manner. Routines are as commer- cial aS' they are artistic, combining color, rhythm and fine routining, The Roxy production further en- hances their offerings. Tlie ice-show sequence offers ad- ditional flash with Arnold Shoda and Joan Hyldoft displaying form In their solo duet work. Production centers around the "Mile. Modiste" i acore with Audrey Deardon pro- viding the vocal solo and the Phil Spitalny chorus giving, hearty back- ing. Jose.- ment of its theme, then an excel- lent writing of !'Love For Sale," spotlighting a fine Harry Betts trombone bit, and a combination of alto, tenor, trombone and trumpet, for the finale, Kenton uses his widely known "Peanut Vendor," but doesn't build it to enough of a climax, the band, gets a shot midway and works over her worn out- "How High the Moon" and a rather un- satisfying version of "I'll Remem- ber April." Raul and Eva Reyes, one of the brightest of the Latin dance teams, and a standard act, work up front immediately after the band's open- ing pair of tunes. Act hasn't changed and neither has the reac- tion from the audience, which always is good. Red Buttons, one of the newer comics from the same school that has- graduated a number of laugh men (they all use the same gags, inflections, delivery, etc. ) never- theless does a nice job. He gets going on a good note with a "kiddie psychology'-; bit, followed by a routine based on readings from a school autograph book. Finale is a bit depicting a German nitery emcee doing various takeoffs. It's good, particularly the closing "sub- marine commander'' bit. Wood. Scoli^r Comic Despite Handicaps On Show for Veterans Harry Gordon, Scotch comic, Who is 6ne of the top names in his native he«th, and in the U. S. for ii sieries of^experlmental book- ings,; c^ii make si considerable dent T - _, . , ... „ . ,on American audiences under June Cliristy, jazz" singer with : proper auspices. His folksy Scotch Ulasie Hall, N. Y. Music Hall Symph ( Alexonder Smallens, director; Jules Silver and Anton Coppola, associate con- ductors) ,Theron Troupe (8), Hal Le Roy, Glee Club, Rockettes, Rob- ert Hayden, Ben Bert, Rabana Has- burgh, Nornum Thomson, Corps de Ballet; "Hills of Home" (M-G), re- viewed in Variety Oct. 6, '48. Current show at the Music Hall is more or less in the vaudeville idiom, a departure from tlie usually heavy production shows here. The vaude is emphasized by the pres- ence of such performers as the Theron cycling troupe, the peren- nially juve-ish Hal Le Roy with his tapstering, and Ben Beri, with his always surefire "comedy juggling, ; - The three acts, perhaps, create a nostalgia for the vaude heyday, the production backgrounding, in- cidentally, carrying out the vaude idea, too, with asbestos curtain in "one," etc. It's the variety portion humor, as native to that cpuntry as Pinch bottle and haggis, needs a broader base for American audi- ences. His recital at the Scottish War Veterans of America dance at Lost Battalion Hall, Elmhurst, N. Y., was hardly the proper getting for his type of work. Whenever there's a dance-hungry mob of youngsters sitting: in uncomfortable seats, it's not likely that even Sir Harry Lauder could elicit proper re- sponse. The hall itself isn't con- ducive to joyous presentation, Built as a memorial to World War 1 dead, the murals depicting grisly battle scenes aren't helpful in in- ducing hilarity. Acoustics were such that those in the rear of the hall; could barely hear him. Again, Gordon was surrounded by a bill made up mainly of aver- age dub-date acts. The air of class that should go with his American debut was . missing. A foremost Scotch comic should not have to follow a xylophone act of Gus Sun time vintage. That Gordon pleased the majors ity of the crowd under these handi- caps proves his stature as a per- former.. Fortunately, there was a sizable number of Scottish oldsters present that got the full flavor of his efforts. He got a rousing recep- tion at. entrance and continued with full applause into his Scotch comedy numbers. His skits depict- ing the golfer from the mythical village of Inversnecky and his characterization of the oldest stu- dent there, are examples of good folk-humor. He winds up stint with impersonations of a beldame, and. a cook at a 6anteen; . Gordon's work is expert and within the limits of his framework, he's probably the top Scotch comic around. But yet^he's not a Sir Harry Lauder, who is still fondly remembered as . one who tran- scended the limits of Scottish dialecticians to become a humorist of international proportions, r William Morris, Jr., head of the VARIETY BILLS WEEK OF DECEMBER 1 Komcralt In. conoec'tlon with blllfi below Indlcat* opening ait;^ ol •tiow " wMlior-tuU or <|>U( .week,'. ■. Lettw la parcnthcm hMUciitei olrciitt; Momi ~ ~" Stollt (W) Waniort (WB) Walter Read* m Paratnonttti (M) BKOt (S) too, that helps give the Music Hall's 1 william Morris acpnov still ni.r-r-ani' hill ifc haef T>iin/>li ' ivioiris agcncy, Sllll Paramount, IV. Y. Slon Kenton Orch (20) loitli June Christy; Raul & Eva Reyes, \ Red Buttons i Nellie Lutcher, "Miss Tatlock's Millions" ( Par ) , reviewed in Variety, Sept. 15, '48. current bill its best punch.: The Theron troupe socks over strongly, paced by a Groucho MarX- esque character. They have all the stunts down pjat : 'on the assoi-ted- sized cycles, with the comedy char- acter, of course, coining in for the major attention; Le Roy does his forte in a col- legiate setting, in which he coines on with the . glee Club^ Then he does his intricate taps, and no mat- Miss I ter where one is sitting in the vast "Music Hall, liis fine ''- — always projects, fuses to believe that Lauder will not make a grand farewell U. S. tour. As it stands now, Gordon is a good trailer. Jose. . Stan Kenton's orchestra makes a concession to the "squares" who pay the freight on this, his wily theatre date of' a long concert tour on which he plays nothing that smacks , of commercialized melody. Fortu- nately, Kenton and his men derive heavy jazz kicks out of Latin tempos and the bandmen use them here to advantage for both tliem- selves and the customers. ■ ; With Nellie Lutcher, one of the bright- est of tile new recording names, and Raul & Eva Reyes and Red Buttons rounding it out, the show runs off as entertainment from all angles warbling. Backed by bass aiid guitfil'j they do slick: harmonizing, oh "Oh; She's Pretty." / "Walking With My Shadow" "Four Leaf Clover" and other items for solid, response. Babe Lawrence, male stepping ■ hoofer, clicks in his imaginative „ , j^^,„ ! routines, topped by his "Concerto Beri's iugglitig, intermixed with i in Taps" for rousing sendoff. his split-timing, suavity and neat i Jacquet's lads cop the sh9W in sense of comedy, never fails to closing spot with their torrid ar- click with any audience. His pieces |rangements that take on the sem- of business are still especially , blance of a bebop concert. ' Unit whanimo consists of tliree rhythm, two saxes. Other 'notable features are the two trumpets and trombone They Roekettes, in their standard but '-epHse several pf their Virtor always surefire precision slcpping: disks, with ' Robin s Nest and Try the glee club in their collegiate -^Te One More Time Baby stand- songs; and Rabana Hasburgh and j o"ts that ro ck the house , JEdbo. Norman Thomson, with the corps I ;— NEW YORK CITY c«pitoi (L) a .lane Powell.: S & F 9»rry tloey AOants Mark Plant Tony Canzonerl Sliep FielUs . Orc Music Hall tl) 1 Hal Le Hoy Norman Thomson Rabana Hasburgh .. , Tcron Trp Adrian Ik Charly nockettei ~ Corps de Ballet Glee Club Sym Ore Mramount (P) 1 Stan Kenton Bd ' Nellie Lutcher Red Bxittons R & E Rpyea Roxy (DM Mickey Rooney : Rotario :& Antonio Minevltch's Rascals Joan Hyldoft : Arnold Shoda : Strand (W) I Frankle Carle Ore Tim Herbert Giselle It Francois Szonyl: AMSTERDAM Rlalto (WR) 1-4 Tannos .Toe Alien Sully Thomas r , 3 Fontaines ; BALTIMORE HIppodroma (I) I Hammond's Blrda Gary Mortoti M; Raye & Naldl Slata (l> ^-4 V The. Delmars Adele Farrish .Tim Reynold! Sliooting . Mansfields i-t Tripp Sc Fall .Timmy Burrell Morey & Eaton B Carlell &^ Rost .CAMDEN :: ' Tewars (I) 3-S Mario Francisco Ralph English Shy Sis JackUyFarrell :Roberts Sis ft . White cmcACo Chicago (P) 1 .Terry Colonna Pled Pipers : .Tohnny Morgan Chadwicks Orlanlal (1) 1 Burt Lancaster Nick Cravath ,TuUe Wilson Bob Hall Sol Grauman Go Carl Sands Ore ■ CINCINNATI Albae (R) a Dick Haymes Salici's Puppets Church 'ft llalc Gil Maison Dick BuclUey HARTFORD Stata (I) 3-) Inkspots Boyd Raeburn Ore Danny Drayson Dewey Sis KINOSTOM ' ■'way (WR) 3-4 Plero Bros Valdo ft Princess • ■ Pat . ■ ■ ■. Lou Brown Alan Jenkins Co - Alston ft Young ; MIAMI Olvmpia (P) 1 ;: Kay ft Karol Catron Bros Bobby Breen Barnf^v Grant Kemm.vs PATERSON MatesMc (■) 1-* Carlton ft Del Ernie Morris Boyd Heath 6aIIy, Marr . Ladd Lyon 4-1 P Lawrence ft Mllzi Boyd Heath Flauretta ft Co . Julia Cummings Vico ft Aillo PERTH AMBOV , MalasHc (WR) 1 ■■ only- Piero Bros Valdo ft Princess Fat Lou Brown Alan Jenkins Co Alston A. Young PHILADELPHIA Carman (I) I 3 Danwoods Sonny . Spai'ka 3 'Londons (one to mi) READINO Raiah (I) 1-4 MaJ Bowes Winners ROCKFORO Palaca (I) 3-5 Betty Mc(iUire < Andrews Sis Lady Frances Betty Jane Moore (one to fill) SARAT06A Cenaress (1) : 4 only Piero Bros Volda ft Princess : ■: Pat ,„■, Lou Brown : Alan Jenkins .CO: ; Alston ft Young SPRINGFIELD ' Court Sq (U a-S Vico ft Adio Date'SIs."- Strut Flash Duke Art ft Jr Black ft Dundee Philharmonica 3 .' , WASHINCTON : Capitol (L) 2, Cathalas Leon Navarro B ft J Kean R ft F Stuart Howard (I) I Lionel Hampton ' O Reds ft Curly Moreland ft Murray Shorts Davis Bt^die Reindeer (>a.ston Palmer . ICrista ft Kristel K. Komedy Kirks WOOD GREEN Empire (S) If Issy Bonn : Petersen Bros' Kemble Bros T ft D Kendall : Francanas Jack Kelly Co F WhUeley Co Sambo, CabaUero* Cabaret M& NEW YORK CITY BBITAIN de ibaUet,: in a Romany pr.pduction finale v that'is reminiscent of other | Music Hall settings but still color- ful, eittertaining and a : sharp change " of, pace;: froih the eariierl part of the show, ■;■.'.■■■■:..:: :v' ' '■■■'• ( . As- alway.s, .: the production by 1 Without Miss liUtcher, things Leon Leonidoff is in excellent taste. Capitol, Wash. Washington, Nov. 28. Jack Parher, Lester Cole & Debs, Gene Sheldon, Helene & Howard; "Three Godfathers" (M-G). might have been different. She in lects the sparkle that puts bright life into the proceedings. I'aste- fully gowned, the stylist rams liome • group of her hottest disked num- Current ]a>'Out is about, average J. . , Cor house, nicely paced - and well Kahn. j balanced, with sock appeal j wrapped : up in headliner Gene 1 Sheldon.- ■ ■'■„■'.■ Sheldon, pantomine comic, liter /Uiuois Jacqxict Baud (8), K"'f/ ' aljy stops the show with his slick iiim. A, - Rimmer Sisters, iBabe < ^ ' - She tees off with | Laujrcncp, Spider Bruce & Co., Hot a o Lips Page 'Band (12) mth Evelyn j^^^^ ^ f^,, ^^^^ clowning Collins; "Speed to Spare 'PflU, ^^^^ ,1;^^^, appreWationmhep ^ban- second . part,; Slieldpn Lbref'ta Fisher, . who bers, solidly backed by Kenton's ' Oiimii *, Rimner Sisters BabP j t.ming "and appealing inanities. "Hm-r? On^Down/''and"hen '^et - ■XP!?i'".?;"'^f...l^S:'',„Vf ' Fir..t half of act is a banjo solo. Me Love You Tonight," "He's a Real Gone Guy," "Fine Brown Frame," and "Alexander's Rag- time Band," her latest That the sparks ina,1ority of these tunes are based , ApoUo lllinoi.s .racquet's big little band ^In the »'l-sepia bill at the i |,a„d,es t,,e stooge chore smoothb. N. v., for curicnt sesh ji^p i^pj,^ ^jg^iing pha^p angles. running lime and rates top attention. lli.(s make Kenton's combination Is one ot , Page's combo, comprising three ^ pgnls, coat too ,s))ort the few name bands that retain , rhytlm, five .^axes thi'ee ti-ombones a;,^ too wide, )-ag oai-cd hat— cre- lieavy bra,ss sections. He's got 10;and tlirce Irumpcts oiicliiding in(. ^t^.s the chaiiictcr of lovable clown. trumpets and trombones ripping 'maestro) back proceedings in nc awav, backed by five sax and five style and also sock over a lew ni rhythm. It's a precision-foi-mation ' nings on theii* own. iney tec ( it that depends completely on its un-jwilli sizzling arrangement ot ye- usual mu.sical attack for stage ! locity'' lo set thinp lor the R nui e^^^ showmanship (excepting (he unin- ' Si.slcrs. personable tcan who \\i tentional angles in the waving of appreciation w.th a b -ice ot lap Kenton's huge arms in d.reclinfi). routines. Eve yn Co' bu.xom Right down the line, Kenton malics band vocalist, docs neatly on a nov- to which Sheldon consistently lives concessions to nothing but straight elty ""miici' "^^''^f' , * " they df mu.sic, nicely colored and well-pcr- • Hide t-meflJai- •se.'jh,* wttr -aceeni -on tne Lester Cole and his quartet are sniarlly pre.sented. Cole's cliores (Oohtirfued 6ii 'pafeeM8)* " BIRMINGHAIM Hippodrome (M) ; M HelUapoppin D ft J O'Gorman Waller D Wahl Bill Hall 3 Beryl Seton 3 Monarchs ■ Brian Kent ■ Helen Darmora ' BRADFORD , Alhambra (M) It Jose Moreno-.: Co Derelc Hoy Bona Ricardo Peggy Cochrane Terry Hnll Kcfi Rartcliffe . ,S ft M Harrison AnneU ft - Brask O'Doyie Bros' & .■..lean ■ BRIGHTON.: . Hippodrome (M> It, Anita ■ Anne Shelton Krandon A Kama Frantc Marlowe Bill Waddington Buster Shaver Co Arthur Worsley Dick Benlley Hex ft Bessie . CARDIFF New (S) i* Ted Heath Oic B Wright ft Marion D Philippe ft Mar.ta Nornian. Carroll Tanner Sis S:Marie ft Paul ,).iclc Muldoon ♦ CHISWICK Empire (S) J» E ft n Waters ■ Donald Peers Biilv nusscll ■■2. PLiyboys Dai^^ie Bros MocDoniild ft ■ Graham TeiTv O'NciU FINSBURY PARK Empire (M) W Noi-m.in Evans . . K t F King swan I,,eiKh Ula'dcllite'' ft : Kay M & (- .Gray . AUst.in ft Worth . . GLASOOW' Emoire (M) 1» F. &. I Paul (hill lie Kun/ KewmHti Twins . (':,i-vll & MiiiKlv N Mta ft Dody .Muni'o ■. O'Dtin-y Bros { \nLlii.i ft (Jla'lys HACKNEY Empire (S) M T,i Ita «!.h Boom Franliio Howcrd Adrietvne ft Leslie Morg.-'n ft Boyle . irvinp ft Oiidwood i John Watts : :; I LEEDS I Empire podr6me (W): 1* jtlaurice Chevalier Palladiiim (M) 2* Cheerful Charlie Chester Co John Boles •, Colstons ' ZorlS" ■ '■,'', .Slcatirig Ilyles ; Beatrice & .Benedict : 'Warren. I.atOha ft Spai'ltes ,Tean Inglis' France -CJery MANCHESTER HIppedrAme (It 1* G II Ellloit :Gertie.: Gitana. ' Nellie Wallace Ella Shields Hamlolph SuUon Talbot :Q'FaiicU BUly Danvers , . NEWCASTLE Empire (M) 2» ' Frank; itahdlo .. . \ 'Gus Aubrey ■ .■ iSen-Warf^ii' Trp . ■ Hcl Swain Cd I ..; ; :Kital SKearcr ; A J Powers .fohn ISotJeiv Miirirfalav .Sin'Kcfs , NOTTlNftHAM Empire :M Charlie Drew --Hotel Warwick Irving Fields Ore La Martinique Gypsy Rose Lee-: Dave Barry \.. Ltbby . Dean Senor Carlos Morty Rf>id Ol'<! ; Jack Lopez .Ore : Latin Quarter . Sophie Tucker Ted Shapiro Landre ft Verna Step. Bros Tommy Trent June Graham Richard ' Darey Miriam Gwynne . Ruth Webb Wlnton Frankel Eddie MichaeU: Dick Grayson Prominadera Vine . Merlin Ore. B Harlow Ore ke Ferroquer : Hugh Shannon Marvin Haymer. Le Ruban Bleu '^ Connie Sawyer Adelaide Hail Will Jordan : ■ Raymond Chase Julius Monk : Nermann Paris S Leon A Rddle'i Eddie Davis Art Waner Ore . Narda Carl Conway Rlehard Bsin Graham Sis ' AUan ft Noblea Shepard : Lina : Oldv Roumanian Sadie. Banks Johnny Howard Sandra Kirlay Bella Smaro Joe LaPorte Ore D'Aquila Ore Panthouia Franklin ft Moore . ■ Royal RootI: . Ella Fitzgerald-. ■ Lester Young ••■ Ray Brown 3 T Dameron Ore Savannah Martha Short Hot Shots Tops ft Wilda Nata ft Rava Phyllis Branch Lou Dixon, Ore Spivy's Wade Donovan Roslynd Lowe. . .Spivy VarsalllM Edith Plaf Bob Grant Ore Panchito Ore Village Barn Capt, Stubby Ore Shorty Warren Ore Harold Barry Piute Pete Village Vanguard Dolores: Martins ' ' Will Jordan Cyril Haines 3 Waldorf-Astoria Eddie Duchin Or« Margaret Phclan McCarthy ft: Farrell Misuha Borr Ore CHICAGO BUCI«l3wK . Shci-man Hayes Ore ]>cl Welcome - Bob K'arl Nancy Bell ' Hotel Bismark R^V Blanco <^ermaine ft Roger •B»i-mc Cummins O ' Hsisfngs : Jolinny Beits ' Ralph Lewis M O'.Shaughncssy Mad ' Cap-s: : . . Andy Nelson O (4) H Edqewaier Beacn Del Courtney Ore Valvullane. Peijgy Taylor 3 Marianne FIdele Bcttv Gray I'l-i'slon Lambart D ilild Dancers (12) Chei Paree Harvey .Stone 'ilie Vagabonds : Grai-ic Barrie : p Franks ft .Tanyce AUor.ihlcs (10) 0 Davidson O (11) J Kodrlciucz Ore Sherman Hotel S Henderson Ore. Jim. Amcche ". , -.' Kermit ft CMorla ' George To/ii Nancy Reed .. Andy Roberts - '. . ■ Hotels Stevtns^ ■. Fiankic Masters O Phyllis Mylcs ■ Tommy :T.rayrtor NcU :Rosc .lean Arlcn Meryl Baxter '. Kkating Ulvdears : Bog Turk Bill Kccle Jcannic Souk d'harle.-) ft Lurilla Jerry Rchdeld , Manuel Del Voro ■ Elwood Carl Palmer House ■ Barclay AlJen (J Larry AdJcr M Abbott Dcrs (10) Paul Draper Blackstone- . .- Larry Storrht ' Nype ft Cole Dick La Salle Ore Vina Gardens Mel Cote Ore Joey Bishop Vince Carson 4S IVIGHT €I.IJB REVIEWS Wednctsdajr, Dctieml^r If 1948 Maisonette, N. Y. (HOTEL ST. REGIS) Rollv Rolls; Milt Shaw Laszio & Pepito orchs; ?1.50-$2 mover. tha star's popularity as welt MS the entertainment's merits, is prov* „„j|inK successful, follows the usual pattern and, lilte its predecessors, provides a full measure of audi- ence enjoyment. The -revue' builds around a> ceh- (ral idea of holiday seasonal events Wlien Roily Rolls first hit Anier lea, just before tl»e war, lie inv , . .- i pressed as a polite personality for I that ties the various numbers to- the class bistros, judging by his de but at the now lamented Rainbow Room in New Yorlc. Since then the French pianistic comedian has piclced up a lot of savvy, has ex- tended his orbit beyond the plitsh saloons, has proved himself In such divergent media as the massive. Roxy and on Texaco's television. But; bacic again in a class cafe, Rolls repeats his impact with a : thoroughly engaging ■ personality, ■ Inlierent Gallic charm, a fetching manner of English lingo (nary a word of Fi^endiv despite the domr ^„ „ ^ Inant accent), and a choice ad- 1 top billing with Miss Lewis, and mixture of Steinwaying and vocal- time it's Lewis (n,o relation comedmg. I to the sUr), and Ms sensational gether, making , for effective co- hesion and unity. It's unpreten tious, but the skating is top-drawer, the pace fast and the costuming colorful. Comedy again is missing, but there are sufficient compensat- ing features to malce its absence not felt tor much. Considering the small ice space, the sicaters, and particularly Miss Lewis and Buddy Lewis, do a tre- mendous job with their spins, whirls, le.-ps, acrobatics and silver blade terpsichore. Each show brings in a new guest star to share Wisely, he alternates between the piano and the floor, utilizing a pli- alile milte. wliether seated or fur- ther out amidst, the. customers. For a real- linger' he leattires a diminu- tive -concertina from' -which he ex^ tracts lotsa music, playing a Gersh- 7onti^l'^^S'' ^M^v'^li IrL «il 'ome arresting slow motion skat J;'?"IL?L 'L^lr; '<!-.MT„«f^ing. Then Miss Lewis solos to a as bents 1 the season. The dhristmas numbei? junijis over barrels and other oh* slacles afford real thrills. The show's lour ' girls and , two boys are topnotch performers. Vo- cal accompaniments enhance the value of much ol the proceedings. There's a fpotball opener with pleasing opener, "It's So Nice toi'"? . „ ,. „«„„f 6e Witll You Tonight," to the stew, ! ^n^w^all lighting effect fairy tale, Brazilian excerpt, ■ types of concert artists, and tlie finale boogie-woogie. He did a resoand- ing 25 minutes and could have stayed on longer, appropriately brings on Santa Glaus;. the march of the toy soldiers ■and the girl (Miss Lewis) in- the picture frame, with Buddy Lewis IncidenUUyT August, the maitre 1 introduced as the jack in the bjox, d', has his hands more than fuU;A champagne ballet finds Miss now that the Maisonette is the Lewis in a dazzling sequin-studded Stv Regis' only winter entertain- ment roomi The lridium has become an enlarged King Cole Room, lat- ter's original 5th Ave. frontage go- ing for a store. When the Vincent Astor hostelry's clientele ran both •the : ritzier Iridium (usually iee- •how policy) and the Maisonette, it: distributed the patronage; now the latter (downstairs) is overtaxed. It's further complicated, talent- wise, because of the midnight- show-only policy. Management de- : Cided that the fashionably late - diners only wanted - dansapation, some openly. ' resenting _the 9:30 show interlude Interrupting their food. Terp tunestering both by costume and furnishes-, flash. There's, a night club setting for a New Year's masquerade ball that winds up spectacularly in whirl- wind fashion as the finale. The Cecil Golly orchestra does an excellent job, playing the show and the music for customer danc- ing. Miss Stanley, ' its chirperj ; is an asset. Room well filled for- din- ner show when'caughfc- Jlees.' lloyal Roost, ^, Y. E!la Fitzflrerald, with Ray Brown Trio;' Lester Young Sextet, Tadd Dameron Orch (5); minimum $2 plus 90c. door adniijjsion. Vrnm hpr "TUkpt-a-TaskpUne" of ' f*"^ f"^""* 80od routining, although from ner iisKet-a-iasKeiing .o' , individual acts do well. By com* Band" and "Phil the Fluter's Ball" are applause getters and "Most Unusual Day" and "M^yhee You'll Be There" provide, a good change oi' pace..' ' The Glass Hat show, however, is the mid-'30:.s to bebop may be poles apart hut EUa FiUgerald leaps the gap with room to spare in making her bow at the Royal Roost last week. Also ; newcomers at this Broadway jivo emporium are the Ray Brovin trio, which accomps tlie . buxom songstress, along with the Lester Young Sextet. Tadd Dameron's small unit is a hold- over.' ■ While the Young and Brown groups obviously don't compare to the marquee strength of their predecessor. Woody Herman, the Roost has- more than sufficient cus- tomer lure in Miss Fitzgerald. Table biz was strong on night; caught (Wed.) and the "concert section" was also amply filled. This area, incidentally, is for those who only pay the 90c. admish tap and: they're not subject to the minimum, tariff. Fresh from a British vaude tour. Miss Fitzgerald is on her mettle as always in warbling some five n u m b ers. Versatile songstress opens with a plaintive ballad, ''Too Soon to Know," then moves into a slambang . ''Mr. Paganini,'.' which she embellishes with added lyrics — a takeolT on the disk jocks. Par- ; ticularly sock stuff is her version of "How High the Moon." Young Sextet has been around some of the W. 52d St. spots in the past. It's a vbrisk aggregation- comprising trumpet, trombone, bass, sax, piano and drum. Boys' staccato style fits in well with the Roost's bebop idiom; Young toots a neat, tenor - sax. isolo on "Body and Soul" while the outfit's inter- pretation of "Tea for Two" best summarizes its' technique. .Notes are sluffed off, the beat is rapid and the melody degenerates into a wild hodge-podge as . the ^roup cuts .loose almost ad< .inftnitum. Despite the cacophony, or because of it, the customers avidly lean on every riff. Brown trio, with Brown on bass; Hank Jones, piano, and Charlie blning Novis with mimic Bernic George and dance team Mack & Desmond, room was faced with problems. If Mack. & Desmond opened the show, generally the most logical choice in this setup, a male talking turn would be fol- lowed by a male singing act. So George teed off. Mimic, while not an opening act, did comparatively well with his impressions, using : crowd noises, satires on filmsters, and some well- written chatter. He has a pleasant turn which could be made punchier with more pointed humor. His fidelity to the vocal chardcter- istics of his subjects is excellent, and applause winning. Mack & Desmond have some good comedy terp routines more suitable for theatres than in this room. . Best part of their act is their straight dancltig efforts, In- asmuch as their other antics lose some effect here. . The Eddie Stone band provides excellent backiug and fills floor for dansapation,: while Al Castellaiios hits a good stride with the Latin tunes. - Jose. New Acts „, J X. - r , . .Charles k LuciUe, Jean Arlcn, the ;MUt Shaw and .the Laszlp & | Bohby Turk, Jeanrtie Soofc, Jerri/ Boulevard Room, Chi (STEVENS HOTEL) Chicago, Nov. 23. „,.^ „„„^,, j,.„„„, World on Ice," with 3 Rookies, I Smith, drums, are okay in accompt ing Miss Fitzgerald. Boys Slsp-: aire Pepito- (Latin) bands is grooved in the right "society" idiom. Abel. Harem. 1¥. Y. (FOLLOW-UP) If nothing else the preem of the Korn Kobblers (6) at the Harem, N. Y.; Thanksgiving Day brings about a change of pace in relation to the spot's holdover acts. Bube musicmakers undoubtedly provide a sharp contrast. Their bow also represents a bid by the man- agement to. capture a slice of the hinterland trade. Kobblers, furthermore, are a familiar combo in the Broadway Rehfield, Manuel Del Toro, Mel utile Fiitlaj/son, o?i.d the Boulewar- Dears (6), Franfcte Masters Orch ( 13 ) With Phyllis Myles, Tommy Traj/Tior; $3.50 Ttiiniwium, $1 corer. Third of the ice shows here since la.st spring, : this one improves on its predecessors. Sequences are compactly welded together, and there's no tendency to smother ac- tion by crowding the rink; or swath-, iiig femmes In ankle-length gowns. Jean Arlen, Bobby Turk,-- Jerry- Rebfield and Manuel, Del Toro holdover. spotted in a brief stint on their own to win appreciative response; Rounding out the bill is Dameron's band. , Relief orch contribs a good sesh. Gilb. House Review^l s Continued (ram Wfe m Capitol, Wash. are largely those of emcee and piano- accompanist, though he does some harmonizing with gals. Troupe sticks to conventional sen- timental numbers, including "Make Mine Music,-'"It's » Most , Unusual' Day,'' "May I Never Love Again" and a Victor Herbert medley. Femmes , seem a . little stilted, though their voices register well. Something off the beaten path in selections might give the act the desire glitter, though it did okay with customers at show caught. Jack Parker, &■ lotial lad, does a fine job in juggling routine as cur- tain raiser. Works smoothly for neat results. Lowe. ViyiENNE SEGAI^ Songs 14 Mlns. Le Directolre. N. Y. Veteran - of . musicomedy and a star in- that medium for yean, Vivienne • Segal is making her .supper-club debut with this ap- pearance. Thei pity of it is that; from a strictly business stand* point, it could have been mora auspicious. Mis9 Segal still has plenty of voice, charm, dignity and personality,, and > it's to her 'credit that she could go over aa well as she did with the spars* attendance when caught. Miss Segal hasn't what on* might call "a cafe act," since her performance comprises little of tha special-material vein, being mostly excerpts from tunes from shows with which she's been associated through the years. But when sha tips her larynx and starts to sell a aotk of her old standbys, tunea from the days when she was tha top prima, to the more.: recent shows; which established her, aa a comedienne, Miss: Segal needn't apologize to anybody. She handles her Introduction* neatly, is smartly groomed and ia never at a loss in handling her audience. She had to beg off at this catching. Kahn. Clover Club, Miami Miami, Nov. 28. Tomrny Dix, Angelle & Vernon, F:reddie Lane, : Boclie - Carlyle Dancers (7), Tony Lopez Orch; minimum $3. . Show is a Baedeker, on blades area" havine'woWed aTthl defunc! I «'8ht parts, with Frankie Mas; Roeer, -cSrn^r and ^ndrv other ' '"'^ Tommy Traynor supply- nearbv nUer^s DwDuTits enerlv i '"^ motifs. Line bon voyages ^nd ebimfence thi Broun "eems *" "P^"^'"' clutching suitcases ana eouiiience, tne group seems i^^^^j bouquets. The Tliree Rookies somewhat of an anomaly here on the same : bill with Myron Cohen and Mary Small. Overall, effect of the booking -impresses as that of a "groping in - the- dark" by the Harem's ops for. a magic b.o. in- gredient. Now in their 10th year, the Kob as bellboys take over the .props for clever by-play, ending with a wheelbarrow formation that gets good returns. Melville Finlayson bagpipes for a Scotch sequence while the kilted I line romps through a. reel.. Number There's a heavily overbalanced bill on. tap. here, with accent on dance acts; and only tlie solid sing- ing of .Tommy Bix to relieve the situation.' - Surprisingly enough , it all comes off as a pleasant; albeit nothing, sensational parlay; where a novelty note might have brought 4t into the hit class. For there is no gainsaying the fact 'that the individual talents of Hippodrome, Balto. Baltimore, Nov. 27. Connie Haines, Pogre Cat>anaugh TriO; Leo -De Lyon, Bobby Van, Jo Lombardi House Orch-: HZ) ; ■"Re- turn of October" (Col). Nice layout plays well from the teeoff with - good musical support from Jo -LombarSi house orch on stage for musical: backing. Bobby Van opens with : sprightly vocal wrapped . around impressions of Cagney, Cary Grant and Walter Brenan, followed by. sock hoofery, highlighted by Ray Bolger takeoff which grabs solid appreciation. Page Cavanaugh Trio utilizing piano, guitar and bass to back up vocals of "Slow Boat to China" and "All of Me" following scat novelty holds - pace : mightily and provides swingy sesh to make good spot for Leo De Lyon next; Youth- the slick terpers' makes the tab , . - lifter forget the plethora of dance, i f"! comic works at piano for dou biers retain their basic bag of nominally cued to Switzerland tricks. The hat and wig changes, , brings on Charles 4 Lucille for clowning and mugging, washboard 1 one-arm swings plus lifts and iti'umming, bellringing, etc., are 1 Mines well received. Jean Arlen, RliU the backbone of the novelty I as a pert ma'mselle, spins off a combo Boys pack all of these i bi"et doux tableau with skilled routine^ along with other bits of .business into a noisy; .uninhibited "recital." Primary ' instruments are tuba; drum, trombone, clarinet, trumpet and piano. However, most . of the men double on - other equip- ment. "Red Hen Polka" is strictly in the corn motif, as is the tuba solo of '.'Drit'ting and Dreaming." Two , guys click nicely in extracting the melody of "Now Is the Hour" out of a score of varied size dinner bells. Entire outfit handles "Casey Jones'' well. Also score with a bur- lesqued operatic number. "McNa- mara's Band" is a strong finale. .skate geometry. Viennese sojourn has the line in waltz tempo and Jerry Reh field as the gallant blade liora his, majesty's regiment. .:. Jeannie Sook's ice hula builds up to a ' slick: response. Bob . Turk, garbed as a sailor, garners rewards via twirls and speed work. Trini- I dad number is the top spectacle, I with. Manuel Del Toro singing a I calypso while the line congo I weaves. Luminous costumes have ! nice impact in the darkened room. ! Rookies return in U:S.A. finale i f or : near-spills and falls that get [ready laughs: Threesome grab ' water buckets to douse each other For early shows the wisdom of and get a gasp by tossing a bucket Including such numbers as "Don't of cellophane streamers at ring- Give No Goose for Christmas Grandma!" is .somewhat dubious, due, to the presence of youngster.s in several 'dinner parties. There's a market for the Korn Kobblers. but is the Harem within its scope? (Customer reaction was mixed when caught Friday (26). Gilb. Minnetsota Terrace (HOTEL NICOLLET) Minneapolis; Nov. 27. , Dorothy Lewis Ice Show (7) with Buddy Lewis, Cecil Golly Orch (18) with Mildred Stanley; $1.50-$2 minimum. siders. Line . dons red; white and 'blue in a Fourth of July closer, I with principals: decreed out in larnied force.s' uniforms. ^ Costuming is impressive through- out, including five changes for the line. Frankie Masters' orch, an old fuve returning here, backs fluently in original music by Hessie- Smith and orchestration.s by Norman Krone. Baxt. Freddie Lane is ^an agile young acro-tapster with plenty on the ball. Angelle and Vernon (New Acts) ble-voice comicalities, scoring legit quality of falsetto. Connie Haines ' is a groovey pi-ovidfe- a refreshing addition to clincher with strong vocals of "How the better : class dance duos. Aurora Roche - Carlyle dance group, installed in this big; room for over a year, offer routineii that are imaginative and nif tily • cos- tumed. Miss Roche takes the solo spots in the three routines pur- veyed and socks with her lithe work on rhythm. Indonese and I interpretive dances. Orb appealing | and authentic . in hehr work, she sets the pace^fbr the group. Dix; boyish-looking lad with the belting baritone, wins audience from the walkon. Clicks with "Great Day," "I Got Plenty O' N o t h i n '," "Whiffenpoof " and "Buckle Down, Winsocki" for zesty returns. Lory. Come You Do Me" and "Uarktown Strutters Ball" with smart: change of pace Tia '-It's Magic." Has a legit set of pipes and gives out in Bixieland style for top returns. Biz all right. Btirm. Olympla, Miami Miami, Nov. 27. Jerry Murad's Harmonicat's, Stan- vlrwin, Warner tt Co., Corky Rob- ' biii.s-, Eddy Ready & Eileen. Lind- say's Lovely Ladies; Freddie Car- love & House Orch; "Two Guys From T^xas" (WB). MURIEL SMITH Sonts 12 Mins. Le Directolre, N. V. Muriel Smith is a Negro soprano with an operatic-type voice, and she. goes over strongly here. Sh*. has - a fine voice that hits the - up- per registers easily, and she has neat phrasing and breath control. Miss Smith had the title role in Billy Rose's "Carmen Jones," and has, done considerable concerting' plus straight legit. Her per- formance here suggests fine pos^ sibilities for smart bookings. Her opening is "Speak Low,* then into "Love for Sale" (espe- cially good), an operatic excerpt, a rhythm pop, followed by "That'a Love" from "Carmen Jones." All of which suggests careful routin- ing, since all are different types of numbers that can, and do show off her versatility. Miss Smith has the know-how, excellent diction in both speaking ' and lyricizing, and also neatly projects her , personality. Kahn. ANGELLE & VERNON Daneinir ,'15 Mins. Clover Club, Miami . In 9 . room , which lias always showcased many of the classy . dance- duos, Angelle &, Vernon are one of the better teams to play here in some time. Handsome looking pair purvey numbers in the class manner, with the femme partner featured. Her grace and looks are dominant in- telligently worked out routing to "Clair de Lune." It all adds up to a nifty present, tation that marks the smart looking team as perfect for the top bistros and- presentation houses. Tliis is their first date in tliis country, and if immigration problems can b* worked out, certainty will not b* their last. Laty. UA Climbs .Continued- from pate 3 Glass Hat, IV. Y. (BELMONT PLAZA HOTEL) Donald Novis, Bemie George, Mack Si Desmond, Eddie Stone Orch; Al Castelanos Orch; viini- irmtui,- $2.30, $3. The Glass Hat's new show is dis- tinguished by tlie first N Y. cafe appearance of Donald Novis in Fairish layout here this week is brought into sock brackets by top- lining HarmonicatS; The Jerry Murad quartet rings the bell ail the way via an intelligently blended set of offerings. Standouts are "Harmonica Polka" and "Peg O' My : Heart." Lads are solid all the way. Comic Stan Irwin is a refreshing departure from the fast-gag- stars and once he builds his impact with the stubholders, wraps up. Some tightening of material would help, but in the present setup, he im ■i'/.'VAl^E-;M»,' prH»Y;i)ATES I' Alaii CaihttWy into Capitol thea [tre, N. Y., Jan. 20. "Season's Greetings," third Dbrv.i Beatrice more than a decade. The former i presses as a welcome newcomer to radio tenor who has worked many • " . .. .. top radio programs, retains the know-how of song technique that can dick in most cafes. Although Novi-s' vocal timbre is not as strong as it once was, he's lost little of the knack of putting over a number. Like most singers after many years on the circuits lie's learned the trick of vocal con- iservation .so that he can tackle ! but need more "work with line Tor the ranks of the comedians. . ; Rest of layout falls into standard class. -There's Corky Bobbins with .some fairish 88-keying and ma- terial; Warner and Cole's crossfire comedies in the old vaude vein and the Lindsay: :linev With some nice costumes and so-so routines. In the terp spot, Eddie Ready & Eileen are okay with their terps othy Lewis ice show Since this class | Blackslpije spot's adoption of the permanent | Sammy Walsh plays the -Ankara, akatlng revue p6Iicy which, due. to ! Pittsburgh, Dec. "S. w«i rlaysi but doesn't know which she^Il^ tackle ' first; or when ■he'll feel urged to get started. For the present, the couple's only plan Is to relax after the tension of putting on "Fancy." Except for a. couple of previous authorship ventures, "Fancy" rep^ resented the first actual Broadway production experi^ence - for either of the Kanins. Michael Kanin col- laborated 10 years ago with Harry Ingram on a comedy called "We, the Willoughbys," which was atrawhat-tested at Stockbridge, Mass., and : he and his wife co- authored another play a couple of years ago, but later shelved it. , Despite their inexperience and the doubts of various veteran Broadway managements who turned down.the script, the -Kanins brought "Fancy." into New . York precisely on schedule . and under the $6S,000 budget: Furthermore, In the vital matter of rewriting, Mrs. Kanin turned a script ' that was merely "promising" in its Initial tryout week into a solid bit for Broadway.. -In- ■ one rewriting session, she worked from a Tues- day through the following Friday without leaving her Detroit hotel 'loom. Stay In H'wood Tin Sprinc ' The Kanins will probably re- main in Hollywood until next spring, leaving active management of "Fancy" in the hands' of their a s s o c i a t e producers, Richard Aldrich and, Richard Myers. Then they intend returning east for the casting and rehearsals of the ex- pected road company of the show. Toumanova Return Tamara Toumanova, wife of screen-writer Casey Robinson, is due in N. Y. today (Wed.) from the Coast, and plans to fly tonight: to Paris to join the Grand Ballet de Monte Carlo as guest ballerina. Troupe, owned by the Marquis I George de Cuevas, is presently dancing at its headquarters in Monte Carlo. It's booked to tour France, Tunisia and Egypt, and Miss Toumanova will accompany. Miss Toumanova, former Ballet Russe stalwart, will be dancing for the first time in two years, her last appearances being as guest with the Paris Opera Ballet in summer of 1946/ Also engaged by the Mar- quis are Leonide M^ssine And Bronislava Nijlnska'; who will stage new ballets for the troupe. Biggest deal brewing for the Marquis* company Is offer made; to J. Alden Talbot, ontime director of Ballet Theatre, to take over management ' of the Monte Carlo troupe. Talbot just returned to N. Y. from . Europe; where he dis- cussed the offer with the Marquis, but hasn't made up his mind yet' . John Wilstach givci . tonis lewdewa ea / * Stranded Shows^' on uafiml ftatiirt in apeomlag 43d Aniuversary Number Contempt Rap Perils Seattle Rep As Subscriptions, Gross Dwindle 'Mystery' Backer Won't Be Such a Mystery If Show Winds Up a Hit Something of a my.stery has been created about the identity of John W. Stevens, listed as the sole backer of the $50,000 production of "Oh, Mr. Meadowbrook": (for-: merly titled"Japhet"). It's be- lieved even the name may be a cover-up, as there's no such per- son listed in the New York phone- book and the management is extremely reticent on the subject. According to Benjamin J. Asian, attorney, whose office is listed in the partnership agreement as Stev- Wall S ,, - vi ■ , ^, I ens' addre.ss,. the backer is a owever, they must be back on the i broker who has never be Coast late m the sprmg to start f^j.^ invested in show business, 'Kiss Me Kate Costing 180G "Kiss Me, Kate," Cole Porter- Bella Spewack musical, is now re- portedly headed for the Century,] "N. Y., the week of Dec. 26. How- [ ever, that depends on the reaction to the show's tryout, opening to^ I morrow night (Thur.) at the Shu- I bert, Philadelphia, Arnold St. Subber and Lemuel Ay ers are co-producing; with John C. Wilson doing the staging; Pro- duction is budgeted at $180,000 and the backers include the following names familiar to, show business: Donald Blackwell, ex,'producer,' $1,800; Saul Subber, ticket broker and father of Arnold St. Subber, $1,800; produce»director Wilson, $3,600; film theatre owners Arthur Rapf and Micliael Ruden, $9,000; Joseph E. Cullman, 3d, legit iU'^ vestor, $1,800; Howard S. Cullmatti theatre investor and owner, $14,- 400; Raoul >H. Fleischmann, pub- lisher of The New Yorker mag, $1,800; RoUo Peters, architect and ex-actot, $1,800- Lenore Tobin, theatre party promoter, $1,800; Ai Greenstone, souvenir program pub- lisher, $3,600; Peggy Wood (Wal- ling), actress, $3,600; Whitney Bourne (Choatel. ex-actresSj $1,800, and Ellen Tuck (Mrs. John Jacob) Astor, $900. Barter's 'Hamlet' ,At)ingdon, Va,, Nov. 30. : Drama critics and editors of the New York dailies have been in- vited by Robert Porterfield, man- aging director of the Barter Thea- tre, to attend a performance: of his production of "Hamlet," either this Friday night (3) in Richmond: or Dec. 15 in Roanoke. Show, is cur- rently on tour, having opened last summer at Barter's home - base here,, Robert Breen, playing the title part, will leave the production after the Roanoke appearance , to resume his duties as executive- secretary of the American Na- tional^Theatre'&'iAcadeniy, in New York. His replacement for the bal- ance of the tour isn't set. However, Jacqueline Logan will continue as the Queen, Fred Warriner as the King, James Andrews as I^aertes, Leo Chalzel as Polonius, Ray Boyle as Horatio and Gerry Jedd ;as Ophelia. work on the next Kanin Produc- tions picture for Universal. Mi- chael Kanin will produce this, with Garson Kanin directing from a script he and Miss Gordon: have in mind. Fay Kanin' may act in it, as she did in their previous one, "The Double Life." She intends continuing as an actress occasion- ally, but only in films. , in addition to the forthcoming Carson Kanin-Ruth Gordon script, Kanin Productions has three film story properties' on the future slate. One is Qarson Kanin's "Miss Nobody," which they originally planned to do last year but were stalled by casting difficulties and : the fact that the yarn would re- quire ' a major production cost. Another is "A Man's Worth Some- thing," from an original by Fay Kanin and screenplay by her hus- band. The third is a magazine short story, called "Beauty and the Beast," about a gii'l who ih'- herits a professional wrestler; It's by Mrs. Kanin and Aleck Moll : Alhough they are ■ a film production, there's no mediate prospect of the two Kanin teams extending their partnership to legit. They figure it s better to continue on an independent basis : for the present, merely assisting each other with advice, etc. Mean- while, Garson Kanin - began Mon- day (29) to direct rehearsals of his new play, "The Smile of the World," co-starring Miss Gordon and Otto Kruger, as a Playwrights' Co. production. Stevens, said to be a longtime friend of producer John Yorke, some time ago reportedly , offered to supply the financing in case the latter ever found a promising script. Yorke has told associates that Stevens is currently In Eng- land, but Asian says he's in New York, although he declines to re- veal where his client . may be reached. : "Meadowbrook" is laying off this week : for third-act revisions and possibly some recasting. It re opens Monday night (6) at Walnut, Philadelphia, for two weeks and is due the week of Dec. 27 in New York, at a theatre to be announced. The authors are Ron- ald Telfer-and Pauline Jamerson. WING IN BIG . RALLY FOR 150G HOSP FUND American Theatre Wing drive, to raise- $150,000 to carry on its, -work in hospitals will get away^ with a bang next Tuesday (7) with a monster rally at the Hudson, N: Y,, attended by show bi^ tpp names: Unveiling of a bronze, plaque (donated by the N. ; Y,: Times) at the spot where the Stage Door Canteen stood on W. 44th the I st;,: will precede the : rally at 2 p;m; A parade will follow, at 2:30, led by show biz,:: figures . and Wlrig. workers.-to the Hudson. Hudson rally will be co-chair'!; manned by John Golden and Jahies E. Sauter, Golden being active chairman of the Wing drive in the absence of Brock Pemberton, who's in London. An abbreviated hOSpi*- tal show will be staged at the rally; with Hiram Sherman as enicfee, cast including Mary McCarty, John SHOW PEOPLE PUT UP 75G FOR 'LIGHT W Production of Moss Hart's tc^rV^H i„ I "Light Up the Sky," at the Royale, Kieran, Ronnie Cunningham and ssociaiea m y unusual among current Sara Sandrof, as well as 16 w.k. ■es no in>- ' shows in that the financing is en- I cartoonists, among them Rube tirely from theatrical sources. In- 1 Goldberg, Bill Mauldin, . Milton creasing tendency nowadays is to Caniff, Al Capp and Otto Soglpw. go outside show business for in- i — ,: ., . .: :■':. ■'].[ ' ,i vestors of legit presentations. ; g^^.^ j^^j^^ yj^.^ : CaeSar::, : Sartre Court Victory , In Paris Won't Retard N. Y. Preem of 'Gloves' Although Jean-Paul Sartre was upheld last week by the Paris court in his suit to have: his American representative replaced, the pro- duction of ' the French -aulbor^s "Red GloyesV at the Mansfield, N. Y., on- Saturday night (4) is slated to go on as scheduled: Jean Dalrymple is presenting the play, which stars Charles Boyer, "by arrangement with Gabriel Pascal.'- It's pointed out that Miss Dal- rymple's contract for the "Red Gloves"' rights was : made . with Louis Nagel when he was Sartre's authorized agent and, therefore, deal is presumably binding despite the French court's subsequent ap- proval of Nagel's dismissal. Miss Dalrymple and Jed Harris, who staged "Gloves," .dispute Sartre's reported charges that "Gloves" is a "vulgar, common mel- odrama with an anti^Communiiit bias," add assert that it is a faith- ful adaptation of his original Paris hit, "Les Mains Sales." They claim he is parroting the denunciation of the play that has appeared in L'Humanite, Parisian Communist daily. Miss Dalrymple • . t o 1 d Variety last week that the only real change in the U. S. version of the play was: that it had been con- siderably shortened. It has been: generally agreed that the original script was much too long for Broadway presentation. Seattle, Nov. 30. With its two managing directors, Burton W. and Florence B. James, awaiting trial on charges of con- tempt of the State Legislature, the Seattle Repertory Playhouse is con- tinuing operations. However, tho accusation by the state Un-Ameri- can Activities Committee, a road company version of the similarly- named Congressional committee, has seriously cut attendance at th« theatre and there's a question how long the outfit can keep going. Now in its 21st year, the Reper- tory depends chiefly on subscrip- tions, most of which are sold months in advance. Since the con- tempt case became a news sensa- tion in this area, however, sub- scriptions have? dropped sharply and the theatre's normal weekly grosse: of $650 to $1,000 have fall- en to less than $500. Although the company has been, chopped from 18 to only £igbt, the under* taking may have to fold. Besides nightly shows Thorsdays-through- Saturdays.'the Repertory does chil- dren's plays at weekend matinees. Mr. and Mrs. James are among six free under '$5,000 bond apiece on the contempt . charges. : The- others include Albert M. Otten- heimer, who has since left the Rep- ertory staff for a job in an at- torney's office; two meiabers of the Univ. of Washington faculty and a minor Seattle official. All are charged with refusing to an- swer the legislative committee's questions. Thr Americfin Civil Lib- erties Union, the Conunittee on Acadetnici Freedom and one or two: other national civil rights groups are participating in their defense. A possibly significant develop- ment in the case was the defeat in the recent election of three of the top members- of. iche legislative committee, . including: its chairman. However, the fact that the: case has reached the stage where the de- fendants have been indicted, finger- printed and arraigned apparently means that it will have to go to trial, . although no date has been set. Chief witnesses for the legisla- tive committee were J. B. Mathews, one-time investigator for the Dies (more recently Thomas) commit- tee of Congress; Howard Rush- more, Hearst newspaper writer on Communist subjects, and Georg* Hewitt, self-styled ex-Communist, whom local authorities are attempt- ing to extradite to face perjury charges. , :■.■:;■:::■ With the exception of the Seat- tle Times, local Hearst sheet, local dailies have been critical of ; tho committee's tactics. ' : Sartre's Squawk Paris, Nov. 30. Jean-Paul Sartre alleges that he was not kept posted by Louis Nagel as to his dealings with Jean Dal- rymple and Gabriel Pascal for play production . in E n g Ian d and America; also, that the American adaptation was not shown him.' Todd's Play for Frau Mike Todd, whose "As the Girls Go" legit musical is a smash at the Winter Garden, N. Y.* is on the Jrowl for a vehicle for his wife, oan Blondell. He wants to do it next. Miss Blondell, who appeared on the New York stage before go- ing into films in 1929, wants to stay in the east rather than re- turning to pix, since her family and home are located in New York. 8 for Baylor V. Waco. ,Nov. 30, Five productions, including '-Of Thee 1 Sing," "Treasure Island" and "Peer Gynt," will be pre- sented by the Baylor U. Theatre during the 1948-49 season, Most of the $75,000 coin for "Sky" was supplied by Hart and the co-producers, Joseph M. Hy- man and the author's brother. Ber- nard Hart. Trio put up $19,500 apiece. Max Gordon and George S. Kaufman Inve-sted $3,750 each. Other backers include Bill DoU, pressagent, $750; Clinton Wilder, a stage manager, $7.50; Irving P. Lazar, agent, $1,500; Kiviette, the costume designer, $750; Don Iler- shey, stage manager of the show, $1,,500; Arthur M. Rapf and Mi- chael Ruden, film theatre owners, $3,500, and Frederic Fox, scene de- signer, $750. Negro Actors Benefit Negro Actors Guild will hold their 11th annual benefit at the Imperial theatre, N. Y., Sunday evening (5). Proceeds will go to organization's benevolent fund. Bill Robinson, pre/, of NAG, is chairman of arrangements. Ed Sul- livan, N.Y. Daily News columnist. In 'Manhattan' for Road Bert Lahr is being sought to star in "Make Mine Manhattan'' on :t!ie I road, succeeding Sid Caesar. Mat- ; ter will probably be decided one way or the other within a day or ( .tatjoa, last sumiiiSf at )/^estipb , fjiurihg the extended road fereak- in, author Robert E. McEnroe was American National Theatre & Acad- ' between $11,500 and $12,000, Busi- 1 present for almost continuous re- noi oniy oy increasmg auui«su«c». i. |^ l\t OP*' but more particularly by expand- YV&Vi lOUDS 01 fair Ins the participating phase among n iir i n > For 3-Week Run As 0 to Picture Sale actors, directors, authors and tech- nii'ians. Contrariwise, it represent- ed a further setback for the faction Which formerly ran the' organiza- tion, and which has wanted to | Although a doubtful boxoffice stee.'.s- "its exclusive aspects, par- prospect, "The Young and Fair" ticularly in college and non-profes- ^gy be kept on for at least three sional theatres, I weeks to get the management's By direct vote, the convention '. share of a possible film sale. Play moved to cooperate more closely ] grossed a little over $8,800 last with the broad activities of the iweek, against a break-even nut; of emv, whieh is Concerned with i ness was virtual capacity last Fri- Broadwav and the road, as well day night (26) and excellent Sat- as with stock, community and col- urday night (27), but the decision lege theatre. It also voted to about possible continuance will de- finance a publication for' the Inter- pend on this week's receipts, national Theatre Institute, as part n. Richard Nash drama must va- of UNESCO. And by implication, it cate the Fulton by the end of next moved nearer to an eventual rela-l week, as the-house has been book- tionship with the commercial tlie-J ed for a roadshow presentation of atre. including an agreement with -.loan of Arc" starting Dec. 14. Equity and the other stage unions i Co-producers Vinton Freedley and tad organizations. • i Richard Krakeur are willing to risk Book B'way Actors ' » mo^'"'!'*' '2'' ^^^"^ on the boards for three weeks, Such a commercial tie is the ex- iiowever, as there's active interest pro<!Scd aim of some of the promi- 1 from three film companies in the iient community theatre representa-j screen rights; ti VPS, who regard it as a necessary , piav -was budgeted at $50,000. de\('lopment for the survival andi ^^^ong the backers are Leo Bre- ! rcr's lines to the old characters of ultimate resurgence of legit drama. ' (.j^g,. theatre owner, $10,000; i the play, with the idea of making As one step in that direction, these Mildred Fenton, radio package pro- thcpi seem revitalised under the slock company and little theatre ^ucer, $1,000; Simon H. Fabian, , infiuenee of the quixotic hobo directors hope to expand the pres- J theatre owner, $2,500; Samuel character played by the star. Re- enl practice of booking Broadway ■ Rosen, his associate, $2,500; Wal- 1 vised version is. said to be a actors for guest appearances with tci- Vincent, Actors Fund president, i marked improvement, local stage groups. $10,000, and Freedley, $1,000.1 Largely because of its original ine Idea wouia De also to dock liquitx and "similar unions" were j strawhat production, from which given an $8,000 interest and 8% share of any profits., ''/■'. : ,,, write. Many of the changes are understood to have been at; the suggestion of Lawrence- Langner, Theatre Guild co-director, who made the show his personaLproject and gave it close attention. How- ever, Theresa Helburn; the Guild's other co-directoi", also sat in fre- quently on production sessions, Paul Crabtree, the stager, invari- ably participated; . ' : New closing scene, inserted the afternoon of the Broadway open- ing,, wasi conceived and worked out by Joshua Logan, who first saw the show during its Chicago run, at the Guild'.'i invitation. Change in- volved giving some of Jose Fer- Dublin May Still See Jean-Paul Sartre Play Dublin, Nov. 23. Jean-Paul Sartre's "In Camera" is likely to have an early presen- tation at the Abbey Experimental Theatre despite the recent Vati- can ukaSe putting all books by Sartre on the banned list for Chicago, Nov. 30. "The Heiress," currently in its. sixth week at the Selwyn here, is slSted to end the engagement either Dec. 25 or Jan. 1 and fon- tinue its tour. Play has raadt about $3,500 so far on its local run, but is still around $2,000 in the red for its-: whole tour up to here. Although the production earned a profit on the investment long ago; it cost about $6,500 to keep Catholics, Explanation here is the play on the boards over last that the ban applies only to gen- cral readership of his works and doesn't affect production of plays. This may change the position at the Gaiety Theatre which had Sartre's "Crime Passionel'' skedded for production next season, and nixed it on hearing . of the ban, Gielgud-Thorndike In NSG London Play; Sherrif f Comedy OK I.,ondon, Nov, 30, . In a brace of legit openings here last week, "The Return of the Prodigal" bowed at the Globe Wednesday: (24) iwhlle. • "Miss Mabel"- preemed the previotis eve^ ning at the Duchess. "Prodigal," starring John GleU gud and Dame Sybil . Tiiorndike, is an innocuous Edwardian comed^v that's well acted and presented; Revived for a limited , season, "Prodigal" appears unworthy of its talent, which was cordially, re- ' ceived by firstnighters. "Miss Mabel'' proved , an amusing drama bjf R. C. Sherrifl somewhat rem- iniscent of "Arsenic and Old Lace.'^ Splendidly acted and enthusiastic- ally received, the piece looks to be heading toward a successful run. : ' directors, de.signers, etc., and to lure authors tliere on resident- dramatist arrangements. Ultimate-^ ly, it's hoped, a system could be worlved out for actors; directors and technicians from community and college theatres to have guest engagements in the commercial Stage. Such a broad program might be mutually revitalizingf it!s fig- ured. In order to re-elect Sawyer Falk, of tlie Syracuse Univ. drama de-. partment, as president of tlife NTC; p^l^S for another two-year term, the dele-^ gates amended the organization's fonstitution. Falk has already served four years, all the consti- tution previously allowed. Elected to Hie. board of trustees were Paul Bakpr, of Baylor Univ^, and Mau- 1 K'c Gnosin, of the Goodman the- alve, Univ. of Chicago, succeeding the inexpensive sets are being used, "Whistle" represents one of the smallest show investments of the season thus far. Including the operating losses from the tryout tour, the production Is estimated to. have been brought in for under $30,000. It can break even at about $12,000. That compares with budg- ets of over $100,000 and operating expenses above $20,000 for some current straight show^. Newell Tarranti of the Erie Play house, and George Freedley, re- ^^liei'cby he'll have 75% intere.st spectively. Others reelected trus- and they'll continue as managers, tees were Barclay S. Leathewi. of After week's layoff, attraction will Western Reserve; Frederic McCon- ' reopen at American, St, Louis nell; of the ; Cleveland Playhouse ; Burton James, of the Seattle Rep- ertory Playhouse; Hallie Flana- LEGIT FAN SPOTS 30G TO KEEP 'SONG' ALIVE ^ . •: ' M Wayne Fish; wealthy local broker and theatre enthusiast, met Jack Goods, comic of revived ''Desert during engagement at Lyceum here. They became friends. Fish learned show was closing prematurely in Kansas City fol- lowing stand there Sunday (28-), because of bad business. He then agreed to provide finances up to Philadelphia, Nov. 30. S30,0()0 to keep tour alive, i a group of English concevt man- Jfi.sli made deal with Russell i agers is reputedly financing Lewis and Howard Young, Coast | the Philadelphia Orchestra's visit producers who sent show out, i to England, scheduled for mid- BRITISH MGRS. BACK PHILLYORCH VISIT Current Road Shows (Nov. 29-Dec. 11) "Allegro" — Opera Use,, Boston (29-H). " ATongL Fifth Avenue"— Forrest, Philly (29-11). "Annie Get Your Gun"— Shu- bert-Lafayette, Det. (29-11). . "Anne of the Thousand Daj^sV.— Ford's, Balto (29-4). "Blackouts of 1948"— El Capi- tan, U A. (29-11). "Born Yesterday" — : Hartman, Col. (29-4); Cox, Cincy (6-11). "Brigadoon" — Shubert, Chi. (29-11). "Carousel"— -Aud„ Memphis (29- 1); Aud, Little Rock (2-4); Con, Hall, Tulsa (6-8); Home, Okla. Citv (9-11) "Command Decision'' ^ •Stude- bakcr, Chi. (29-11). "Desert Song"— Amer.,, St. Louis (6-ll». "Escape Me Never" — Royal .-Vlex , Toronto (29-4); Majesty's, Monfl (6-11). "Fliiian's Rainbow" — Shubert, Bbst. (29-11); ^iummer m New York, and pro- ducer Fred Finklehoffe, Jr., is tryp ing to make good that paper loss during the tour. . Jed Harris and Joshua Logan are silent partners in the project. When it leaves here, "The Heir- ess" is tentatively slated to pliiy a week each in Milwaukee and Cleveland, two weeks in Boston (where the previous production of the same script, at that time titled "Washington Square," tried out and closed two seasons ago), ■ week in Baltimore, split- week be- tween Cincinnati and Columbus, week each in St. Louis and Kan- sas City, three nights in Denver, six-to-eight weeks ito San Fran- cisco and wind up next May with two weeks in Los Angeles. According to present plans, Basil Rathbone, star, and Beatrice: Straight, featured, are to play leading parts in a revival by Harris of"The Green Bay Tree," which he originally produced on: Broad- way. It would be done on the Coast early in the fall of 1949 and then brought to New York. Harris Miffed Jed Harris is reportedly miffed at Ruth and Augustus Goetz, co- authors of "The Heiress," becauso he was neither included in nor even consulted on the deal for th« London production of the play. Harris staged the successful Fred Finklehoft'e, Jr.t. production of the show, after Oscar Serlin's original presentation had been abandoned during its out-of-town tryout. Mr, and Mrs. Goetz left for Europe last week to sit in on castr: ing and rehearsals-of the West End- edition. B'WAY STAGE MGRS. IN STUDENT LESSONS Several established stage man- agers,- currently working in Broad- way liits, have begun holding on^, the-spot demonstrations "of • stage managerial duties, for apprentices in the field: Tlie practice, sug- ' gested by John Effrat and spon-' sored by the Stage Managers Club, is aimed to rai.se the qualification standards in the stage manager ranks. Those giving the during -per- formance instructions so far in^ elude Effrat, who's backstage with "Goodbye, My Fancy," at the gan Davis, Smith College; Mary Won-is, Carnegie Tech, and Gilmor Brown; Pasadena Playhouse. Leath- am was reelected executive-secre- tary and McConnell treasurer. 'Desert Song' $21,800 Kansas City, Nov. 30 "Desert Song," in four per- formances here Nov. 25-27, played the town for a good $17,000 gross. Show brought in by A -& N Pre- sentations. Eve top was $3.66, mat- inee top $3.05, scaling down to $1.83, Dec. 1 1 and then proceed with Ijalance of tour, which will take it into number of eastern stands, including Pittsburgh, Dec. 27, and possiljly New York It'll return to the Coast tlirough TexaSi providing S30.000 holds out. Fish is chairman of Minneapolis Theatregoers Assn., which seeks to ' hoosi legitimate stage here. He has 1 novel been interested financiallj in an\ theatrical venture before "Desert Song" did well here, but i tour has been loser, i 'Songr' $4,800, Omaha Omaha, Nov. 30 "Tlie Desert Song" got $4,800 in one night at the Omaha theatre at S3. 60 top last week (24). Other bookings; "Show Boat," Jan,' 31, Feb. 1, 2, at the Omaha; "High Button Shoes,," in March; at the Omaha,: Lawrence-Lee to Write Sketches for Brit. Revue Hollyv\ood, Nov. 30. Jerry Lawrence and Bobby Lee ha\'e been commissioned by Brit- ish producer Cecil Landau to write tiirce comedy sketches for fortli- coming London revue, "Sauce Tar- tare." Coin would be placed in blocked account in London and wouldn't be taken from England, Lawrence and May. The managerial association ■has been after the Philly sym- phony for two years, and easing of the credit exchange this year makes possible the overseas or- chestral Odyssey, Final confirmation of the trip rests upon the British interests setting up a credit exchange in tliis country to pay off the PiVilly orch men in dollars. According to Ilarl McDonald, the orchestra's mana- ger, "Plans seem tb be pretty well in order and the project has the tentative approval of the Bank of F.n^land, which is a big step," The original trip called for a month, which would allov\ only iwo weeks in England and a total of 14 concerts. Transportation costs, however, will probably force the backers to increase the num- ber of concerts and the orchestra's stay in England for an extra two weeks, McDonald Explained. The cost of transporting the oreh's personnel of 110 men and women to England will run ap- proximately $60,000 on cabin class boats, McDonald said. 'Tlie Phil- adelphians will not move without an absolute guarantee. The trip looks .pretty safe, he said, and the 'H.-irvpv» _ PninniaJ RAQtnn ^oiosco; David Joues, stage man- (29 11) Colonial, Boston , gg^^. .,^5, Q^^jg „ "High Button Shoes" — Gl. i ^'"^f' Garden, and William Ham- Northern, Chi (29-11) merstein. with "Mister Roberts," "Oh. Mr. Meadowbrook" i at the Alvin. Only one apprentic* (".Taphet") — Walnut. Philly (6-11) \'^^ present at any performance. In "Jenny Kissed Me"— Shubert, i addition, Hammerstein had a mass N Haven (2-4); Plymouth, Bost. session for all stage managers yes- (6-1,1): ' "Kiss Me Kate"— Shubert, Phil- l.\ f2-ll). "Lend An Ear"— Wilbur, Bo>t I (2-11) "Make Way for Lucia"— Walnut, PhiHy (29-4); Ford's, Balto (6-11) "Man and Superman" — Cass. Del. (29-11). ' "Medea" — Blackstone, Chi , (29-U). , "Mr. Roberts"— Erlangcr. Chi. I (29-11). "O Mistress Mine"— Plavhse., Wilm. (3-4); Locust, Philly (6'-U). i "Okhihoma!" (No. 1 Co.) — Keiths. Gr. Rapids (29-4); David- son, Mil (6-11). "Oklahoma!" (No. 2 Co.) — American, St Louis (29-4); 'Vic- torv, Dayton (6-11). "One Fine Day"— Biltmore, L.A, '29-41. ' "Red Gloves" — Plymouth, Bost. (29-11. , Shakespeare Co. — Purdue, Laf. (29-30); Aud . Bloomington (li; Shortridge, Ind'p's. (2); i^liap- . el. Columbus i3); Oiler, HuntinE- , ton (6); Aud . W. Chester (7); Acad terday (Tues.) noon at the Alvin to demonstrate the physical ' pro- duction setup backstage for "Mis- ter Roberts." Stage Managers Cliib also holds regular meetings for its members at the organization's temporary quarters, with various guests to talk on special sulijects, Some of these are on technical matters, such as television, lighting, etc., and others are more in the nature of onloitainment. Madeleitie Car- roll, Sam Wanamaker, and Bert LyteU are scheduled for forthcom- ing appearances In the organization's recent elec- tion, David Pardoll and Robert Downing. were named to the coun- cil, with Alan Anderson and John Cosgrove alternates. "Ed Wynn's „ Laugh : Carnival" tentatively set for l.ito January visit . ■. . "Brigadoon" leaves Chi- cago .Tan . 8 and wi II work its way . , , ... ^ . — ... , to Coast to open in L. A. June 5 . V. Music. Philly (10); Aud., Trenton i "Finian's Rainbow" coming to Desi Arnaz, Ted Lewis and Te.v l^ee may use coin for purchase of | English backers will pay off here, .fieneke band shows set forfweek American rights to British literary , with a credit setup in tliis country each at Orpheum, ' works. I In advance of sailing, tllX "Show Boat" — Curran, Frisco (29-111. "Streetcar Named Desire" — Harris, Chi. (29-11). , "The Heiress" — Selwyn, ,Chi. (29-11). Shubert Jan. 10 . . , "Man and Superman' opens at Great North- ern Dec, 26 Members of the cast of "T\e Heiress" have collect- ed %J)W foV CARE, and will each send a turkey overseas, instead of exchanging Xmas gifts. Vedncaday» December 1 » 1948 Total Broadway Grosses The following are the comparative figures based on Variety's boxolTice estimates, for last week and the cotTesponding week of )ast season: , This Last „ . J , Season Season Number of shows current , 27 30 Total weeks played so far by all shows 510 572 Total gross for all current shows last week, . $701,300 $651,600 Total season's gross so far for all shows $12,273,800 $12,144,400 Number of new productions so far 28 26 USGITKMATB 81 Chi Off Slightly, 'Brig; 37G,15G for Dedsh,' miedea' 25G, 'Heiress' 15G Chicago, Nov. 30. ■* Slight dip in grosses is attributed to drizzly weather, with possibly early Christmas shopping as a second diversion from the legit b.o. .EVen so, it's comparatively brisk, and 'thanksgiving failed to dent , as expeptedv EVANS-'SUPERMAN' $24,600 IN CLEVELAND ' • ' Cleveland, Nov. 30. ' , '■Mian-and , Superman,;' with^^M rice Evans, collected a fine $24,600 Wi"'"' Jl'T "'"^iS"' 'j '*t J . .. , in eight performances at $3.70 top' Streetcar Named Desire" and Hanna last week although it 'Mr. Roberts," in 10th and 12th 1 suffered from all the competitive TINE DAY' ENDS IN RED AFTER ONE L.A. WEEK Los Angeles, Nov. 30. Third successive fold at the Bilt- more closed the downtown house Saturday (27) a week earlier than scheduled, and house will remain dark for at least five weeks;: with no traveling attractions due. Flop was "One Fine Day," Charlie Kug- gles-Mary Boland starrer, which died here , at the end of the' first of two scheduled weeks, after two bad weeks in San Francisco. It followed .''Burlesque" -and "Happy, Birthday" to the warehouse. Estimates for Last Week '?Baffels and Bows," Coronet (1st wk) (25!5; $3). Yiddish-JEnglish I variety . revue opened Wed, (24) and did okay $2,200 for first four da.ys. "Blackouts of 1948," £1 Capitan (336th wk) (1,142; $2.40). Around $16,500. • ■ "Lend Aw Eat," Las Palmas (24th wk) (388; $3). Still down to: around $6i300, about 90% capacity; "One Fine Day," Biltmore (1st wk) (1,636; $3.60). Frame's $7,500 about $2,000 in the red. Folded with overair production loss of around $10,000. New Hits Sock B'way Holdovers; But mde $15,000 in 6 fimes, 'Sky SRO $26,600, 'Fancy' $24,000 Legit attendance on ' Broadway | (0-l,628; $6.60). Ornate operetta siipped again last week, bearing \ has sagged badly the last few weeks, respectively, continue to . potent grosses. "Heiress" is okay -ui; its .fifth week while "Medea" finished the first of a four-week stay in sellout style. "Command Decision," under Theatre Guild , subscription, rounded' out its third and last week with neat returns. : "Brigadoon" vacates the Shubert Jan. 8 after 14 weeks while "High Button Shoes" postpones its exit : until Xmas day. "Finian's Rain"- bow" enters the Shubert Jan. 10, preceded by "Man and Superman'' tnoving into the Great Northern Dec, 26. "Ed Wynn's Laugh Revue" : .Is on the horizon as, a January pos- sible. Estimates for Last Week "Brigadoon," Shubert (8th week) (2,100; $4.94). Heavy Sat. matinee play boosted take to neat $37,000. "Command Oecisioiii," Stude- baker (3rd week) (1,237; $4.33). Third week of Guild sponsorship. Sweet $15,000. "High Button Shoes," Great Northern (28th week) (1,500; $6:i8). Stays to Christmas, and still hold- ing well with $28,300; next goes to ■philly for three weeks. "Heiress," Selwyn (5th week) , ,1,000; $3.71). Eased oft' to I f 15,000, still profitable. "Medea," Blackstone (1st week) (1,358; $4:40). First week Of sock biz, helped by hefty mail-order and advertising; $25,000. "Mister Roberts," Erlanger (12th ,week) (1,334; $4.33). Capacity biz as usual; approached $29,000. "Streetcar Named Desire," Har- ris (10th week) (1,000; $4.33). Con- tinues Ijeaithy pace with $20,700. WYNN SHOW BIG 23G IN 3D FRISCO WEEK San Francisco, Nov. 30. "Ed Wvnn's Laugh Carnival," with Wynn, Phil Baker and Allan Jones, which moved to the Geary, ballyhoo for ' the : Cleveland 500 Operetta Co.'s annual three-week season of tuneshows. : Latter group's revival, of . "Rose Marie" in 6,750-capacity civic' audi- torium opened with a sellout, help- ed by two-for-one ticket gimmick at $3.60 top, but was dented by Thanksgiving holiday. Tuneshow, with Frances Greer, Metropolitan Opera soprano, and Buster West as guestars, pulled an estimated $28,000 and: drew raves for Larry Higgins' spectacular settings on tWo revolving stages. V Cleveland 500 is sponsoring re- vival of "Anything ~ Goes," with Gertrude Niesen, for current week. Last year the civic-sponsored ven- ture raked in $122,000,. not count- ing: taxes,' for three week sesh for trio of musicals. . out previous indications that there might be a repeat of the pattern of last season, when boxoffice re- ceipts were hit by the early start of the Christmas shopping period. As a consequence, showmen are beginning to figure that the pre- Thanksgiving start of gift-buying may be a inore or less permanent occurrence. Thanksgiving, with its holiday matinees, failed to help last week's shrinking business, and it now ap- pears likely that legit, attendance will continue to taper off until the Christmas-New Year period brings its: annual boom. Receipts at the start of the week were below the corresponding nights of the pre^ vious week, and only partly recov weeks, after struggling along at nearly even break for a couple of months; off again to $23,000; closes Saturday night (4); heavy produc- tion will be shipped back- to the Coast. "Make Mine Manhattan," Broad- hurst (46th wk) (R-1,160; $6). Hold- over revue has been doing well until the recent slump; slipped a bit more last week to $24,700; may go on tour soon. "Mister Roberts," Alvin (41st wk) (CD-1,357; $4.80). Naval serv- ice play is still the top agency call" and gets standee house' every night; $35,000 again. "My Romance," Shubert (6th wk) (0-],387; $6). Anne Jeffreys ;red? The- toT sell urc^nUnued to be exceptions, however, still pulling standee trade. v .... "Set My People Free" closed Saturday night (27) at the Hudson, "My Romance" moved to the,;Adel- phi,. and the dual-bill "Respectful Dec; 18 ; This weekV only- opening is "Red: Gloves," Saturday night (4) at. the Mansfield,' and next week brings Boyer-'Gloves' bSR017G,Hub Boston, Nov. 30. "Red: Gloves" turned out 'to: be one of the hottest grossers to turn up here in seasons at Plymouth debut. Play itself and some of the cast got some , reservations from the : crix, but all went overboard for Charles Boyer as an actor; he got raves.- Other opener was '■Heartbreak House," second offer- I cD'TcTomedi^DTOinni; R (Rewe); ing of the Repertory Assn at thel^ (Musicol), O {Ope.retia) Copley. : Teed off on Tuesday and was also well-liked and biz was good. Others, ''Finian's Rainbow,'' bert operetta, and business upped to okay $25,200; moved Monday (29) to the 1,434-seal Adelphi. "Private Lives," Plymouth (8th wk) (C-1,062; $4.80). Revival doin^ hefty business, but also tapered oi! Prostitute" and "Hope Is the further m last week's downbeat; Thing" must vacate the Cort, $25,000 is plenty profitable "Re4 Gloves," Mansfield (D-920: $4.80). Daniel Taradash adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's "Les Main Sales," presented by Jean Dal- "Anne of the Thousand Days," , rymple; opens Saturday night (4), Dec. 7, at the Shubert, and the twin-bill "Medium" and "Tele- phone," the sanie .night at the City Center. Estimates for Last Week : Keys: C (Comedy), D (Drama)., 'Anne' Down To $14,000 in PhiDy Philadelphia, Nov. 30. After- legit biz took a sharp: and decisive drop here in Philly last, week, prospects are for some lean pickings in the weeks before Xmas, with the single exception of "Kiss 6; "Make Way for Lucia," Colonial "Harvey" and "Japhet" (now "Oh, Mr. Meadowbrook"), remained on previous week's levels, general biz being good during holiday week after - the- first couple of days. - Openers this week are ."Al- legro," back for a run at the Op-; era House as of last night (29); "George and ■ Margarety.' opening- tonight (30) at the Copley as the third Repertory offering; and "Lend an Ear," revue opening at the Wilbur Wednesday (1). Last named; was tried out in Cohasset, Mass., in 1941. Ahead are ','Jenny Kissed Me" at the Plymouth,: Dec. Me Kate," the new - Cole Porter musical opening Thursday . (2) at the Shubert. Latter has a terrific ihall order sale for three-and-a- half-week stay. The other new musical, "Along Fifth Avenue," had its local open- ing postponed from last night un*- til tonight (30) at the Forrest. The advance for this one is fairly good; The Forrest is the only one of the city's four regular legit houses not supplied with a pre-holiday book- ing,: and it's now reported— though without local official verification— that "Fifth Avenue" may add a Dec. 13; Blackstone,. Colonial, Dec. 20, and "Leaf and Bough", Plymouth, Dec. 27. Estimates for Last Week "Respectful Prostitute," and "Hope Is the Thing," Cort (42d wk) (D-1,064; .$4.20), New Stages' twin-bill has been getting a modest profit recently, but eased last week to $10,200; must vacate the house Dec. 18,, and will probably lay off..- for a week before going oh tOur« or else will fold. Set My People Free," Hudson "Annie Get Your Gun," Im- perial (133d wk) (M-1,472; $6.6»). ' i n>;7. t.i nni Th<>..t>.i. Not only the general slump but ^,\L^c firc^'i'ilPJ, i'f 2?l e^* f»,„ ^^^i„t^ Kit.. I- Guild s first production of the sea- also . the arrival of new: hits is probably hurting : the holdover musicals; Ethel Merman-starrer took another drop, to $31,000, - "As the Girls Go," Winter Gar- den (2d wk) (M-1,519; $7.20). Bob- by Clark got the notices and: is the chief draw in this new musical smash; $55,500, just about all the house can hold; scale: for midweek matinees lowered to $3.60 top. "Bom Yesterday," Miller (147th wk) (C-940; $4.80). Another long- run show that's .still getting a steady profit;: nearly $15,000. *'Bravo," Lyceum (3d wk (CD-: 993; $4.80). New George S. Kauf- man-Edna Ferber play pulled a mild $12,000 for its second full week in, the f ace. of tDugh b;0; ■ cout ''^^"'?,"'.?=n*'"l".''?^''' f^H'^f'*^ ditions; must do considerably bet week) (1,750; $4 80). Holiday biz i ter to pay off the investment, put this one back to an estimated «i.j„,„,j ht., » uo^t rn*v, week) (1,750: $4.80), Nearly $29,- Kfj^/di ^y S^^^ rrc,!ioted^'''= ek^i LoS^^po?Ms"orof^he "Harvey," Colonial (10th week) 1°P. ^S'l^'^y, ^''^""8 (1,500; $3.60). Two weeks to go fade at all performances; $28,500 stirred up the latecomer's interest which, with- holiday biz, kept this one at an estimated $15,000, well above "stop" clause. "Heartbreak House," Copley (1st Sunday (21) (1,550; $3:60) after two i weeks if notices and biz warrant, strong weeks at the Curran, | The debacle of Thanksgiving- chalked up a big $23,000 for its i Array-Navy Game week biz, which third stanza. I was under expectations all along "Showboat" followed "Carnival" | the line and pretty bad in three of Inio the Curran. (1(776;.^3;60) Monr day (22) and .showed a nice $21,000 week or" two"to"its aUotted' two'l week) (1,200; $2.25). Second of- fering Of Boston Repertory Assn. opened "Tues. ; (23V and ' did ah ehr i the four houses, doesn't hold out couraging .$6,000 on seven shows. "George and Margaret'! opening tonight iTues:) ".Japhet," again. production son failed to: make the grade; folded Saturday (27), with $14,800 for the final week; "Kiss Me, Kate" is due here Dec. 23. "Silver Whistle," Biltmore (1st wk) (CD-920; $6). Guild's newest offering got favorable 4:eviews and should do well, particularly con- sidering its small production and operating cost; racked up $15,000 for first six performances. "Small Wonder," Coronet (11th wK) (R-998; $6): Intimate revue has been knocking off a satisfac- tory operating profit, but . settled back a bit further last week with $21,900. "Streetcar: Named Desire," Barrymore (52d wk) (D-1,064; $4.80). Tennessee Williams' prize winner completed a full year with- out an: unsold ticket, and continues- SRO; iust under $27,000 for first time. "Summer and Smoke," Music • Box (8th wk) ^D-l,012; $4.80). Margo J o n es production has dropped below its early capacity for its first week in town. "Raze the Roof," with Jerry Lester, at the Tiveli (1,400; $2.88) "Goodbye,. My Panes," Mbrosco ; pace,' with matinees Especially - af ■ (2d wk) {CD-931; $4.80). Madeleine fected. biitv cohtiniies to make a Carroll's ' personal draw, plus fine substantial d p e rat i n g profit; reviews, pulled standees at all per- $20,100. forraahees; even matiliees. which ; ""The Way's the; Thihg,'' Bo6th have been light at some hits, are (28th : wk) ((3D-712; $4.80)..; Two Strong; almost $24,000 for first ftill I iWore week? to go for this: .click- week is about all the house will revival, iafter vvhicli it lays off. fdr hold. f a week arid then tburs! $12,300 last "Harvey," 48th St. '21 4th wkl '.week. Wilbur (2d: week) (G-92] ; .$4.20). Mary Chase com- i: "Where's Charley?" St. James mucrhooeToTthe"^^! weeks ^ Initial impetius kept I edy, longest-run show on the list, (7th wk) (M-I,509; $6). Musical ™JiiV " I thi.s one at an estimated .$8,000. has been sliding lately, but with i version of "Charley's Aunt" con- "Rcd Gloves," Plymouth (l.st | "twofers" a steadying factor; . tinues to pack 'em in; topped $37,- Week) '1,200: $3.60). Charles Boy; j . started Sunday m.ilinee and eve- ' ooo again. except for "Kate, Estimates for Last Week "Allegro," Shubert (4th week) > er's fir-st outing in legit here, and Is now in its final two weeks at , (1,877; $4.55). Musical wound up , even if show hadn't got good that house. It did fair $12,000 for Its 10th week. Blackstone's $18,000 For His Tops, in Pitt Pittsburgh, Nov. 30. Blackstone hung up biggest sross in his history at Nixon Thanksgiving Week, sizzing $18,- 000 in nine performances. Magi- cian played an extra matinee Fri- day (26) in addition to afternoon gerformances- Turkey Day and Sat- rday, and sold out at all of them. At $1.50 top, holiday mat jammed them to the gallery and knocked doviin $1 ,900 gross. Evening prices were scaled to $2. Nixon is presently dark and will be that way again next week, with "Allegro," Dec. 13, the next attrac- tion. its three-andia*half-week stay with $39,400 for a holiday week that also included ArrayrNavy game. "Make Way for Lucia," Walnut (1st week) (1,340; $3.90). Crix booking change, weren't too enthusiastic with one exception, and public gave it $15,- 800; "Oh,,- Mr. Meadowbrook" ("Japhet") in next Monday for two weeks. "Anne of the lOOU Days," For- rest (3d week) (1,766; $4.55). Only $14,000 last week. Naturally, this type of show kept many holiday and grid-celebrants , away. "Escape Me Nfever," Locust (2d week) (1,580; $3.25). Elisabeth flergner- vehicle moved along at original pace with $8,200 reported in final stanza. House dark cur- rently, with "O Mistress Mine" next Monday. notices it would have taken the estimated $17,000. capacity here. Run shortened by :f our .perform- ances here this week due to Ni Y. mA.r SOCKEROO $34,000 IN ST. LOUIS 'Drunkard' HG, Toronto Toronto, Nov, 30. ' '-Pwfak success of Brian Doherty's • revival of "The Drunkard" grossed a near- _ ~ ... « - Alexandra „v,»— — « , $2.40 top. I 27), 'Carousel' 18G, L'ville Louisville, Nov. 30. Theatre Guild production of 'Carousel" had « disappointing gross here last week, getting a returning to . the :Chiciago -. cpmpany / ■ . ■ ":Ho^dyj ■■. Mr. -i-'lcc'i: •'..'Centef ' .■(23d. ■ Wk) (R-2 964; :$2:8S).;. Holidays; always profitable .to this juve-ap- St. Louis, Nov. 30. peal spectacle; hopped back to It was socko biz for the first of $43,000 last week on 10 perform- the t\vo weeks of the Rodgers- ances. Hammerstein "Oklahoma" at the 1 "inside U.S.A.," Maiestic (31st American theatre, and a heavy ad- ] wk) (R-1,659; $6). Holdover levue vance for the windup session ' skidded a bit to $40,400, still should help equal or better the 1 plenty profitable, initial .stanza. With the 1,700-seat 1 "Life With Mother," Empire house scaled to $4.45 eight per- ; reth wk) (CD-1,0»2; .$4.80). Day formances ending Saturday (27) gaga sequel is doing steady sell- grossed about $34,000. iout business, but isn't the agency Only the matinee (25) Thanks- draw expected; about $24,000 last giving Day showed less than, ca- , week ■: pacity. The piece has played three weeks on previous visits. ".'"^ f*^!!;!'^?''"''"^''^'^ ^^^^ week;! .-y„u„g and Fair," Fulton (1st about $9,000. I , 0.966; $4.80). Girls' school "Iligrh Button Shoes," Broadway play drew mixed notices and its (60th wk) (M-1,900; $6). Lu.sty ' b.o. fate still uncertain* topped musical, noW';. in - its second year, ' .f 8,800 for initial week: Mercedes still grinding out great business, 1 McCambridge quit the cast Satur- climbed a bit to more than $48,800 day night (27) to fly to the Coast last week; Phil Silvers back in j for a picture, with Audra Lindley leading role, wi*h Eddie Foy, .Tr , replacing. 'Okla!' $38,400, Hoch. Rochester, N. Y., Nov. 30. Second company of "Oklahoma!" (M-1,319: $6). Nanette Fabray help 'FinH AVE.' SttLOUT $22,500 IN NEW HAVEN New Haven, Nov. 30. A tremendous gross greeted preem it Shubert last week i^heitt "Along Fifth Avenue" unfurled its banners. . Although word-of-mouth was decidedly on the doubtful side, it was too late to dent the boxoffice. Which had already racked up a virtual advance sell- out. At $480 top, five perform- ' ances (24-27) brought an approxl- "Llght tip the Sky," Royale f2d Iniate $22,500 to this 1,600-seater. /rn-l 035- «4f>0) N«>"' Mo'^ ^ ^ ■ - -■ . » -I. .. AEiu c* (oih Me," Leo G. Carroll starrer, here Love Life,_'_ 46th St.. (8th wk) J^^- ^ xhurs.-Sat. (2-4) stand. 52 Plays Out of Town Vwloeaday^ December l, HM8 Alonji^ Fiftli Av«'un<> Ne\\ Haven Nov 24 Arthur .Tjesscr production .of revue in two acts; 2ti scenes. Starb' W'iUle Howard. JNaivey Walker, llank Ladd; Carol Brucei Ce.ituies Ponald Richaids, Joliiinv Co\, riola ED$en. Vn'iiinia Gorskli Joyce :.Mathews, ' Loujsc Kirtland. George S. .'trvtti^, .ludytli iiiirrouelis, Zaebarv Solov, Ii«e Kiicgci, Wallace Selbeit, HkH Be ii Jiitisic. . Ciordon .Jenkiiis;.^ '.kvrJus^ lorn I Hank Ladd in for lauglis has lus troubles gettme very many of them m tv o nionologs but registers beltci in a bo.\-girI bong with Caiol Bruce. Latter has a string ol varied numbeis with her best personal Chck being the "Weep No Moi e ' torch Donald Richards gets the show's Roy Mack's staging gives tlie en- tire pioecedings a decidedlj ama- teuiish tinge Most of tlie acts olhoi Uian the old slandbjs belong back m the pailoi Kap IiiNiflo lt«>rlln Noitli Hollywood Nov 18 I'j'irh von Schilling; productiun of drama jn three afis tiive scenes) bv ' Bnch von SehilhnK. Directed, .by the author. Opened at Noith llollvwood (CaT ) l>ia\- house. Nov.. 17i. ■■*48: $1.20 top Adaii. additional music and Uiic; Rub top VOCal hand Via his Sturdy pipes aid Stut7, Kick Fientli, Philip Kadison. 'j , nvr>v a i-iitn niiinhiM with Judyth Burroughs, Negio moppet Virginia Gorski is a song- and-dance asset, and Joyce Mathews IS a visual ditto -as well as an okay sketch participant Other featured ■ketcltisi, Giiarlei vShermati. and Nat Hiken additional sketches, Hal Block, Mel rolkin. Max Liebman; production itased bv RobcrtH; Gordon: scener.v, Oliver Smith; costumes, David • Ffolkes; liKbting and techiucal supervision, I'CBSy Cl.>iK \oc.>l coaching, Robeit T,pnn ni,,.,p, o" ,,hn qnnpir rimlilv in nuiSK.il ami voial auanRements, Goiilon PWyelS vno appeal capaojy in jeMi,.m«, musi>.al diicttoi, living Attman, I skits and ensembles such as a dances and musical ntunbejs staeed madrigal on Radio Citv aie Louise Cast Willie' Howard. Nanc\ w.iikci, ' Kiitland. Gcorge S Irving, Lee flank liadd, Carol Brucei Donald Richard.'!, i Krieger, Wallace Seibert and Dick obmiv Cov.^ V.^ola. Essen,_A'l^Ein^a Gorski,, j;.ggj,||j|»^ : ," ' .Karl .Schneider . W iliielm ISeuinann . Hilda Brunner. Kl.sie Schneider . . . . .lOR . . Bill . ;■ ■. Hans I\lueller ... . , . Earnest Bruiiner. . . . . Dick' Monrote:. , . ... Loire Brimner'. Bllino Schmitt .Carl Christie . .. Edward .McNamara . . Jackie Immoor ...... , Marion Ja.vne . . : ■ Al Nesbo. ■Miche.il Risk Kiihud Flato . . Oscar. Weidhaas Ciaif; Moi land Ficvda Stoll Erich von Schilhnic I Inside Stuff-Legit Befoie deciding to give her piesent, high-voltage performance on |Bioadviav in .John C Wilson's levival of "Private Lives," Tallulah I BanKhead fust tested a moie legitimate portrayal for one show during the prelimindij engagement in Philadelphia. After $eeing the a|>a' thetic way the audience reacted, Wilson and the director, Martin t Manulis, agieed witli the slar that the one-woman ''vaudeville" per- I formance was essenlial That decision has apparently been borne out I bv business at the Pl\ mouth N Y , where grosses have been almost I solid capacity at more than $25,000. ' Before the test pei formance m Philly, tbe actress had been playina j the revival with all the slops out, tor two seasons in summer stock and I many months on the load, almost invariably to big attendance. How- I ever, It wms felt that perhaps the show should be toned down for New York — until it died that way during the single attempt in ]^hiily. ■Joyce' Mathews, lioulse Kirtland,: Cieorse IrviiVR. Jud.vth Burroughs. Zachary lOlriV. Lee: Kricgcr. Wallace Seibert. Dick _ieinie CandaLC Montgomeis. Caiol Nel son...Joan;.Cobui'n:. Tina Prescot^. Ted Alii' son. Ken Ilennei Gloiia Harden, Beit Slicldon. Marian Horosko, Franca Bald- win. -Shcllie. Farrell, Tessie C?irrann. Cretcbfiii ; Houser... .Tanet Savers. .Harr.v Asnuis. Dante DiPaoIo. Walter Stane. Bob wenUum. Howard Malone,. Ken Raymond, pofovliv Pvren, .Lucille . Udovick, ' Ted Show is attractiv.ely designed; with the Oliver Smitli sets antj David Ffolkes costumes combining tor a good visual pattern Staging IS still in. the groping category. Boiic. ' I iltli Avenue" is paved with ('asilc on iho .Sand Pasadena, Nov 25 . Pasadena ' Playhou.se ' produetioiv;. of drama m three act.s (lour scenes)'.bv Zoe good intentions— but they just Ali'iii'" DiieaXd bV Robert MiUm don t tome Oft, as of its premiere 1;* ''•«"'"^''! Pasadena, Cal , Unles'. a U'dic->1 reconstruction lob ' "« Is turn(^d m here, this theatrical ! Archer stanhope., thoroughlaie is apt to end up as a Aimc .lJ^e\va^ deadend stioet Even with coutein- \'m,met!e 'c.'i'eeiey plaled revisions it's difficult to see i una Pcaison this one as an outstanding con- Airhurpi;''^]?""'' ' .tefdei. . . . . . .■ ! George .laneway.:.. At the debut, flashes of accept- iicd Pe.)ison able di\cision weie submerged by L'l"! , "'n?,?,^«n.„ dull sketches, pointless numbeis, | V,,^''B'„^rt '^ non-sparkling lyrics, and music ii k rorois that as an overall unit, was so'^e- 1 j^^', ^ thing less than inspired. Lookmg i Emerald i cc bevond' this status, in an attempt i ■ — — - \ to assay the show's futuie po&sibil- 1 Zoe Akins wiole tht'. origipallj ities favorable factois thai stand as a magazine stoij "during that out die a colorful physical sets and ' period ol optimism between the costumes) production, some fust- two woi Id wai s ' The play adapta- ratP dancing, and some good talent tion she lepoits in a program tlial could achieve better results i touwoid, was at the suggestion of With improved working tools "sevaial theatre-wise persons " In this, his fii St musical pioduc-] They must be severely disap- tion Arthm Lesser has the piob- 1 pointed lem ot finding al least one sock | Dull and lalk\ it is also unbe- comcd\ loutine and one sock song lievablv auk\v.aid It has no cui Maurice Lappin . Charles, Peters Blanche. C^ladstoiie: . ... . ■ Ken Harp. : .';■,.. Janice: Varncy. Ii ene I)enn> Rose Marv Emma . . ■■ Robin Hughes .. . ■ . Onslow Stevens Ccoicje EldndKt Jaciluehnc de' Wil Clifl Smith Ji Ted (.:ohcn . .David A. LiOonai'd , . . . :. .Jim WooUinv . . :. Murray. Klaier . . . . . Pee R.v Hadev A inildh animated lecUiie on the situation "Inside Berlin " this Erich von Schilling script has no commercial piospects It's too talky and dull loi legit and too heavN loi a film market specializ- ing in light enteitamment Pointing, up the controversy be- tween Bcrlinei's favoring commu- nism and those favoring democ- rat \ i( states Its principles ad- mit abl.\ but the effect is one of listening to philosophical disserta- tions latlici than enttrtaininent Thin plot line deals with attempts to discover who's been tipping the Russian secret polite oft to anti- communist Berlineis Author's direction, like his writ^ ing. IS lieavy-handed. Cast man- ages to be credible. Kap ' Michael Todd, producet of "As the Giils Go" at the Winter Gaidcn, : N.' Y., has tormed a new company, Beeantee Gorp:, to produce ins Sun- day night television shows tioni the theatre. He figures there's no question of his light to do the seiics, as he has the Winter Garden on a I straight four-walls basis liom the Sbuberts at a rental of about $7,Q00 a week, instead ol the usual peicentage-of-the-gross deal At the cur- lent $55,000-odd gioss'loi "Girls," he's mopping up on the arrange- ment ' Becantee name of the new corporation is taken from th« ( initials ot Joan Blondell iMrs.ToddV and the producer; Somewhat isimilailv the pioducliou fiim of 'Girls" is the BBT Coip, using tli« i lespeclive last initials ol Sliss Blondell, Col Samuel Becker, Todd's at- ' tomey, and Michael Todd, Ji Play on Broadway I Cast of "The Silver Whistle " which preemed last Wednesday niglit ' (24) at the Riltmore, N Y,, was incensed at the Theatie Guild because oi the first week's schedule of performances. Besides the regular even- I ing shows plus matinees Fiiday and Saturday (26-27), there was a ' special matinee the at ternoon ot .the opening lor an invited audience of; actois Also theie was a final roheaisal that same moining, duiing wliicli a new scene was inseited and a special run-through ot the same scen^ : that afteinoon between the special matinee and the premieie . According to cast members It was all within the Equity lules, but climaxing a long tour and strenuous last-mmute revisions and prepara- tions was an e'^hausting physical and nervous Strain Several ol tli« actors had sore throats tor the premiere. number Piesent paucity o£ laufehs Is a distinct liability. There's a "Juvenile Delinquency'' sketch which IS strictly, trom starvation, and a mirthless disk jockey skit i tains worthv of mention, the dialog is stilted tlie construction is weak and the characterizations tail to ring true;: . Title stems fiom the idea that The Sil««>r Wliisllo Ihcaire CiuiUl production of comedy in three acts tlour scenes) b.v. Robert E. McEnroe. Star.s .lose Ferrer: features Eleanor . Wilson. William ' Lvnn. Doru -Mcrande. Robert CTarroll. C«eor'ge Mathews, - Kathleen Gomegys.. ■ Directed .by Paul Crabtree; settings and lighting, Herbert ^. Brodkin: ' costumes,. ■ i-rnest Sihiaps At Biltmoie N Y, No\ 24 48i $4.»0 top ($B opening). "Biavo ' Max Goidon's fust production on a hmited-paitneiship basis, Is budgeted at .$75,000 but is undeisiood to have cost neaily $100 000 to bung to Broadway. Gordon and co-authors Edna Ferbcr and Geoige S Kaulman aie the general partncis in the ventute, a %l the onlj limited partneis ate the producer, with $45,000, Miss Ferber, $13,125, Kaulman $13,125, and Moss Hart, $3,750 An unusual aspect ol the partnership agreement is that it prohibits substiliilion of lim- ited partnerships. that's a close second in its present 1 a man's home is his castle — and Air. Beobe Mis Haniiel Mis.s Hoadley , . ... Miss liipp Reverend' Watson. Mj's. Sampler . Mrs. Cii'oss. '. . Ml Chein Oliver' l!irw.e.ntej:'. . . Eiuinclt Bishop. . . ; . . .'. . . Katiier Slvayvi,:. . . .^i Ml Be.iih Ml l!pdcl\ Policeman . ..i.. . . . ; foim A "Foreign Legion' bit ap parently was plucked from the W (for witless) file. A hospital sketch with amusing buildup content lizzies on the punch. Tlie only com- ed\ numbeis with ans degiee of laugh consistency' are -a perfume- pui chasing skit, which is reminis- cent ot the pen-buvins? scene in " Vlake Mine Manhattan ' and a Ciuelciia piece that should eineigc if the stiuctuie isn't built on a solid toundation It crumbles. Plot follows the crumbling home lite ot George Janeway. socialite mil- lionaire who loses his fortune and legdins it thioiigh a wheat market coup onU to disco\er that his 1am- ily's interest m him has a finan- cial rather than filial basis. On that skeleton Miss Akins has hi^ng a fiiibby skin ot dialog that; . William l..ynn . . Doro Merande . .Frances Brandt . . . .Eleanor WiLson . Robert Carroll . . Kathleen Comcgvs ... .;, . Jane Marbur.v . . : . Burton Mallory i lose Ferrer .deorge Mathews' .Lawrence. Fletcher Chaiies Halt Edwaid Plait ( ha lies Kuhn Chase . Soiled Plays Abroad as oka\ miilerial when timing is screams toi a massage with a blue P'opti set 1 pencil Theie is an abundance ot Musically, the show has scveial c'i''^*''' the pla\ never shows songs which suffer from a condi- I ^"i; i,^'" P' ofiic^'^ tion of lelativitv On then own i Robeit Milton s diieclion makes the.v conbtitutc onh so so iistoning ""^ most out ol what the sciipt but with at least one smash time to « offer Cast pei foi mances lead them these numbeis could '"^ topped b\ Onslow btevcils' take on added statuie The\ m- e\(ollciit lob as Geoige Janeway elude "If ' "Best Time ot Day ' "J i the fine support tumed in b\ Lo\c Io\e in New Yoik " Sky- 1 iat'Oueline de Wit as his wite sciapei Blues "Call It Apple l'"i it- 1 ^'^nche Gladstone as a daughter, ters." "A Tup Doesn't Caie At All ' D^>vid A Leonaid as his partner "Weep No More," and the fiist-att the wheal toup and Mauiice opener "I ilth A\ enue ' 1 appm as the butler Toipsichoie should get stai bill- ' ''^"''^ insjlicie lis that impoitant Ilcad-'"-"'' a'^^^e' mg t he toe-and-tap depart men! is Viola Evscn whose uoik is sland- oul in a 'Blues ballet with Zath- ai\ Solo\ and a challenge routine B|ij**'l!ii uii«l • Ilori.vv.ooti. .Nov. 23.;'; , , , . - - ^- Nathan llcllcr pi'Oduftioii oi' Yidtiish- wilh Johnn^ Co\ who js a win/ on R;?'j'''i„V";^« '"'i '" ? J'^' hoofing but should ne^ei be allowed l,'?,'cri*ee""sen u^' Mulpf; ' "^u'Lod'-in to vocalize. A window display ! Roy Mack, ; opened al Coronet.- Ilollv. manikm dance is cleveih con- *'J"i' ceived and sprightly staged. "Santo: a recent uosui ee in Yiddish gaging dance ensemble I.^Lihc i, . T n n r.T J J -NT t.r months thcu lia\e been seveial Willie Howard and NancOValkei Shows aiound llollvwood oUeiing i . „V',iL hasn t Yiddish vaude but all on a ont^ H CO bi •e shoVl..Rc "walked uTes\JiJ;ow'h'.'i ''^^^'^ ^"^ "^-^Sols' piobablv will beuer'ind. with^he'elce^^^^^^^^^^ ''%.VZfs.lZ'''^' ^'"^"^ a tendency to undei pla\ hei "''"^ "° sketches she comes through okay SAMUEL FRENCH SUNCE lil.'iO Play, Brokers and : .Aiitiiors' Rcprescii tatiies West 4Slll glirel. ^en Vork rfiS.t Sunset Bltd., MolhiwHid 4(>, Cal PLAYS WANTED N-EtV . .VORK ANO RO*l». :pnDDUCTIONS 'rater Play* With S<>r Parts, Quick RMdlngi HARRY MEYER M (HOlr, isn't it about time thai the "pav the $2' loutine was letiied with lionois'' Benny Baker tries to wea\e the loose ends together as emcee, but Ihe 'Iheatre Guild has appar- ently come througli with a hit with Its second pioduction ol the sea- son, ' The Silver Whistle Largely on the stiengUi ot Jose Ferrer's brilliant and beguiling perform" ante, the Robert E McEnioe com- edv should have at least a mod- erate run: — proDablv ample to pay oil the unusually small pioduction e\pen'^e Show, which was tried out hist .summer at. Weslport, Conn.* and has been undergoing steady doc- toring during an extended pre- liminarv tour, mav be tough to sell to a ina.s.s public because of its locale and piincipal cbaiacteis Play takes' place in a .home lor the aged most oi the chaiacteis are the leeble, querulous inmates — haidlj subiecl mattet likely to suggest gay entertainment for the average theatregoei However the authoi's appioach IS not only alleclionate but also :good humored and laughable. And though the stiipt is too gabbv at times the tone is invariably light and the eftect is both touching and enioyablc The show's box- otlict <;u(cess then appaicntly de- pends On the abilitv of the Guild to sell Peiiei s lesouicelul and ingratiating ))ertormance. and the plavs satisfving qualities, to a public that may tend to be dis- inloiosled Keiiei s peifoimante is unqiies- tionabh the maioi asset Trom the moment he swaggeis onstage a loquacious and peisuasue iiamp pieleiiding to oe 77 years old so he can get a few days' tree meals in the dingv home lor the aged he not onlv levives the dpciepil inniaie.s ,t)iit al.sp ani.ina.tes the play and captuies tlie audieme The sciipl's static iliteiludes aie some- how infused with tun and by the final (uitain even the chilly mm- isiei and his stem bishop aie won oyer .{It's . surie^y ; the bi^st acting T'oiiei has evei done -ind possibU the outstanding solo pcifoimance ot the season thus far Theie aie also seveiaT notable poitiavals among the suppoiling puncipals Fleanor Wilson gives a modest and supcilatively shaded uei foimant p as the waim-ho^i ((^d joung woman whom the hobo sAves from becoming periiianentlv congealed as caretaker for the aged William Lvnn catches the wistlul eageiness of a nevej-sa\- die dcielict, and Bui ton Malloiv H excellent as another wi/ened ancient Doro Meiande conlrlbuleS a |li4!i Wal xofkocn i gi n (Walt/ Queen) Vienri^, Oct 26 Fran'/ Hoss - production of operetta in seven 'St'etU'S. ■ Boo.k bv Hubert Marischka; ivrics bv Aldo f'inelli aiul Alarischka;. mu- sic bvlAidwig Sclimldseder. Directed by Marischka. Dances b.v Dia l.uca; settings bv Otto Liewelir;: costumes .b.v. Geidago. At But igti Ihcatie Nienna, OU 11, '48 Marie CiOistinEter.', . . . .-. ...Klhe Mayertiofer Ferdinand l.obmever .. , .Huliert Marischka Ilt>iiu4> llan Alsikatle (Leocadid) (SWEDISH) Stockholm, Oct 25 Boulevard .Theatre produetion of com- edy, in Ave acts, by .Jean . Anouilh, traiis- Lited into Swedish bv Gu Foimer is beautiful, and sings and dances well Hubert Maiischka makes a tiuiinphant re- tuin to the stage as Lobmeyei Qskar Sima does a nice job as singing leather as does Eiicli Roll Arnold a.s llendei-soii. Operetta lacks musical high spots Four songs "Wienei I,uft " Wer Kennt Das Hei/" "Es 1st Viel Mehr Als Svmpathie" and "Wenn Man Veiliebt 1st" please the eai Costumes and settings are sumptuous and g.iudj Mads. hilaiiouslv caustic cione Kath- leen Comcgvs is amusing as a laded but uiK,iien( liable coquette lane Mai bin \ is convincing as a religions crackpot; and Erahces Biandl is dclighdul as a blisstul old sousi Hobeil Caiioll does .rather;; AVelf \v.ith the. terrible part of the sane tiiuonious leclor, and Geoige Mathews does what he can w'i t h the i' 1 0 we i'y ;. 1 i n e s 6 f . a seconcl knight ,;ol; ; the' 'rdati. . . The others haven't much to do Paul Ciab- llee's staging is competent and Ifeibett Biodkin's (huichjaid set- ting looks piopeilv diab Opening nighi cuitjin "'as fintt ounlabl, delayed, ... but. tlie, . :premierG was ot)ie'inyi.se.:.ea{)abl.v ha.iidlpd. ■ ■ '''WttistleJ' li uiihsual ^amj. re- freshing ..in . tha.-. theatre, , but its locale and cliaiaeleis socm doubt- ful film matciial and somewhal questionable loi inoit- than capsule tiealment on ladio, oi television Hofje. Amanda 1 he Pi ince 'I he Dull hess Baron Hector. '.'.. The bullci 'the bullet rhe- dii\ei lie ciean\ sellci Tnnkeepci Woodward.' Civpsv \iohnist . Mai^Britt ; Hakonssou ; :C»eorge lant . '. . . ..Heiinv. . bchcdin Kail riik 1 kill Boric "Uellwi* Ke\e lltcliil ' Karl A\cl i'otsbciK Andeis Ani^elius ' SUi Malmiov' ScKoI Mann '.'■ Franz ■ von. .Lampe With "Leocndia " comedy bv Flench plavwiight Jean Anouilti, las Us inilial ofleiing of the season, |the Bou'evaid llieatie is assuied 'ot a long-iun hit Slai names, of George Fant and Mai-Butt |Hakonsson ale also a big help I Plavs society backgioimd is I located in a chateau wlieie the 'elite iiiis with the hoi polloi, ITianslalion into Swedish is well 'done bv Gubtav Biuistiom and , Tuve-Ambjoin ^vsllom and John I Zakaiias' staging also is deflly done Fanl does well as the piince I while other cast mcmbeis (onliib solid suppoit Wtiiq, I Valerie ('Inside USA". Bettis to pieem hei new dame woik, "As I Lay Dying," with tompanv ol 12 in Ballimoie Dec 12 le- peating it at lUmtei College N Y.. .Dec 19 Ja»'k Manning untler- Studving Tom i;well in "Small I Wondei" (Colonel N Y) Wil- liam Aichibald, who wioie booK foi 'Carib Song' and Bdldwiii Beigeison who wiote some music toi Small Wondei," both appear- ing at Blue Angel N Y niteiv livins Caesar will present his moppet show, "Smg-A-Ling-A- Ling " including many of his songs ol safetv and other numbeis, plus spveial vatietv acts, at a mat nice Dec 30 at Carnegie Hall N Y A tour ol theaties and school audi- toriums will follow . Kowlaiid Iciffh, who authored the hries of ' My Bomance" and staged it for the Shubeils has been appioached lo duett a new musical toi an- othei management but iiiav pass it up to do a Hollywood pictuie . . . With the Robert E Slipiwood- IiviuKf Berlin musical "Miss Lib- eih dup loi pioduction late this season. Christopher Morley has gotten out his comedv, ' ^^lss Lib- b\ " wiittcn m 1940 and wilhdiawn beiaus'C ot the wai, and is again siibmilting It to managements. Both shows aie about Uie Statue «i • Liberty Wedneflday, Dcoemiber I, 1948 UTERATI 53 Literati Theatre Arts Max Sold Theatre Arts Monthly, acquired last January by Alexander Ince at a price of $40,000, has been sold to a Chicago syndicate for $30,000. Heading the group is John Mac- Arthur, insurance man and brother of Charles MacArthur, editor of the . publication since Ince took over: Publication is to be resumed in January on a montltly basis and Gilbert Gabriel, whose recent exit Involved legal differences with Ince, is to resume as drama critic. According to Ince, the circula- tion of the mag under his regime rose from 11,000 to 43,000, but the publication failed to make ex- few years and captions under them would furnish an ace orientation course for even those who think they know their Orient. In fact, Forman has guessed right so long (he got into Poland before the Nazi blitzkrieg and got shot at for trying to newsreel the attack from the hills), that it's surprising he isn't dragooned into service in the State Dept. "Changing China" is not for pix but it is definitely for those who have to sell them in the foreign market. Scul. Guild (CIO), who visited Memphis on a: stopover from his current duties as member of Paris' Eco- nomic Cooperation Administration (ECA), where he's chief aide to W. Averell Harriman. Frank Variety Scully's virus infection lost him 15 pounds, caus- ing *him to double-back to Holly- wood from Chi, where he was stricken, instead of coming on to New York. However, Si Seadler, the Metro ad exec and former Gor lumbia U. classmate of Scully's, cracks, "Aw, Frank, wanted to get some more 'Fun In Bed' research!'' Larry M. Wilson, Canadian jour^ nalist and dramatist/' at work on what he calls a "Canuck" play, is returning to this country this month; having sold The Mermaid Inn, Rye, Sussex, England, after a SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK ************** * By Frank Scully Billy Rose's Capital Gain Billy Rose's "Wine, Women and Words" is being published under a capital-gains setup— there's that Shrase again!^the same as Bob [ope utilized it wlien Simon & Schuster also brought out the lat- ter's book. Similarly, Bose's Glen- more Productions, Inc., which is a : holding company for a number of Rose's ventures; pays for the . printing, selling, etc., of the book, and 'thus the corporation is in bet- ■ ter position to keep a better slice of the .profits than if Rosei i^divid- uallyi got royalties as an.antJior. D. W. Griffith's BioK ■■ Contrary to reports, the late D. W. Griffith never wrote an auto- ■ biography in: the true sense of the word, according to Seymour Stern who's authoring a biog on the cele- brated film produce!". He points out that in 1939 Griffith dictated Bome 100 typewritten pages - of / memoribilia, but failed to get past' his boyhood in Louisville. 'The pic- ture pioneer, Stern says, then ■ Bhelved the story of his screen career when he failed to get en- couraging reactions from industry- Ites. • Stern, however, claims that on Griffith's last and final birthday, Janv 22, 1948,; the producer gave him a "signed, detailed authoriza- tion to write his biography. The authorization bears his signature as well as the signatures of two witnesses present at the signing." Since then, tlie writer reveals, he's been proceeding with the biog and has accumulated about .4,000 pages ■ of notes in connection with his itesearching. Elmer Irey's Goodie Elmer L. Irey, former chief of the Enforcement Branch, U. S. Treasury, with the collaboration of Hollywood, Nov. 24. (Tfiis ouest colitJnit is being written by Jack Paar, in person, while Frank Scully is convttlcsding somewhere north of Ashton Stevens. — Ed.) . Well, our good friend, Frank Scully, has been in the hospital again. This made the 31st hospital in as many years and nearly as many countries.: This time it's pneumonia and the scene, Chicago. ; . , I sometimes think it's just a weird hobby of his, this collecting of thermometers. He has bitten into so much glass that for Christmas I i am going; to get him a thermometer with an olive at the bottom. I Frank Scully, the international band-aid, has left various paris of [ his anatomy all ov«r the world. And from such .a nice guy. it's a' won- > { der the world isn't a little better for it. Here's a guy with one leg but God was just and gave him two hearts. tUs'with tSt^trad'c"'* Wilson wi' i A* "P""^' condition was improved, and while his tempera- correspond^t L C^^^ : was not normal, it was at least as low as Henry Wallace's. for old N, Y.- World, after taking a I schooner around the world With a I Pic Names Sliced ss Continued from page t^ss William J. Slocum, has fashioned , TOmpany oT "amateurs" However, a gnppmg senes of whodunits un-ihe had captain's papers, der the title, "The Tax Dodgers" I (Greenberg; $3)y each chapter of which is almost a scenario by it- self. It's authentic inside stuif on how the U, S. Treasury Dept.- bore down on America's political : and underworld hoodlums and, failing' to- get them .on perhaps more heinous crimes, was enabled to put them behind bars for tax evasion. As: result of what happened to Capone, Waxie Goi'don, Boss Pren- dergast, Willie Bioff, Torrio, Huey Long, et ali, one thing about which today's, racketeers are circumspect is their income tax obligations to Uncle Sam. :. Irey's matte,r-of -factual, case-his- tory reporting/ kudosing this that T-man for his particular ac' compllshments in the respective cases;, makes arresting reading. - -. Abel. Dickson Quits Gannett Ore Cecil B. Dickson, chief of: the Washington Bureau of the Gannett Newspapers, and member of the Standing Committee of CorrcT spondents of the Congressional Press Galleries, is quitting his post with Gannett, effective ,l;m. 1. He will return to the Washington operation of Bascom Timmons, which services a number of news- papers, particularly in Texas and Oklahoma. ' Dickson will also con^- tinue as associate editor of : the Whaley-Eaton Newsletter. . ' . American Nobel Conclave Eighth annual American Nobel Anniversary Commemoration is scheduled to be held Dec. 10 at the Hotel Pierre, N Y. with Dr. Bryn J; Hovde, prez of tlur New School Dutton to Tell All History of the publishing firm of E. P. Dutton & Co; is being pre- pared for publication in 1952s .Date coincides with the 100th anniveiT sary of the organization. Author of the volume will be Marion Humble who last ; week joined Dutton's to sift out and in- terpret the company's records, correspondence and publications. the air which still pay $5,000,"Lux Radio Theatre" and Hallmark; Decline in guest: shot prices oj?' radio is in direct contrast to the bullish market for television guestars. For example, Elgiii-' American, for its Thanksgiving Dj^y- ,show, paid George Jessel. $S,O0O for the emceeing stint; Price ; in the newer medium is: expected: to 0r rise as more shows go on and when more stations are added to the net^ work when the radio, relay is conir pleted after Jan. 1. Th« guest ^bt prices on radio ar^ furthei' endangered by the pr^ vailing $2,500 fee generally paid on "Theatre Guild of thfe Air." This show frequently takes three days rehearsal as against no more than two with the other shows. Yet the Guild has little difficulty in lining up top attractions. Talent agency spokesman foresee the time when the top Guild price pre- vails on most of the s]iows; ■ ; Drop is expected to come as tele- vision's circulation increases and the number of top AM dramatic shows decreases. ; Time was when talent agency pressure could put a $7^500 stipend on a top Hollywood name. Appar- ently those daj'S are gone.; Filin names coming .eastward are takin| • whatever is available at current prices, and Coast agencies : are forced to seek the lower-salaried shows when they've obtained dates on Hallmark or; Lux. Newer dramatic shows are also for Social Researdi, ' presiding, i Work on the tome originally v/as ^^^^ j„ ^j.- ^^ ^ j .,. „ ,. .., * — I,.- Si -..-...t «i-o,.foH j)y: the late Florence W.^^f ^ • . " ._ . .. « ■ Highlight of the evening is expect ed to 'be a message from the Nor- : wegian Ambassador presumably explaining why there will be no Nobel Peace Prize this year. Among those .«!lated to address the conclave are the envoys of Czechoslovakia, France, Israel, Italy and Poland. Representing radio will be Nathan Straus, prez of station WMCA, N. Y. Invita- tions have been extended to col- umnist Drew Pearson and Abel Green, editor of Vahjety, to speak ! lor the press and film industry re- spectively. started Bowers . . "eiiationary trend In guest sho <; i , ^ g ^ufts. Way back in the comer was an old y is doing a piece | is seen as continuing until studio , mte for me. So I changed my name to Jack SuhkiSt. ■ T'me ™ag. : pi-oduetion picks , Labor is as strict as the star system. Once I sneezed and was pick- .six Box Chi. Strike in ZA Year ITU strik* against the five Chi- cago dailies entered its second year last week. Picketing con- tinues but more thiin half of the 1,500 printers who struck Nov. 24. 1947, are reported to have fouhd other jobs. ' Strike benefits to date from the tinion total in excess of $4,500,000. Chi papers have published with- out interruption, using varitypers and photo engriiving. CHATTER - Dwight Whitney on Doris Day for Dorothy Lamour getting; a page picture layout in Juke Comics. ' Doubleday & Co. wijl publish six one-act pla,vs authored by- John Dall, Goine February. Title as of now for William Lind- say Gresham's new novel Rinehart will put out next spring is "Limbo Tower." Carl Schroeder writing a piece on Edpar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy for Modern ; Television and Radio mag. Eugene Burns' "The Helpers of Hollywood," a yarn about charity [talent. For example, ''Hollywood Screen Test" is paying a top of I around $1,500. Deflationary trend in guest shots i The Oleo of Radio I offered to substitute for Frank this week. I am an old hand at substituting. I replaced Jack Benny last summer on the Lucky Strike ■ program, and Don McNeil on the "Breakfast Club" this spring. I am always a substitute. I am known as the oleomargarine of radio.- ■ I don't know what's going to happen to: my small career.: Radio is . finished, they say. Motion pictures are bankrupt. And I'm too tall for television. ' ' I am preparing myself for video, however. Under the GI bill of rights, I signed up for a course in this new medium. . T was discouraged when I saw the schedule of the school. Two weeks' production, two weeks' acting, three weeks' wrestling. What has happened to the entertainment business? Sometimes I get so discouraged, I think of ending it all. But loving showbusiness as I ; : do I want to leave this world in a dramatic way. I've thought of throw? ing myself in front of a swan in the tunnel of love, but I was afraid I'd end up as a commercial, with half of me in the kitchen and half in the bath. And from all I can gather, the future of showbusiness generally doesn't look too good. My agent said that I should tighten my belt. And that if I do not wear a belt, I should shorten my suspenders. Sine* : I wear neither, he looked at me and . said: "Peek-a-boo!" Fast amil Iiuce Things are 80 bad here that I have had' to keep my wife's morale up by subscribing to Life magazine. I put my copy in a flshbowl eacli week. Then I turn the pages quickly and make her believe it's tfcle-^ vision; ■,■-„■. , . ■ ;•■':;...■■.■■■■■-.:. Sincie I came out of the Army, I have been under contract to RKO here in the land of the.Goldwyn sunshine. After waiting for three years, I am finally-going to be in motion picture,. Yes, I know the plural is "pictures" but since I have such a small ; part it's been placed in just one frame of the film. Come to think of it, I am even stretching the point when I say "motion" because I movO very little in this role; ■ As a matter of fact, unless there's a draft in the theatre and, the wind blows the screen, T will not move at all. I don't know why they . don't cut my part out, and melt the celluloid back into its original liquid state. It would make a nice toothbrush handle. ; :. - This Character Is a CHARACTER! i can't understand why the studio doesn't use me more. To get at- tention I've become a Hollywood character. I let my hair grow long, 1 and wear a blue suede beret. This didn't quite 'do; it, so I had my socks tatooed on. I'm the only guy in Hollywood with Argyle feet. I When I first arrived in Hollywood they said that I would be the new I Jimmy Stewart. They didn't tell me they weren't through using the 1 old Jimmy Stewart. Another producer said that I reminded him of I Cary Grant. So he hired Cary Grant. ' If you read that over slowly 1 again, I feel there's a small joke there.) ' ' A producer at RKO who makes the "B" quickies once called me in for an interview. T didn't get the part but when I reached Hollywood I and Vine I noticed my Interview was showing at the Pantages theatre. I Jack Sunkist, the All-American Orange And the caste system! It's so obvious. Between scenes the stars have chairs to rest in between camera setups. Their names are on the back of these chairs and are arranged in order of their salaries. There was a chair for Victor Mature, one for Lizabeth Scott, one for where talent will be either too busy to accept, or if additional earnings in radio hurt their total I [ income for the year because of in- creased amount of income taxes. SSSSm' Continued from page 2 be provided iby experiehcied film personnei, 20t)i. pi^ns to ', recruit as many^ of ;itS::tb|)' writtersi producers, directors; i ciiitiera'men^^ etc.,- as; would be willing to take a crack in the film capital, w ill appear in | at the newer medium. Possibility " ■ ' - ^ - also exists ; that; 20th would December's Coronet mag. i Lloyd Emerson Sibercll, an exec I with Norfolk and Western R.R.. has I allowed his belies lettres mag. Imprimatur, to ; cease publication; for time being. I Jimmy Siivage, dean of the Bala- ban • and Katz theatre chaiji flack | Joey Adams' 2d Book ' Joey Adams, whose "Gags to Riches" sold nearly 250,000 copies, I staff, joins the Chicago Tribune and which Frederick Fell. Inc. is i tlie first of the year - replacing also bringing out - in a 25c, , edir | Marcia Winn, columnist, tion, will have his second book; eted by the plumbers; Anothfer time my forehead became shmy and the electricians accused me of "reflecting" withovrt; a card. From now oh when I pass an electrician I switch my forehead to "dim." : I Since RKO will not use me, I have been trying to arrange a loahout, I but no other studio will make the $5 deposit. The economy drive out I here is serious. Warners have let two of their brothers go. M(JM laid off Leo the Lion. Now when a Metro .picture opens Louis B, Mayer $22,000,000 Price comes out and shrugs^hisshouWer^^^^ • One chain of theatres has laid off all housercheckers on percentage pictures. Now to count the night's receipts they have the'janitor add up the popcorn boxes. :,;,;■■ Of course, in Beverly Hills people do not eat anything so low as pop^ corn. There they have inachines that serve lipi-s d'oe^^^ with the newsreel, of course). ■-■'^^.'''c'.ii:'^' The theatre out here that's doing the (best business has hit Upon a novel idea. They give the patrons a refund oh. the way in. Another is I bffering a free trip to Hawaii,. (In small print on the ticket stub it says — i vou must be willing to shovel coal both ways;); , ,: i Well I hope this will fill the ScUlIywag'S white space for one column. ■ It isn't ea.sy, I see, filling this blank paper wHh words; I ain going to get one of those hew electric typewriter^ You jus^ and'. tu^^l^ It oAv-r-.' ':••'■■ ■ '';{■>'..■■ >. "Never Marry An Actor" pub- lished next year. It's labeled by the comedian as "a parlayed 'What Makes Sammy Run'? and 'The Hucksters' ", with plenty of inside stuff on comics' private lives. Com- ?osite hero's name is Jackie oungster. Adams is making this a more serious novel, instead of the al fresco gagstering backbone of his first book. Forman's China O. O. Harrison Forman. former March of Time photbg, NBC broadca.iter and N. Y. Times correspondent, has come up with one that's a must for anybody interested in world markets. It's called "Chang- ing China" and however much the place: may- change in the near fu- ture Forman is ready for it. Volume is illustrated with 250 One Way to Do It After ; Variety broke the story of Gen. Eisenhower',"; book, via a 20th ' Century-Fox film shorts series going on tel-. Qvision over ABC; the deal cooled, Eventually S p y r O S Skouras, president of 20th'FoXi entered in** negotiations for 20th to buy the entire network, especially because of video's future.. With the Eisenhower film- radio deal row revived, a gag around the 20th-Fox home- offlCe is that "we golta buy the entire radio network for us to get the Eiscnhowei- , shorts on the ABC chain." Funny" : JocJc Poar. i some of its large stable of stars for i TV shows. Studio toppers Darryl I would be forced to give up the its tele newsreel moved-over-to ! aoDiications it has now pending: ABC from Its present position on with the FCC for TV stations in the NBC-TV web. Newsreel is cur- I San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, 1 renlly sponsored on most NBC-TV I Kansas City and Boston. (Under i stations by Camels through the 1 FCC regulations, no single organi- William Esty ad agency. Twentieth I zation is permitted to own and ■ believes it could convince Esty to ' operate more than five tele fita- i make the move by promising the 1 tions, and 20th, by buying out ABC, ; agency betier programs immedlate- ! would get that web's outlets in ! Jy before and after the reel, which ! New YoTK, Chicago, Detroit, Los | would help insure a larger audi- ! Angeles and Frisco.) According to I ence. one 20th exec, "We'd be only too, Twentieth believes the, projected glad to give up our applications." takeover of ABC would be a natu- While prosecuting the bids in FCC . companies. For onf .. hear ngs has cost 20th considerable ' | J ,^ . _.g_gy go {„!._ a takeover of the , thing, access to its own tele pro- ABcT web would save 20th the tre- , grams in five key cities would help" mendo;is cost of building and 20th develop and jiromote- its tber Howard Costigsr., executive secretary of Labors League of Hollywood' Voters, completed "The Hidden Front." a book about Com- munists in labor unions. New f emme legit comediennes^ Mary McCartv i"Small Wonder"); Allyn Ann McLerie ("Wliere's Charley?"), Dorothy Jarnac ("Heaven on Earth") and others — are singled out for kudos in De- cember's Mademoi.selle. Simon & Schuster report an ex- traordinary advance sale on "The Life and Times of the Sthmoo, the At Capp cartoon :bo.ok, which „.,.j„„ „. ... . , . is being^rought out _this_we_e_k. I™ | ^.^z|;;°^k and Zseph M Sci^^^^^^^^^^ equipping its own five stations. - atre tele systems. There would also be a $1 book including se^^^^^^ ■ howeve7:"arrknown""lo"be averse \ 'ABC's capital Advance ordeis e'^^eed , ^^^^^ ^^.^^^^^^ possible com- TV, of course, would drawings $100,000. Hometown newspaper cronies and show folks joined hands la.st week to fete Harry Martin, presi expenditure for be included. pix Forman has taken in the last ' dent of the American Newspaper be a natural dross'advertiBing nic- dium for bbtli oUtfits; Twentieth plaiis to plug its film product via If ttlf deal%5es tiurough, 20th' certed effort on 20th'fi'part to have tion in ite theatres. petition with the film boxoffice and in its sales price.) 84 CHATTEfll MSSBfftir Wednesday, December 1, 1949 Beth Brown in Hollywood cast- ing her new play. Jean Geiringer, BMI exec, in from a seven«weelcs* trip to Argen- tina, Brazil and Cuba, v Jackie Gleason has lost so much weight, he says the bookers want him to work for half salary. Wally Downey, ASCAP's foreign expert, back froin South American tour of his own music pub com- panies. • , Fred Goldberg, Paramount's «ss't exploitation manager, engaged to Audrey Dressier, nuptials set for J^n. 9. Carol Natalie Starr, daughter of Herman Starr, WB v.p. and prez of WB's music subsidiaries, engaged to Robert L. Walden. The treasurer of a local theatri- cal organization has been given un- til tomorrow (Thurs.) to make good a $1,500 shortage. American Nobel Anniversary commemoration Friday (10) :Hotel Astor. No Nobel peace prize will be presented this year. Arnold Bernstein, law partner of Julian T. Abeles and son of the late David Bernstein, Loew's v.p. and treasurer, laid up with the mumps. Mrs. Arthur Schwartz (Kay Car in Las Vegas and another two in Reno. Nino Martini coming here next week for two nights to sing in lo- cal ' opera company's "Barber of Seville." Rome Paris By Maxlme de Bcix • (ZZ Blvd. Montpammse) . Academy of Cinema, famed flicker school, had to close down when roof literally _fell in on the building. Bernard Bros., who have been packing them in at' the Sa Majes- tic night club on the Champs Elysees, off to London for booking at the Palladium. Carmen Amaya up from Gasa:; blanca for benefit performance for Air France's employees fund. AP is exploiting "Aux Yeux Du Sou- venir" because fllm is about the air* line. » French version of the "Roose- velt Story" has been re-edited to give it more of a French slant. M, Marin, who adapted pic for France, has added several people and scenes relating to France, Heat's oil on coal strike so power, will be back on. Rationing of power forced el e ctr icit y to be turned off two days a week, from rington) returns' today (Wed.) from | dawn to sunset. Theatres were Durham, S. C, where she's been playing matinees on a five day week undergoing dietary treatment for hypers-tension. Jack Kapp, who has been play- ing the campus : circuit making speeches,! is slated to address the University of Chicago senior law class in January, P. Albert, producer of "Grgnd Illusion," scheduled to arrive in New Yox-k today (Wed.) : by plane from Paris to huddle on jointi.pro- duction deals in France, r ' The Arthur Homblows, Jr. (Bub- bles Schinasi), sail from London, following "Quo Vadis" production .'preparations this week.. Eddie "Mannix preceded them, back to N.y. by air. ■ Paramount exploitation manager Sid .Mesibov in Detroit addressing national convention of furniture dealers : on "Mechanics and Coop- erative Value, of » Motion Picture Tieups." Trans World Airline's^ 27-min- ute travel film, "Flight Into Time," in color, was produced by Her^ bert Kerkow under supervision of Frank Hargrove, TWA film man- ager. It's the second in a series. The Kay Harrisons back to Lon- v.don.'this weekend on the Queen JSlizabeth, following one of the British Technicolor boss' visits to Hollywood for powwows with Dr. . Herbert T. Kalmus, president of Teclini. Arthur Krim, Eagle Lion's presi dent, and Robert Benjamin^ head of the U. S. office of J. Arthur Rank and Krim's law partner planed Coastward over the week- end: Duo plan to return to New . York within 10 days. Arthur Kober house-guesting at his ex-wife, LilHan Hellman's East Sid street manse. She's hostessing the town's literati, et al., tomorrow (Thurs,), with a cocktailery in Ko- ber's honor. Latter returns west this weekend to start working on a . play for Kermit Bloomgarden pro- basis and it hurt. Shanghai By Hal P. Mills RKO's "Berlin Express" packing them in at Nanking Theatre. Abie Santos, band leader, intro- ducing Guaracha Night at Palace hotel ballroom. Jose Contreras orch; set for Pi- lots Club, which has taken over Arcadia Ballroom for clubhouse. Food shortage, resulting in caba- rets; hotels and ballrooms cutting off meals for musicians and artists^ Squabble between city govern- ment authorities and pix distribu- tors over theatre admissipn prices ended with distribs victors, Chien Tso Ghun, Chinese man- ager of Dah Tung theatre, lost right eye when disgruntled Chinese soldier, unable to gain free admis- sion, returned and chucked a hand grenade. PhOadelphia By Jerry Gaghan Frankie Richardson celebrated 40 years in show biz Tuesday (30) at Bowery Cafe, where currently starred. Stanley- Schwartz, former owner of Coronet Club, who went into leather trade, bought a third in- terest in the Tabu Club, Alexander HUsberg,':. concert- master and .assistant conductor of Philadelphia Orchestra, on leave to direct th« Minneapolis Sym- phony. ■ . Mitzi Green,: scheduled for the Latin Casino here Dec. 6, has can- celled due to illness. Tony Mar- tin goes in after Ritz Bros, close in place of Miss Green. Harrison Muller, who replaced By Helen MeGUI Tnbbi Sinclair Lewis here for several weeks. ... Binnle Barnes has returned to Rome after a few days in Florence, Danny Kaye and wife, Sylvia, flew in from London for a quickie visit. Marilyn Nash,, seen in "Monsieur Verdoux," is in Rome for work on' a film. Tyrone Power's blrthdajj purty for Linda Christian. His sister; is visiting him here. Lovey Sloan, wife of actor Eve- rett Sloan, arrived by plane- .to spend a 'few weeks here^ Emelyn Williams (author, of "Corn is Green" and other suc- cesses) is at the Hassler. Mary Brown, daughter of Joe E. Brown, flew back to the U. S. after visiting Mr. & Mrs^ Franko vitch here. Monte Banks,', spouse of Grade Fields, plans a film on the Life of Leonardo di Vinci to be made in Italy. . Cornel Wilde and wife, Patricia Knightv left Rome for a tour of Sicily before returning to the States. Metro's Eddie Mannix and Ar- thur Hornblow, Jr. here for a few days with Ben Goetz, MGM's Lon- don chief. Gregory Ratoff finishes "Case of Lady Brooks'' in London after filming exteriors in Italy. Film stars Myrna Loy. . Godfrey Tearle, who is the image of the- late Pres. ^Roosevelt, left for . London after finishing role in "Private Angelo." Mike Frankovitch, of Security Pictures* Holly wood* readying his first Italian production, "Dark Roadi" by Philip Yordan. Orson Welles, now creating the role of Cesare Borgia in "Prince of Foxes," planning several films to: be. made- in Italy, among them "Third Man" with Joe Cotton and Alida Vain. Constance Dowling's third pic- ture in Italy; this one in Italian. Doris Dowling just completed "Bit- ter Rice" for. an Italian firm. Both sisters have learned to speak the language very well and their lines I will not need to be dubbed'in^ I "Rapture," written by Geza Herzceg and produced by David Pelham and Robert Goelet, Jr., completed last - week, was topped off: by a: big party at Scalera' Studios for everyone in the com- pany. Lorraine Miller, lead, planed to N.Y.; after some interviews and personal appearances will proceed, to California. Glenn Langan, of same fllm^ and wife Lucy, off to Switzerland for rest before going to Paris and. London, then to: N.Y; dian Walter CKeefe, Actor Bill Bendix, Singer Hoagy Carmlchael, George Brown, publicity director for Paramount and O. B. Keeler, general manager for Hearst's L. A. Herald - Express, all at The Flamingo. Portland Ore. Ice Cycles of 1949 at Ice Arena for 11 days. , Skinnay Ennis orch at Jantzen Beach Ballroom last weekend. Sylvia Proos held over for sec- ond week at the Clover Club. Jacque Ravel opens new "Ela- tion" Revue at Jack and Jills. Jimmy Zito orch inked for Jant- zen Beach Ballroom JTew Year's Eve. . i Mills Bros, did three shows I at Palaise Royal Ballroom on a j one nighter. I Ron Salt orch at Rose Bowl of | Multnomah Hotel every Friday and Saturday nights. . . ! George Douglas, local AGVA i man, replaced by Norman Fava- 1 larro of Seattle. i Werner Janssen conductor of j Portland Symphony Orchestra made 1948-49 debut. George Amato playing earher floor shows on Sunday nights in his Supper Club as a new policy. Cleveland By Glenn C. Fullen Santord Herman, concert booker, in hospital but recovering. Eddie Sindelar opening his new Airway Club, built opposite Air- port for estimated $100,000, on New Year's Eve. Estalita opened new floor show policy at Continental Club with Jack Wallace and six Lindsay Ladies Line supporting.' Lakewoodt 'repertory company doing "Life With Father" after Cleveland Play House closes cur- rent production of same. Susannah Foster and Kenny Baker here to: rehearse leads for seven performances in : "Great Waltz'' at civiC' auditorium. Gail Russell laid up with intes- tinal flu. Joe Cawthoms celebrating their 46th wedding anni. Marshall Neilan broke an arm in a traffic accident. Vera Budnik left Warners to open her own flackery. David O. Selznick's mother re-- covei-ing from surgery. . Bedell and Mattson make West Coast bow at Charley Foy's, Dec. 7. Roddy McDowall ordered to pay- $250 damages as a result of auto accident. Johnny Mack Brown to Mont-r gomery to: appear in a benefit for children. James Mitchell to Arizona to: start a tour of veteran hospital ap- pearances. Jlmuiie Wade in . the .Motion ■ Picture Country Hospital follow- ing a heart attack. Frederic Rodriguez returned to Mexico after conferences with Fox West Coast biggies. . , John Eldredge celebrated his 14th anni as a film actor in :"Top O' the Morning" at Paramount. Jean Hersholt will make th6 Founders' Day .- address - at :; tlie Players Club's dinner Jan. 3. Joseph Kane on a two -month leave of absence from his pro-, ducer-director post at Republic. Eddie Cantor opened the "Give a Gift to a Yank Who Gave" cam- paign for fifth consecutive year. Samuel Goldwyn : and Dora Schary to be; honored with service awards for their work in United Jewish Welfare Fund drive. Copenhagen Honolulu By Mabel Thomas Club .Blue Lei .reopened after a serious fire. Yehudi Mettuhin due . for , twO weeks' concerts. : Lau Yee Chais nitery doing best business locally. Hickam Air Field building a Billy Parson as lead male dancer [$500,000 theatre, in "Allegro'Vwhen the latter.broke Peter Shaw, o£ Hollywood, here his. arm in rehearsal ' at the Shu- [for a few weeks. Glasgow By Gordon Irving Dave and Joe G'Gorman took Olson and Johnson roles in ."Hell-: zapoppin" at Empire. Warwick : Ashton played. Red Shadow when tuneful "Desert Song" came back to Glasgow Al- hambra. , Britain's farthest-north theatroi at Thurso, took time off from films to house touring : variety , "Holiday Roundabout." Director John Stewart making final effort to keep together Glas- gow Park Theatre's company of 15. Theatre is threatened with shut down in January due to: lack of members' support and smallness of . 109-seater. private house audito- rium. Meantime^ Park is reviving Ivor Novello's prewar : comedy, "Full House,'-' running till Dec. 18. By Victor Skaarup Polish tenor Jan Kiepura filled K: B. Hallen at recent recital. : Palladium's Danish, > farce/- "Where Is Father?" characterized by one critic as' ''made by Idiots for idiots," is drawing well. Many big Hollywood products . just last two weeks at the firstruns now.; Several cinemas have had to turn to old Danish . and sFrench pix. Surprise "song hit" of the year is the 100-year-old Swedish hymn, "Only a Day," which has reached a : record sheet : sale : after being played over the radio each Sunday in the "Save the Children" charity program. Copenhagen got its first show- boat, when 250-seater from Gote- borg docked at Nyhavn. : Show comprises tliree of Denmark's most popular revue stars, Voigl, Hcl- muth and Brandstrup,.: In caval- cade of old revue songs.- - bert, suffered a Wednesday (24). broken Muller Amsterdam duction. . Isador Lubin, prez of the film j Ti^'^''^""^^ "understudv industry's Confidential Reports, ! ?' vnH,. unaersluay Inc., tapped by the U. S. Govern- 1 ' meat as a member of a special commission of the International Labor. Organization in . Geneva. Lubin planed to Switzerland over llie past weekend to attend com- mission sessions. : Selznick pub-ad exec Bob Gill- ham has been doing some spare- time plugging on Weekiwach6e Spring, in Florida, of which he's part owner. Underwater spectacle (at $1 tap) is currently being seen In this week's newsreels, In a 20th- Eox short, in Universal's "Peabody and the Mermaid," and in a spread In Look mag. leg last was re- : Johnny By Hal Cohen Carleton Miles in town, drum- Wing up interest In "Allegro" this time. Jan Andre, WWSW . disc jock, will m.c. Duke Ellington concert at Syria Mosque. "Y". Playhouse will open sea.son undei- Richard Lodge's direction with "Having Wonderful Time." Jim McGirr has retired as op- trator of the Palisades after 34 .years on account of his health By Den Berry American soprano Hilda Ohlin at the Coneertgebouw (16). Country's top s o n g is still "There's a Bridle Hanging on the Wall." Allstar show, held In Tuschlnski theatre midnight Nov. 13 to mark comic Lou Bandy's .30th year in show biz. Leeds Music's Sal Chiantia planed in from London for three- day lookaround, then left for Brus- sels and Prague. . Negro singer Virginia Paris ap- peared at the Coneertgebouw Wed- nesday (17) and on the air for VARA Saturday (20). Dutch-language version of Noel Langley's "Little Lambs Eat Ivy" playing Central theatre under title "Kleine Kinderen Worden Groot." Shipping strike wrecked: "Aloha Week'' plans. Show biz hurt: bad- ly. , - Diji "I. Qi" show, here six weeks, could -have stayed longer if sched-. ule permitted. « . I Bill Akamuhou landed the Royal Hawaiian for: an indefinite stay i with his serenaders, I Andres 'Solomon and Marion Conlares (Togo &Pogo), here with Katy Del La Cruz for a month. Washington ; ' By Florence -S. Lowe Pearl Bailey at Club Bali. Paula Grunbiatt, ex of BBC'S I London staff, joined staff of local : station WDDC. i Author James Vincent Sheean rograms for a number of years, including WBBM, Chicago, from 1933 to 1935. Survived by wife and a daugh- ter. FRANK EMMONS BROWN Frank, Emmons . . Brown, 35, former legit stage manager and director, was found dead in his Oakland, Cal., home Nov. 20. A Yale' Drama School grad. Brown worked a good deal in eastern strawhats, ,and staged shows at Mt. Kisco, N. Y. and New Hope, Pa. Last show he staged on Broadway was "Wonderful Journey." " He retired a couple years ago to > his large fruit and produce ranch in Oakland. JOHN B. ROCK John B. Rock, real estate opera- tor and former general manager of the old Vitagraph Co., died Nov. 23 at Lake Luzerne, N. Y. A, former resident of Brooklyn, N. Y., Rock made his home there after disposing of his interests in Vitagraph to Warner Bros. His father, the late William T. Rock, was an organizer of Vitagraph. Survived by wife, a daughter and a sister. MRS. NELLIE B. MOiLER Mrs. Nellie Baxendale Miller, well-known in radio circles, died in New York, Nov. 26. She was the wife of Henry S. Miller, an asso^ elate : professor of economics at Queens College and lecturer on economics at Columbia University. Mrs. Miller was foreign editor of Paramount News from 1933 to 1936. Since then she had been of- fice manager of a radio agency and had served as radio adviser to forr eign correspondents, authors and news commentators. BETTY PARKER Lucille Newlin, 30, who under name of Betty Parker was home economist for KMBG and KFRM, died in Kansas: City, Nov. 24. Miss Newlin was a graduate of Oklahoma A. & M. College, where she ' ma jored in home economics. She joined the Midland Broadcast- ing Co., operator of the radio sta- tions", about a year ago. : Survived by her parents. usual Met standards, and no harsh- er words are in niy lexicon. With An Assist From the Bard The last time 1 caught "Othello" —the Theatre Guild production starring Paul Robeson — Mr. Shakespeare had a little something to do with the evening, and Will's play came through as the hard- hitting drama: he intended it to be. The standard opera version is something else again— Shake- speare's plot is used, but only as a convenient rack for Giuseppe's music and - Arrigo Boito's Italian versifying. And so, served up in a language few of us understand, it ceases to be a great show and be- comes a concert-^three hours of vocalizing , by people wearing funny suits. ■ ■■■■ As- for the real show-~the open- ing night audience — it behaved pretty well this year. Though Sherry's bar on the first floor was so crowded they had to leave the lemon peel out of the champagne cocktail^i for a change there ;Were no hand-stands and no leg shows. Of course, as per usual; Mrs. George Washington • Cavanaugh wore an ice pack around her neck, and her diamond ' tiara never looked lovelier. Mrs.' Betty Hender- son, however, seemed strangely subdued, and : contented : herself with posing at the bar with* her physical trainer, an ex-pug named Packy O'Gatty. Last season the Met went into the red for $220,000 though It played to 97% of capacity. 'This year the deficit figures to be even greater, and if any workmanlike plan has been evolved to make the Met' solvent, it's strictly top secret stuff. . Which means, -I'm afraid, that next summer we'll 'be. reading the same stale announcement:^ — "Met Threatens To Shut Up Shop Unless Unions Accept Status Quo.*' And so, to paraphrase an old Willie Collier line, l ean only re-r' port that the opening was a suct cess but the Board, of Directors was a failure. MCA B'way Par Continued from page 1 Father, 89, of Albert Lewis, 20th-Fox producer, and Milton Lewis, Paramount talent scout, died in Hollywood Nov. 27. ' Mother, 72, of William J. Quinn, general manager of Raybond: The- atres, N. Y , died at her home in Woodside, L. I., Nov. 21. GEORGE AV. SMITH George W. Smith, 87, builder and owner of Smith's luka Gar- dens, skating rink and dance: hall in Columbus, 0., died there Nov. 22. Coming to Columbus as a boy from Syracuse, N. Y., he later op- erated dancing '• studios, one of which was: located, above the old B. F. Keith's theatre. The dance hall was built in 1901 and skating rink a year later. Smith managed them until illness forced his re-: tireraent last July. Survived by wife. Billy Rose Continued from page 1' NELLIE WALLACE Nellie Wallace, 78, vet per- former of the London music halls, died in London, Nov. 24. She started in 1910 as a featured player on the bill at the London Palladium, and was star there when taken ill \wo weeks ago. Her stage debut was in a small part in "East Lynne " and she was ble mitts of Fritz Buscb, the or- cjiestra was out; of Local 802's top drawer, and the principal roles were larynxed by Ramon Vinay, ; Licia Albanese, Leonard Warren and John Garris. 1 Of cour.se, as you know, my knowledge of Italian stops with ' "veal parmigiana," and so, as far , as I was concerned, the opera was j merely a sound to be, heard. .How- I ever, in fairness to all concerned, I I thought most of the sounds were lovely and that the vocalists rated ■ their bravos. So much for sound. As for the sight part of It, the opera is laid in Cyprus at the end of the 15th century and;, judging f r om the unsightly piles of lumber masquer- ading as scenery, the sets must have been built around that time. The production motif is supposed to be Venetian, but as our old friend, Lou . Holtz, might, put it, it I shouldn't happen to a doge. And ! as for the direction, clothes and ' lighting— well, they're up to the hour to interviews with network brass, uninspired shots of the empty auditorium, etc. As one Par oiBcial declared: "If we hadmn what came over the television tube, we would have driven all our customers out of the theatre. And why should we ruin our good show with that dull stuif ?" The theatre was prohibited from picking up the telecast of the opera itself through inability to get clearance from the various unions involved. Snafu in Par's plans occasioned by ABC's fumble of the tele preem points up two important aspects for consideration: by. exhibs planning installation of theatre TV equip' ment. For one thing, the special events available for theatre tele- casting may be few and far be- tween. If theatres are forced to re- ly on the whims of network broad- casters for their material, they may be forced to settle for only the out- standing sports events. Even more important are the ad^ vantages: to -be found in Par's in- termediate film method of theatre tele, as opposed to the direct pro- jection systems utilized by Warners, 20th-Fox and RCA. If Par had em- ployed the latter method, it would have been projecting the o p e r a telecast on its screen before it re- alized how "dull" the offering wa.Sv But, through use of the film meth- od, it was able first to scan the foot- age as it was recorded off the video tube and then ditch the works when found unsuitable for retrans- ss Continued from 'page 1 ss buildings in Beverly Hills and Clii- cago. Other Interests Equally as important is MCA'S interest in several other corpora- tions which it previously set up under capital gains deals. Many of its top stars were $et up ,in capital gains deals on individual film - producing ventures. MCA shares in those enterprises through its cut on earnings of the artists participating in the capital gains, enterprises. Another factor that figures large- ly in MCA's expansion are Stein's activities on the stock exchange. At one time the MCA board chair- man had considerable distillery ■ stock holdings. One of the most interesting de* velopments is : MCA's expansion into the sports field with partner- ship in Tournament of Champions, including publicist Dave Charnay of the Allied Syndicate, and CBS. ■This outfit will promote ■ boxing: , events for sale to video sponsors and theatres equipped for tele. Outfit will also go into pro. basketball, hockey, football and will even televise ice shows. Whether some of these MCA. - expansion moves will : hold up • Is : still debatable. There's been no ruling from the Treasury Dept. on the validity of the capital gains deals. In addition. Sen. H. Styles Bridges (R., N. H.) has attacked these ventures and there's the pos- sibility of Congressional action to plug this loophole in : the income . tax laws. There's also the factor that : MCA's expansion into network holdings cannot be large enough so that the talent agency can dic- tate policy. Federal Communica- tions Commission,, some years ago, forced networks to relinquish its. , talent bureau subsidiaries. Colum- bia Artists Bureau was subsequent- ly sold to MCA. George Kletz, plastics: manufac turer, will continue as president of Tournament of Champions, fight promotion outfit in which will stage sports-events for video. Law- rence Lowman, CBS veepee in charge of television, will be v.p. ol the outfit, while Charles Miller, Music Corp.' of America veepee, will serve as treasurer. Sole T of C stockholder not yet represented on the panel of ofll- cers is Dave Charnay, head of AI- ' lied Syndicates, a press-relations outfit who came 'in on the deal with MCA and CBS. Singing Pickets Continued from page 1 ; isaid the group is a theatrical unit I which sings, dances and otherwise • entertains at political rallies, pick- et lines and elsewhere. The Pro-, gressive Party, he . said, picks up ; the expense check. ■ ' Group arrived in'an auto bearing : Maryland license and trailer bear- ! ing California license. After, being I moved back from plant entrance by ! the sheriff's deputies, they began ! serenading with such songs as "We IShall Not Be Moved," "Going to ' Roll the Union On" and parodies ,of popular songs employing such I strike terms as "scab." MARRIAGES Eleanor Van Gelder to Frank- Adams, Las Vegas, Nov. 23, Bride^ U secretary to D. A. Doran at Para- i mount; Helen May.s to .John R. Forrest, 1 Seattle, Novi 20. :: Bride . is mu.sic 1 librarian at KIRO; he's program director at KOL. ! Margaret Willoughby to Stuart W. Phelps, Hollywood, Nov. 29. 1 He's a television director at KTTV. i Meredith Howard to Rep. Rich- ard F. Harless (D., Ariz.) in Alex- andria, Va.s Nov. 28. Bride is formerly of "Ziegfield Follies" and- more recently a flack for Metro. . Lois Buckingham to Larry Davis, Des Moines. Nov. 19. He's staff announcer at KRNT in that City. Thelma Ehrenbraun to Bemie Seligman, New York, Nov. 25. He's in the William Morris Agency the- atre dept. Edna Klein to Arthur Shulman^ New York, Nov. 24. Bride is in Cafe dept of General Artists Corp, BIRTHS ■ Mr: and Mrs. James Sullivan, daughter. New York, Nov. 25. I Father is treasurer at the Capitol I theatre, N.Y.; mother was former chief Usherette at same house. Mr. and Mrs. Jay Faraghan, daughter, Chicago, Nov. 21. Fath- er's program director of WGN-TV, Chi. , Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Zeisler, ' daughter, Hollywood, Nov. 25. Father is a film director. Mr. and Mrs. James Mason, daughter, Hollywood, Nov. 25. Father is a film actor. Mr, and Mrs. Richard Hoover, daughter, Pittsburgh, Nov. 2(S. Father's general manager of Play- , house, Pitt. I Mr. and Mrs. Don Taylor, dauah* ' ter, Santa Monica, Nov. 23. Father ' is a screen actor. I Mr. and Mrs. Howard Van Voorhis, son, Lebanon, Pa., Nov. 10. Father is an announcer with station WLBR in that city. l^r. end Mrs. Bobeit R, Feagin* daughter, . Jacksonville, : Fla., ; re- cently. Father is general manager of station WPDQ in that city. . Mr. and Mrs. Curly Bray, son, : Rock Island, 111,, Nov. 22. Father's with WHBF in that city. . Mr. and Mrs. Mickey McGardle, ' daughter, Hollywood, Nov. 25. ; ' Father is Warner contract player. S6 VdlBwdiy, Pecwwiwiff 1, 1948 P CURRENTLY AMOS 'N' ANDY SHOW NOW ON STANDARD TRANSCRIPTIONS Sundays CBS Publicity JERRY JOHNSON ASSOCIATES SOON ON CAPITOL RECORDS f \ ( /. r w ( /, n I ^ I (, I \i I. N 7 FEDERAL ARTISTS CORPORATIO.X ,M I N >^ r I [M \ I) II < » 1 I W ( 1 ( ) fi I (, . ( \ I I I (1 i; N I \ FILMS RADIO VIDEa MUSIC STACiE PubU^ 8"^***' : Currently the stampede is .on to get : acts included in the artay which will entertain at the : big :sho w jhere Jan, . 19, the night be- fore the Pr^sideht's ihauguration.; 345tli Week! 3,467 P«rformane«t .All-time loiiB run reeord In. the legitimate tlicatre. KEN MURRAY'S "BLACKOUTS OF 1948" El Capltan Theatre, Hollywood, Cal. And now In world-wide release "BILL AND COO" Ken Murray'i Academy Award Film Taxpayers Get a Break This Year (hi Federal Tap, Says N. Y. CPA The new tax law of 1948 is a wel- come aurprise to most taxpayers. The 1948 tax law is intended not Only to provide relief for individu- als from the high wartime rates of taxation, but more important to equalize the burden of income taxes as between miarried taxpayers who reside in the 12 community property states, and those residing elsewhere. -By Murray Picard, C.P.A.. ical expenses is also allowed on a joint return. For each additional exemption over two, a maximum of $1,250 is allowed up to four ex- emptions maldng $5,000 the maxi- mum possible deduction on a joint return with i four or more ex- emptions. The 1948 act makes no chang;« in the rule that a longrterm capital gain cannot be taxed at more than Reductions are effected by the j 50% 1 25% of the actual Rain). In following means: I the 1947 return, the alternative The 5% reduction in tax (as dis- 1 method of computing the tax with tinguished from a .reduction in la; long term capital gain was. used rates) allowed in 1947 has been in- j only where the net income less ex- creased to 17% Up, to $400 of tax; emptlons exceeded $18,000. On between $400 and $100,000 of tax the 1948 return, computation of the the reduction is 12% plus $68; over alternative tax will be required $100,000 of tax 9.75% plus $12,020 only if the net income less exemp- Exemption for individuals, $600 tions exceeds $22,000 in the case instead of $500. | of a single return and $44,000 tinue to prosecute its applications which are. now frozen thi]pugh the recent FCC action of holding up all ■tele station construction permits while it 'explores the feasibility of moving into the upper frequencies. Outlets requested by 20th are in San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Kansas City - and; Boston. . 'Girls in N. Y. If If no Hollywood studio buys the screen rights to his new .ciiick, "As the Girls Go," at the Winter Gar- den, N. Y., producer Michael Todd would lik^: to f ilm the rnusical hiihr self .. la; ;Kew yprk. he was approached last week by one of the itiajbrs fth^ may be sold. ■: . In case he were to produce the film version himself, Todd would try to persuade Bobby Clark to Paris Dec 7 imake liis screen debut in his origi- Orson Welles in from Rome tak- 1"^^ P""^' husband of ing the 10-day Paris cure with an jthe first woman President. With entire Italian entourage. ! Clark in the picture, Todd would One block apart: Cornel Wilde do it as a rough-and-tumble laugh- in person at tlie George V Bar and jand-song sbow. He'd be less in- on the screen in "Forever Amber." i „u„„ j t„ j_ ^ ~ , Garry Davis, ex-U. S. citizen and ''l'"^** ^o do It at all if Clark should persist in his previous re- fusal to appear before the cameras. Todd Was^ a Paris Runaround -By; Borrah Minevitch— to receive a Hollywood pitch for SAUTER HEADS TALENT UNIT FOR INAUGURAL Washington, Dec. 7. James E. Sauter was named last week as chairman of the talent committee for the affairs in con:- neclion with President Truman's Inaugural. He will assemble stage, ! Equity . member, making a personal radio, concert and operatic talent j at Salle Pleyel to capacity. No ad for the gala show the night before j mission, grossed $173 via collec the inaugural and for other events, tions. His job will be similar to the one | The "Tour Eiffel" company wind- i the screen rights to "Girls," not Melvyn Douglas has for Hollywood ; ing up this week without seeing only because of the minimum and motion picture talent. their last four weeks' rushes. studio interest in legit musicals in Samuel O. Youngheart, ad exec, | Xamara Toumonova (Mrs. Casey [recent years, but also because the will head the National.Advertising j Robinson) pirouetted in and out of 'show's success depends so much Participation Committee. Young- [ pm-is to Monte Carlo Ballet. | on Clark. Apparently the HoUy- F.D.R. has his name on a subrl wood idea would be to stress the way station along . with Pasteur politipal satire angle of the' show Victor Hugo and Clemeneeau. and oise a picture , lianie; in the Al Wilde (Gale Agency) yawned Clark jpart, since; . the; comic's re^ ! tlii ough all the .Continental acts fusal to consider filin offers^ is now : he caught. well established. I A natural; If . some di.sc jocV'sy in -aiiy case, whether he sells the (Uscovered Solly yioJin.sli;y's "When rights to Hollywood or produces Francis Dances With Me" for the the screen, version himself, Todd ^''P,^'^"-. ,„ „ , will set the, film release date vvell Alan Ladd and Sue Carol got the J in the future, as indications are Js'O. 1 oflicial reception routme ! that the oHginal stSge edition w^^^ , \ , V • i be good for many months of capa , 1 he labulou^ annual Chnstmas j city business at.ithfe^ Wiht^ Garden Chou- Pageant at Notre D a m e ] Vn/i,] i i n ' "• i r Cluireh will be filmed for TV. Costs the same; to phone N. Or:: Hollywood, yet cables: cost double. / johnston offices: swapping Fran^fc^ MC'Garthy , and Rtipert Allen ! for Gerald Riayer and/teugetie Yaii Bee rated a special shindig. , HpHand ;tulip growers have dis-, covprod marilauna. Exemptions for dependents, $600 each instead of $500. Exemption for a spouse over 65, $600 as compared to nothing in prior years. The main reduction in taxes for persons residing in the rest of the 36 stateSj other than the community; property states, is caused by the splitting of income by married couples, which is accomplished only by;filing a joint return. After deducting all allowable credits and exemptions from: the combined net: incomes . of husband and ; wife, the tax Is computed on 50% of the re- mainder. The resulting tax is then multiplied by two to arrive at the total tax. - An additionardeductipn for med- where a joint return is filed. Regidents of community property states may also benefit under the new law tA a limited extent. This benefit comes 'about where' a hus- band and: wife may have unequal . amounts of separate income. The distinction, between- separate in- come and community property income can be eliminated if they elect to file . a joint return, thereby treating all income as. though it were community property income; Since the final estimate for the: calendar year 1948' mu$t be filed ^ on or about before : Jani 15,. 1949/: it behooves every taxpayer to re- view very carefully his income and allowable deductions before arrivi ing at his estimated tax. WELLES' OWN PROD. OF 'OTHELLO' IN ITALY . Paris, Dec. 7. : Orson Welles is reported here quietly going ahead with plaM to produce a film version of "Othello" in Venice. He is said to be finan- cing it himself with the lire equiva. heart is executive vice-president of the Warwick & Legler ad agency of New York. He immediately an- nounced Le.ster M. Malitz and Don- ald Gibbs, botfi o£ the same agency , as vice chairman of the advertising unit. Metro's Arthur Freed SHll Yens 'Oklahonia!'; Renews Gufld Dickers :Metro producer Arthur Freed U, reviving efforts to: bwyv tbe film righti to the; Theatre . Guild's top ^ - legit hit, "Oklahoma!!" having lent of $100,000 which he received , trained into New York early this from 20th Century-Fox for his ap- 1 week with director Mervjn LeRoy, pearance in "Prince of Foxes" dur- 1 Freed is reopening the question ing its production in Italy. i with both the Guild and Oscar Tracy, Kerr East For More 'Edward' Scenes Hollywood, Dec. .7. Metro is sending: Spencer Tracy and Deborah Kerr to New York this week .to make ope ;addiUdiiai scene for "Edward, My Son," which was filmed in England. After a sneak preview in Pa-sa- dena, Metro executives decided on one more : scene : to : clarify the story. Ian Hunter, one of the three thesps required for the scene, is playing in "Edward" on Broadway, neccssitatinf! an eastern trip .for ;:the two others. Hammersteih II and Richard Rodgers, the authors. : M-G pro- ducer tried i once before but the Guild vvas loath to sell at thait time becaiise "Oklahoma!" was piling up revenues as legit operation play-r ing throughout the world. "In the main, we've been con- : centrating on original scripts for musicals," Freed said, "because it's entirely too much trouble buying stage productions. It takes a cou- ple of years after acquiring the rights before you can produce them. 1 would like to get 'Okla- homa!' though." Both Freed and LeRoy will re- turn to the Coast, not necessarily together, by the end of the week. Long delayed in returning to the I LeRoy will help map the exploita- Welles has been in Venice much of the summer and fall. He is said to have his adaptation of the. Shakespeare play well completed and to be near the point of going ahead with filming. In addition to the time : out he took for the "Foxes'! role, he has recently re- turned from Vienna, where he ap- peared in Carol Reed's "The Third Man,'.' being, jointly produced by Sir Alexander Korda and David O. Selznick. Glad-to-Be-Home Showfolk On Strike-Stalled Liner Christmas tiift Order Form Please Send VARIETY for One Year To ■ Vl-'l.*.!^'''^ r;i'i tit ■y^iiiare squawking, and they may carry their complaint to official CircleSf Holding up such a squawk now to Eric .lohnslon, MPAA prexy, and. the State Dept. is the Society of Independent Motion Picture Pro- ducers' lack of a spokesman at the moment. SIMPP is currently en- gaged in lining up a prez, whose first task may be such an official wail. Deals with Russia, Yugo and' Czechoslovakia were recently made by Johnston during his trip to those countries. MPAA's attitude, there- fore, is that the indies who arc now doing the complaining are not members of' the. MPEA, and. there- fore Johnston had no- right to ne- gotiate for them or include their; product in the lists being; submit- ted. In the event the indies get no sali,sfaction otherwise, they may i set their own new prexy to at- I tempting to set a deal for them [With the governments involved, , simitar to that which Johnson ar- iranged for the MPEA member 1 Companies. GOV. ARNALL APPEARS KEEN FOR SIMPP JOB Definite word is still being awaited by the Society of Inde- pendent Motion Picture Producers from Ellis Arnall, former Georgia governor, on whether he'll accept the top exec; position with the or-, ganization. Arnall was offered the post following an interview with SIMPP execs on the Coast last month. Georgian had a lengthy session last Thursday (2) with James A. Mulvey following the latter's re- turn to New York from the Coast. Mulvey, prez of Goldwyn Produc- tions, serves on the eastern exec committee of SIMPP. It was said after the meeting that Arnall "is much interested in the post." Pix Biz Dopes How New Taxes WOl Affect It Excess profits tax, which the film companies had been hoping would be adopted by Congress for balancing the budget, appears to have been dropped, according to advices from Wa.shington reaching film financial circles this week, In- stead, latest word is, a straight rise in the corporate income taxes' is in prospect. Paradoxical desire of the picture industry to see an excess profits tax enacted was based on- (1) the fact that it wouldn't touch the film com- panies . under present; . economic Gircumstances, : and (2) , it would (Continued on -page -20) ; L B. Mayers Due in N.Y. Metro studio chief Louis B. Mayer, accompanied by his bride, is slated to arrive in New York this weekend for a short stay. While here, Mayer will huddle with Metro producer Arthur Hornblow, Jr., on the "Quo Vadis" -production planned in It^ly. Hornblow - re- turns' from Europe today (Wed.) aboard the Queen Mary. Mrs. Mayer is the former Mrs. Lorena Danker, an executive in the Coast office of the J, Walter Thompson ad agency While Paul G. Hoffman, admin- istrator of the Economic Coopera- tion Aid, is expected to greenlight funds for film costs in soft-curren- cy countries this week, foreigii dept. execs believe little or none of this coin will find its way to major companies in the immediate future. This cash, drawn from a $10,000,000 fund created for all in- formation media, is intended to pay ; print costs on certain selected piXi ; The rub lies in the fact that none of it can .be requisitioned for any country where some revenues are obtained by the majors. Aside from the occupied terri- tories where the majors are al- ready set to obtain print subsidies, companies are not now operating in any country from which no rev- enues are forthcoming. Despite the innumerable currency restric- tions which fitrictly limit foreign profits, print costs, at least, are be- ing recovered without exception. That fact, according to industry- ites, eliminates the chances of cash- ing in on the ECA backing. The tightly-drawn ECA restric- tions — that the cash can only pay off print costs — has created con- siderable .resentment among major company toppers, who brand the Government action as totally inad- : (Continued on page 16) MAJORS MAY GIVE GOVT PIX COMMERCIAL EXHIB U. S. State Dept.'s film division is now flirting with the idea of turning over its feature product, produced primarily to explain America in- foreign countries, to major companies for regular com- mercial distribution in the U. S. With six completed features in the can,, two preview tests in theatres have already been quietly staged by State to measure the films audi- ence appeal for commercial show- ing at regular admission scales^ First test was held in Wetumpka, Ala., last month at the Fain the- atre where "Holtville,'' « State fea- ture played two days on a single (Continued ob page 16) National Boxoffice Survey Xmas Shopping Hits Keys—- 'Musketeers,' 'Baby,* ■Moon,' 'Hamlet,' 'Squadron,' 'Regiment,' 'Night' Tops Arrival of full-scale Christmas shopping plus blizzards in the mid- dlewest is putting the skids on first- run biz in most locations this week, Fact that many of the strong bills that opened Thanksgiving week currently; are holdover also is hurting, second weeks generally slipping badly. "Three Mu.sketeers" (M-G) and "When Baby Smiles At Mo" (20th) again are neck-'n-neck for top laurels, with "Musketeers" winding up first nationally. It was second last stanza. "Baby," which finished first last week, is a strong second this round. Both are running about 40^0 behind opening weeks' totjil, . which is a tipofC on how trade is : down this session;. "Blood On Moon" fRKO), which I has been edging up slowly, is cop- ping third position; ''ilaniiol" iLT). up among the top moneyitiakcrs j now for three weeks in succession, ' is not far behind in foui th spot, .shovving in some 10 key cities cov- ered by- Variety, "Fighter Squadron" (WB) is taking fifth money while "Tatlock's Millions" (Par) is sixth. "Rogues' Regiment" (U) is seventh-place I winner. "Walked By Night" (EL), proving a sleeper thus far, took eighth slot. Best ' runner-up films are' "Red River" (UA), "Song Is Born" (RKO), "Road Hou,se" (20th) and "June Bride" (WB). "Mexican Hayride" (U) shapes as a potential winner on basis of; initial biz in five L, A, houses where preemed this stanza, "Dear Sec- [ retary" (UA) is on disappointing ; side on fir.st dates but seasonal j trend may have been partly re- 1 i sponsible. "Christopher Blake" | I (WB) shapes dull in Phillj. "Live ; Today For Tomorrow" (L ), opened i in face of Y. downbeati is mild | I despite crix praise, "Boy With Green Hair" (RKO) ; continues big in Boston despite : offish tone there. "Ki.ss Blood Ofl' ; Hands" (U) rates great in Portland, j "Return of October" (Col), looks ' strong in Chicago. ] I "Plunderers" (Rep) i.s in for a I , trim Chi session. "Good Sam" ] i (RKO), good in Montreal, shapes I fine in Louiisviile. j ' "Belle Starr's Daughter" (20th) I is doing okay in Louisville. ! ; "Countess ot Monte Cristo" (U) is l a stout Indianapolis entry. j I (Complete Boxojjice B,eports on, I Pases 8-9). I Trade Mark ReKliit«r«A FOTTNDIID BY SIMH SILVERMAN Vubllobrd. Weekly br VARIBTV, Inc. .Sfa SUverinan, President. 154 We»t 40th St., Now York I», N. T. HolLvwood !!» . »311 Yueott Street . WaRlilnKton 4 Xiii NttUonal, Press Buliaing ChlruKO 1 360 No^ Mlohlmin Ave. London WC3 I St. Martin's PI., Traralsrar S(l, SCrsSCRlPTION Annua;, . . . , ,?tO Foreign, . . , . Slnulo Copte» SB C'ont» Vol. 172 No. 14 • INDEX Bills 47 Chatter , 54 Concert 48 Film Reviews , 10 Hou«i" Reviews 47 Insic' fjcgit 48 Insif! Pictures 18 Inside Radio 33 International 13 Legitimate 48 Literati 53 1 Music 34 New Acts 47 Night Club Reviews , . , 44 Obituaries 55 Orchestras 34 Pictures 3 Radio 22 Radio Reviews 24 Records 34 Frank Scully .53 Television 26 Television Reviews 30 Vaudeville 43 K.VIl.l' VAUIKTV (PuIiUi"^^ couple years has gradually hoisted ^ jf n j' n i its fee for distribuUng indie prod- Bennjrs KadlO FerSOnalS uct from 25% to 27^^%, has lifted Minimum of 30% is now it sgain, beinj; asked of all producers seelc ing UA deals. Initial group of pacts demanding the upped fee were olcayed by the UA board last veek. They were with Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., and with Charles R, Rogers. Contract was also ? approved with Anatole de To Plug Own UA Prod. Jack Benny will make two radio guest shot appearances during the next week. They will not be in the familiar role of radio comic however, but as producer of the United Artists' film, "The Lucky Stiff," with Benny doing a puff. Film Jobs Up Hollywood, Dec. 7. California labor statistics bulletin for October noted continuation of upward trend toward film employment. Employment index regis- tered 77.1% as against 74.3 for September. However, that's still well below 97.8 of Octo- ber, 1947. October paychecks were fatter, average weekly being $98.67, greatest for any state industi-y. September average was $95.20. Payroll index shows hourly workers collecting 84% more than 1940, when index was es- tablished at 100%. "Stiff" is the initial film by the GrunwaiSa fora mm\o"be "made in ', radio comic's Amusement Enter- England. It is under.stood he will ■ prises, Inc. Latter, mcidentally, pay 35% i '^^'^^ taken over by the Columbia Feos mentioned above apply in Broadcasting System in its capital the U. S, Canada and Britain. , gains buyout of Benny s services They run higher In various other assets. Pic will be released in territories of the World.- ; February. Increase in UA's costs is said to l . Benny s guest shots will be on be the reason for the tilt. Domes- the Dorothy Lamour show tomor- ^ _ tic distribution is understood to be row (Thursday) night and on the ^ y^^ndcA together to form an inte- costing the company between 26% , li-'ia'e Cantor sfiow Uec. 17 . , g^.^ted production and distribution and 27%, leaving too small a mar- ! " ^ , organization for video film.s. Called gin on the 27i-i% that has been , . ... j, • i Lion Television Corp., it may also charged. , KODl. WdlKCr, LTTOI Mynil j produce some live shows. As a matter of fact, UA's average 1^,, . imn t I Group is headed by Earle W. return - is below 27 Vi % since some contracts at the old 25% ;rate are Film Execs TV Sales-Proi Org. Half-dozen w.k. film execs have TV s Effect on Newsreelers Seen In 2 Trans-Luxers Shift to Features AFL Unity Stressed By New Film Council Hollywood, Dec. 7. Hollywood AFL I'ilm Council has been incorporated , as a non profit organization to promote closer unity and cooperation among AFL affiliates in studios, harmonious relations with em- ployers, to facilitate coordination ^ Most tAtigiUe indication yet of jthe fear of video's effect on news- I reel biz Is seen in two «f the Trans- lux houses shifting over to feature, pictures. Samuel GoldwynV "Eflil chantment" is going into the news-' reel chain's house in Washingtonv while J.. Arthur Rank's "Red Shoes" is set for the Trans-Lux in Philly. Both films open Christmas : day. Dating of "Enchantment" into. _ , . iiBi t Group IS headed by harle W. ; . , u v r L'L C Do It Again, and They re ,Hammons, founder and former Irate N.I. AxniDs Sue _ p|.gj, Educational Pictures, and f ' ni I 1 Par for Slander As R«siilt oiBrandt^ Jules Levey, United Art- still in- effect. Monterey Produc- TL- D-^„ WL^ f,- Iif I includes tions' "Red' River," for instance,! lllCDUjf*, nllU l/all VU lU ists ind the company's top grosser for the i with reverberations still being ' RKO v.p,; Neil F. Agnew, former year, was distributed at the old heard from demands at the Allied , prez of Selznick Releasing Organi- rate. That, it claims, is actually exhibs' convention last week that /ation and v.p. of Paramount; below: cost, although the incomei "bad boy" film pilayers be suspend-| Charles L. Gasanavc, former v.p, has been important to. the company : ed or expelled from the industry, • o^ '^^'tional Screen Service, who in recent months in pushing Its ' two more name actors landed on , announced last week the formation take from distribution fees onto I page one this week. They are Rob- ! of a producers' representation or- ' ert Walker and Errol Flynn, '] ganization in association . with Ag- . the profit side of -the ledger. Goldwyn, Jr., picture is "Until I neither a first-timer. Die ' (formerly ''Criminal"), which he will produce in association with Martin Mooney and direct himself. This is an extension by one picture of a previous contract for a .film to be made in France. Pic; which Rogers is to make was Walker, whp was fined $50 in Hollywood only six weeks ago for being drunk and disorderly, was revealed ka, Kans at the Menninger Psychiatric Clinic new; Robert M. Savinii 'founder and prexy of Astor Pictures; Paul White, former European general manager for SRO, and T. Newman Lawler, of O'Brien, Driscoll, in dispatches from Tope- , ' , t Zi,. , 10 be under treatment ' «^"«5„,„&„Lawleiv Hammons is prexy of Lion, while Levey will serve, as exec v.p. in of collective bargaining, encourage the Washington theatre is doubly, conciliation and other activities for significant in that it marks another general welfare of AFL workers. iSch.^ni between Goldwyn and RKO, Papers were also granted a sec- distributes his product. ond organization, AFL Educational l^/'^'^JJ} J^"" ""rw^w"^^ ^^^Ju^^ Film Assn.. which will handle pro- 1*^^ RKO house in Washington. This duction and distribution of films j's the first time that lie has sold: furthering aims and objectives of aWay «nd there is understood, to AFL, phis its affiliates, inciudinS « . considerable bitterness about documentary, historical f i I m s , 't on RKO s part- newsreels and other educational 'Goldwyn deal in Washington is pix. the first time the producer has sold Organizations represent 20,000 away from RKO there, but he has studio workers. j skipped the circuit previously in San Francisco and Boston. There have beeii recrimlhstipnis ifbr short time, with the bad feeUii^^ gradually blowing over. : • ■;■ With /^dfrajis^fc^^ tliei pictftre; to r ^Ste^^ in Washingtoh Under ; the ' new pol- icy, it is understood that Goldwyn Exhibitors' slander suit against got an exceptionally good deal. He Paramount for $200,000 damages , received a hefty guarantee against was disclosed this week in the a percentage with a minimum run N. Y. supreme court when Par of eight weeks assured him. Con- moved to vacate- a notice for exam- trol figure applies after that time, ination before trial of Barney Bala- ; ni-^imo c^^w^w^^^^m^ •^5- ban, company president. Action lor ^ ^^^"^"^^ Comparable .iip slander is an outcropping of Par's I . Trans-Lux shiftover to features suit to recover $580,000 from cir- .'s stated to result from a decline cult operator Harry Brandt and ^.o. of the houses, combined some 170 oilier defendants for al- ; with apprehension of the additional leged percentage chiselling. ' "'ck that video may take out when Plaintiffs are Sol Rosenberg. , ""o" sets are in use. TV's effect, David Holzer, Robert Kropp and , according to newsreel execs, hasn't David Berk, operators of the El- i^een felt yet, since the drop in not specified by title, story or cast! of production. Casanave , _ _ ^ . to the UA board. It is to be in , „l,„rt^r^ rrhi committee. €on£eroes decided on ' by John Perona, operator of El ' .. Morocco. one press book for the full year with each company contributing a segment covering its particular ' Bhort. Five completed shorts cost Ben Lyon Siil lp M 20tk's Munson in London little over ,$50,000 Coin w,-!s drawn picked 'up on 7 bench'W ^™ I-.^'on sailed for England Wahn appeared in mid-Manh;it- tan court yesterday (Tuts.) and pleaded, guilty* paying a $50 fine. Flynn failed to appear and was from a special MPAA appropna tion of $75,000. Pro.iecl is px- pcctod to be bankrolled by a re- volving fund created out o£ rentals extiacted tor the .shorts, nopi-esenting the MPAA overall pn'olioity coranuttee in a riewly- nampd sho^l^' scries body are Para- moil's Stanley Shulokl, chairman, and Universal's Maiimcc Bergman I Harry Goldberg ot Warner Bros. | and' Ernest Emerl ing. Loew's. front I fo.' theatres. Standing in for di.s- tribs are Hany Michal.'-on, RKO; Peter Levathes. 20th-Fo;{, with Oscar Moigan, I'ar, as - aiternatc. Kenneth Clark and Tom Waller front for the MPAA. the Savoy-Plaza hotel. He .said he "i»ard the Queen Elizabeth ycster- hadn't appeared in court earlier be- cause he was sitting up until 9 a.m. worrying about the rap and then just h;Kl to get some sleep. of this period. "Par is asking/; the 'iexanim^ of Baiaban tb ■ be yacaled dft the, argument 'that / Balabari's quiz is unnecessai-y . It's also asserted that the cpmpahy I pr^ez has no personal knowledge of the boner, 6r of the attendant publicity: / Gh i : I)rive-in'« Suit -■.^■•^;.^■..■/.■■■■■■■'■V^;t:;' -'Chicago. Dee. 7. ': First outdoor theatre athti-trust action was filed last week in Chi federal district court by Seymour Simon, representing the Harlem and North Ave. Outdoor theatres owned by Fink & Gandell. Uni- suit charges that Paramount, Uni- versal. Warners and Columbia con- as executive assistant to Lyman i spired with Balaban & Katz to Mun.son. 20th-Fox production chief I ^^'P'^'V'^ drive-ins from obtaining m Europe. L^on will headquarter , Product. day iTucs ) to as.sume his position Circuit's partial shift to full- length, pix is largely due to the in- (Continued on page 6) FILM FAN'S SQUAWK ON BLOODTHIRSTY TITLES in London, from which point he will direct talent and casting for all 20th films to be made anywhere in liurope. ■ Former film star declared the new setup doesn't necessarily mean that 20th plans to hypo its Eujopoan production. He referred to the recent statement of produc- Complaint charges B&K Marbro, Paradise, Harding, Uptown, Rivera, and Granada were granted prior booking privileges. y' \;V'... Columbus, O. Editor; Vaotety: . : . ^ . Our family of five are movie fans tioh feepfife' ©arryl. f'l ZaiTu^ to and we buv VAiiiEiv every week f'*^»t that niote^thte.^ .. . ■ . . . : , . are to be lenscd in Europe during ior >our levieus on moviCs best to lire ; coming, year: :P these. • .. 'Adiiirs of .Adeliiido." lias already But please explain why we must beein comjjieted in Ehglandv and have .movies: with .such titles as :"Pi:ince of Foxes' is now nearing AT* !>• n "Kiss tlie Blood Oil' Mj Hands,'' the windup point in Italv. "Black Un trime nXJ OanS KOpe "Blood on the Moon." Rose". is next on the schedule for foronio, Dec. 7. Can. Censor Cracks Down Withdrawing "Rope" from dis- Iribution ' because of women's or- *ani2ations' iftotests, and ordering S3 drastic cuts in 89 features in the past few weeks, 0. J. Silvcr- thome,' censor board chairman, has further tracked down in a written directive to the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Assn. that films .stressing violence and brutal- ity will be heavily censored.. "There appears to be a definite No, we do not patronize them. Europe. Is it any wonder producers are i^yon was accompanied to Eng- complaining" of a waning boxofflce. 'and by his daughter. Mrs. Lyon ftemember such lovely movies as "^*^be Daniels) is scheduled to fly "Sweethearts" of a few vears back? 19 Lyon pointed out It.packed them in. It would be a '4'"', and his family lived in good idea to run that movie with 'i'ng'ana from 1936 to 1946, adding one of the biood-thir.^ty movies of today just for the' contrast. Producers should forget about polls, bobbysox, and try to please the entire family more, as they are the ones who keep the theatre that they've always con.sidered London as their second home ■-.Bebe.' ■iei ..foin '.'Lyon ; ■ •■ HoKywood. Dec. 7. Belpe Daniels ( leaves Wednesday . - - - /.„ ji I , , '8' to join husband Ben Lyon in Illation Tbetween certain types of , ope" a«d fill the producers pock- London for Christmas and will re- motion picture entertainment and , ^ts with gold. ^ main there till next summer at the regrettable behavior of some I Sincerely, least, when son Richard, now at Juveniles and adolescents, saidi The Anderson Family St. John's Military Academy, will iUverthorne. 1 of CQlumbus, Ohio. ,go over. . Europe to N. Y. Dana .Andrews Lou Bunin Cleat us Caldwell Robert Casadesus Joseph Friedman Cynda Glenn Bob Harley -Arthur llornblow, Jr. Robert Ilutton May .Tohn.son Robert Kerridge Piitiicia Knight .lames E. Perkins Martha Raye Artur Rubinstein Murray Silverstone Lilla Van Saber . Astrid Varnay ' , George Weitner Cornel Wilde N. Y. to £urop« Mine. .Tacques Dcrval Harry Green Len Hammond Mrs. .Tack Hyllon Oscar Karlweis Ben Lyon Harry Roy Albert Spatter ' Tennessee WUliaiiis L. A. to N. Y. Robert J. Benjamin Turban Bey Robert Coleman John Emery Jinx Falkenburg .Tohn Garfield Coleen Gray Joseph H. Hazen Karl Herzog George Hickey ■> John Joseph Boris Karloff Russell Lewis David A. Lipton ■ Joe Lyons Mr. and Mrs. Louis B. Mayer Tex McCrary James Mulvey Merle Oberon Ezio Pinza Charles M. Reagan George J. Schaefer Joseph M. Schenck Si Seadler Don Sharpe Robert Sinclair Lester Tobias Albert Townsend . Kurt Weill Howard Young Max Youngstein N. Y. to L. A. Lucille Ball A. L. Bermari Janet Blair Peter Bronte Judy Canova Lucette Caron Patricia Englund Finis Farr Arthur Freed Hugo Haas Raymond- Katz Arthur Kober Bertram Labhar, Jr. Mervyn LeRoy , Joseph McConville Robert Montgomery John Raitt Abe Schneider Herbert T. Silverberg Nate Spingold Mike Todd ■> Wedm»8(Uiy, December 8, 1948 picTimiss DIVORCE HERE- BUT HOW Par s Theatre Selling Formula With the pressure on to close out partnership theatres attacked in the Go.vernment anti-trust action, I>aramount has reportedly fixed a formula for price on a number of its circuits. Par is asking foi; the book value of the theatres plus three times the profit for one year. Latter figure is to be determined by averaging the profits for the last three years. Formula is being profl'ei-ed to outside interests only after the company has given its partners first crack at the Paramount share in the particular circuit. It is not believed that the company is setting the same hard-and-fast terms for its partners as It has been with non-affiliated groups interested in buying in. One such prospective purchaser turned down the deal because he felt the price was too high. Nonetheless, Par's book values for theatres is a long drop below present valuations since they were : fixed in the pre'rwar era when profits and material costs were far lower. Hal Wallis-Joe HazenV Encore Par Deal; 1 of Few New Indies to Click Big New 12-pictUre deal which the>- Hal Wallis-'Joseph H. Hazen indie unit signed with Paramount this week gives the studio no stock in- terest in tHe production organiza-: tion. Under the old Wallis-Hazen deal Par owned 50% of the unit. Financing of the outfit's produc- tion continues as heretofore, with W-H arranging for most of its own coin and Par taking a small par- ticipating interest. Pact just negotiated by the indie fartners with Par exec Y. Frank reeman is with a newly-formed unit, Wallis-Hazen, Inc., a Dela- • ware corporation. Old contract was with Hal Wallis Productions, which is being dissolved for tax purposes, giving the partneis a capital gains advantage. Wallis and Ilazen Jiave reversed corporate posts in the new setup, with the former to serve as ,prez and the latter as v,p. and treasurer. As in the 12-pic 1944 pact, now Disney's 37ic Divvy Hollywood, Pec. 7. Walt Disney directors declared a quarterly divvy of 37V&C on 18,580 shares preferred stock outstanding. Also announced paymeitt on ac- cumulation of $2.25 per share, both payable Jan. 1 to those of record Dec, 18. Dbtribs Give Horse-Laff To Allieii's%'Ban' BIG 5 MAY SAVE iUCO Pattern for DbtnMxIiib Split ONLY SHOWCASES ^^''''''^^^^^^^'^^^'''^^ Opposition voiced by Allied last exprri"il^,"the"next gToup^will" be I week against percentage pk-tures ma^de^'the rate of tl>ree to four ^tt^^f^^^^fk^'T ^f^tf'fl Significant speculation is going on in the film Industry currently on what form exhibition will take v/hen the antitrust: courts finish their current job of dismem- bering affiliated circuits from their production-distribution associates. With RKO already having agreed to divorcement, Warner Bros, and Paramount . having made limited moves in that direction, and 20th- Fox flirting with tlie Dept. of .Tua- tice for a consent decree, there's no longer any speculation, of course, on whether divorcement will come, It's here. The only enigma how is how much divorcement there : will be. How much of tlieir circuits will the majors be able to save? In that regard, it is thought likely that Par, RKO, 20th and Metro eventu- ally will have to paVt with all of their partnership houses and "closed" situations and will wind up with a limited string of show- Gases. Some compromise on let- ting the companies retain show- cases is expected in the interest of getting the. anti-trust suit cleaned off the docket in a reason- able time, despite the Dept. of Justice's outward insistence on complete divorcement; Thit -leads to the big question in the trade of what the situation will look like when these changes have been accomplished. Will the circuits themselves be left Intact, so that distribs will merely be deal- ing with one titan instead of an- other? In other words will there be much difference in dealing with a chain with huge buying power whether that chain is at filiated with tContinued on page 16) 'Little 3' Dubious Regardless of .settlement negotiations in the Govern- ment anti-trust action, thea- tre-owning defendants are still pushing adoption of a plan of all-industry arbitration. Joseph M. Proskauer, attorney for Warner Bros., is chief propon- ent- of an arbitration system "with teeth in It." He believes it would forestall much of the present exhibitor litigation." . : ' Proskauer has recently -ap- proached the Little Three and requested them to go along with the arbitration plan. Columbia's attorney Louis (Schwartz &) Frohlich has flatly turned him down. Uni-t versal and United Artists have asked to see the plan before giving an answer. If it means a big increase in costs, both companies will join Col in a thumbs-down stance. year. Of the dozen, four (Continued on pa^te «) may Wanger to Encore N.Y. Grind -and -Roadshow Sales Policy on 'Joan' Broadway policy on "Joan of Arc" (RKO) of simultaneous grind find roadshow exhibition will be repeated in Los Angeles The two- (i-day hou.ses In New York and, L A. \Mll be the only ones to play tlie pic on a roadshow policy, with e.\hibition throughout the rest of the country at upped admissions, but not on a hard-ticket basis. Victoria on Broadway is the only house the Walter Wanger-Ingrid Bergman-Victor Fleming film has opend to date. Next cities to see if wilt be L. A., New Orleans -and Philly, in all of which it will preem Dec. 22. It will open on a two-a- day policy at the Fulton, N. Y., in addition to the current grind Vic- toria, next Tuesday (14V Openings in other parts of the country will take place in January. Day - and - date Coast showings will be at the Palace, which will be j continuous, and the Beverly. v\hRh will be roadshow. In New Orleans ' it will play the Orpheum and in \ Pliilly the Karlton, a Ooldnian house. 1 toppers in New York. 'iAllied can resolve that we all go jump off a. cliff, to6, but we don't have to do it," is the way one geineral sales- manager voiced his feelings 6n the discussion at the exhib association's convention in New Orleans. Sales chiefs were unanimous in that tliey haven't the slightest in- tention of ceasing to demand that certain of their films play on per- centages. It is impossible, they claim, to get back production costs on top-budget films unless they play a generous number of per- centage dates, Exhibs who try to duck paying a fair share of the fieiglil, they maintain, are selling CConfcinued on page 16) Frank-Foote Indie Hollywood, Dee. 7. New indie production outfit was organized. by W. A. Frank and John Taintor Foote, who are currently engaged in the production of "The Great Dan Patch." Hookup calls for three pictures, first of which will be "Opus 43," based on a story by Foote pub- lislied 20 years ago. One of the others will be a musical. Little 3' Pleads For Separate Deal The Little Three — Columbia, Universal and United Artists — are squawking that they should get no less favorable treatment than RKO in a joint ' eight^page brief handed up to the U. S. statutory court yes- terday (Tues.) in New York. Noting the deal that RKO obtained from While settlement negotiations in I the anti-trust action limp on at u ■ I slower pace, distinct change in th« 'thinking of major company toppers is now taking form which may, lead to a cleancut and complete sefiard- . tion of theatres from production- distribution in the four companies still in th^ throes of the court . battle. The RKO pattern for peace— a division of the big film outfits into two separate units — is finding grow- ing favor among high-echelon execs and ma;^ yet be the final answer to the^ 10-year litigation. These biggies are' now coming around to the be- lief that the stockholders' interests ■ — primary concern of company di- rectorates — may dictate the severr 0 ance rather than piecemeal sale of • theatres to outside interests whifh could not possibly bring in as re- spectable a total price in small lot*. ; With this form of thinking on ; the upswing, the alternatives cur-, irently being studied are either di- : vision into two units and a pro-rata allocation of stock on the RKO basis or outright sale of the theatr* circuits. If the latter way was chosen, a subordinate question, being mulled is whether to declar* ' a capital dividend on the millions of dollars garnered from the sal* or to groove this cash into other ventures which promise solid rev-' enues. Government demands on settle- ment have: been so stiff, it's saidi that a peace pact would cut theatrr • (Continued; on page 16) Distribs Regard Philly Decision Not Too Seriously Philly judge who last' week de- creed lhat Warner Btos. and 20th- Fox do not have the right to play their pix in their own houses with- out first offering thein^ for com- petitive bidding is being viewed with amusement in the trade as naive. Since the payment by a 20th: or WB theatre to its affiliated dis-: tribution company means merely taking money out of one pocket and putting it in another, -the houses should have no trouble in outbidding any possible competi- tors, it was pointed out; It was partially for that reason that all other court decisions have ioo% control, hence it has put out : recognized the right of an atfiliat- [igelers on price. Both majors art ed circuit to play its own company's ; ready to sell out providing th« product without oft'ering H to any- , right deal can be arranged, one else; As a matter of fact, in the consent decree recenlfy ap- proved in RKO's circuit divorce Gowthorpe's Shift To Butterfield Preludes Move to Buy Out Par, RKO Detroit, Dec. 7. With the final liquidation of all theatre partnerships in the works, the Butterfield estate which now owns 65% of the 112-theatre But- terfield circuit is seeking to buy out both Paramount and RKO, in- terests in the chain. Estate wants the Government in the main anti- ■ ment, it is specifically stated that trust action, the trio of non-theatre owning companies are demanding a separate decree since a separate one was granted RKO.. They again expressed fear of being a tail to the kite of the main onslaught against the four integrated com- panies.. Vigorous assault is launched against blanket restrictions on the sale of fihns. One of the chief ar- guments is also pinned to the fact that no such code of taboos is in- cluded in the RKO consent de- cree. This provision would ban the distribs, when dealing with afr filiates or circuits, from granting (Continued on page 16) the company may go on selling Its Par's holdings consist of 33'^!% interest in 22 houses of Butterfield Michigan theatres and 25% of 90 W. S. Butterfield flickeries. RKO's les.ser holdings are 25% in But- own houses on a preferred ba^is terfield Michigan and 10% in W. S until dissolution is completed. Likewise, the Dept. of Justice's (Continifed on page 6) Oberon's New RKO Deal Hollywood, Dec. 7. Merle Oberon closed a new deal with RKO to take the place of her old contract, which called for three pictures, including "I Married a Communist" and "Operation Mala- ya." These two films are out a.< far as the new contratt is concerned. Butterlieidi Naming of Montague F. Gow- thorpe as new president and gen-, eral manager of Butterfield; was', the result of overtures which wer«s , initiated here , and not by Para-j ' mount, Gowthorpe's present affiil- i alion. Butterfield: has been run by (Continued on pa'ge 18) SELZNICK-EL DISTRIB PALAVERS CONTINUE Hollywood, Dec 7. Talks between David O. Selzniek and Eagle Lion on some sort of distribution deal are continuing, l^dt the negotiators are still in the sparring stage. So far, discussions have ranged over the entire field of possibilities covering all of Selz- nick's product including pix to be made in the future. Understood that most likely re- sult would be the distribution of eight Selznick oldies by EL. How- ever, transaction may yet be ex- panded to take in residuary rights of such pix as "Duel in the Sun" and "The Paradine Case" as well as the still unrcleased "Portrait of Jenny" and others. OUT SOON! The 43rd Anniversary Number OP Forms closing shortly Usuol Advertising rotes pretdl Special exploitation advantages Copy and space reservations may be sent to any Variety office NEW YORK 19 154 W. 46th SI. HOLLYWOOD 28 A311 Yucca St. CHICAftO 1 JiO N. MiehigoH Ave. LONDON. W. e. t 8 St. Martiii'* Mac* TMtalgar Sqaot* • PANAMA-FRANK SETTLE RKO PACT AMICABLY Hollywood, Dec. 7. Norman Panama-Mel vin. 'Frank's , pioducer-writer ticket at RKO has i been amicably ended. They had been on a picture-to-picture basis. Parting was described as due to budget diificulties on a film they'd ; > been preparing as a Rosalind Rus* sell starrer, not to disagreementt ' I with the studio. The property for Miss Russell ~ was ^'A Woman's Place," their own original, which Uore Schary had purchased be-" fore he left the company to mov« over to Metro. They'd been work- ing on the script since then. They w'ci-e also assigned the production stint on the filtn, It's now reportedly been shelved , uecjuse it doe.sn'1 fit in with budg- ■ cts being lined up for RKO prod- ; ucl. Undorstood Panama and Frank may dicker to repurchase the yarn, either for their own in- ■ die pt'odUction or for another major. Six other producers have left since Hughes took over. They ar« Bert Granet, Armand Deutsch 'now exec assistant to Schary at Metro), Herman J. Mankiewici:,; William Pereira and Theron: , Warth. PICTVRBS Wednesday, December 8, 1948 U. S. Film Industry Expects $1500,000 Annually from Foreign 16m Rights After three years of operations* abroad, revenues from 16m dis- tribution are now rapidly approacii- i Ing ,the 10% ceiling predicted by i the majors as its proportion of the entire foreign take. Filmites con- nected with the narrow-gauge wing 'Movie Book-of-the-Month' , "Moyip Bpdk-of-the-M<)nth' • bows into the book stalls late this inohth with ■. publicatibri' an adaptation , of Warners' . Adventures' of Don of major company activities believe juan," Errol Flynn starrer, .n overall 10% slice in foreign' different film is to be selected revenues will be reached before ; ^ ^ ^ ^ the next 12 months ar^^^^ . ^ ^^^^^ hard-cover t^'^'thl^^o^eranySs" fi^^tion. to seli;orJl. J'Don^^^^^^^^ will reach some $2,500(000 yearly; California Studio Back to Sherman Hollywood, Dec, 7. California Studio, inhabited for a couple of years by Enterprise, was officially tossed back into Harry Sher{nan's lap. The Enterprise lot is now the California lot, for the second time, with David Loew moving his Enter- prise staff Into office spaie at the General Service studio. Returns on narrow-gauge prod net, it's said, are currently leveling off and the saturation point is ex- pected in the next tvfo years. After Jiounting steeply during the first 4 months, 1948 -remittances now is to get an extensive promotion campaign, involvings tieins with book stores, chain outlets and other stores, including: nationwide subscriptions, Edward Dangel, Jr., prez of Waverly House, and Jack Gold- look to be 20% higher than in "47, 1 stein, w.k. film publicist, are chair- with '49 duplicating the current men of the advisory board. Fu- •tanza's advance ture selections may include Walt 1 i„ 'f „„ dc Disney's "Fabulous Characters," On the basis of an absolute fig-j^.^ch is to star Bing Crosby and ore, biz being done in France tops that of any other country. With several thousand situations avail- his four «ons; United Artists' "Im- pact." Edward ' SmaU's "Black ■everai uiousanu siiuanon* avail- jj . ,, ^ Universal-lntemation- «ble in that country, proportion of - niUv" 16m revenues in France already ex- 1 ^ i^i ie oi nuey. Philly Local Fears lA Going Over Its Head On WB hcl, Drops Inj. Philadelphia! Dec. 7. pioyeeS uriibh, withorBW its inj Hollywood, Dec. 7. ". Joseph H. Hazen, v. p. and treas- urer of Wallls-Hazen, Inc., leaves Girden and Herbert F. Herrman, i in the much greater and al!-en- Translux directors, added 100 i compa.sslng decision that Uie New York statutory court hands .down further reinforce the trend to sep-;,he Coast by air for New York to- aration of distribution and exhibi- morrow (Wed.). He has been out tion. It IS said. here about a week to ink the new Significance _of the decision is I pact with Paramount, otherwise seen^as minor for several reasons. First is that the whole matter may soon- be swallowed up Glad-to-Be-Home Continued from page; 2 ssa in the Paramount, ct al , industry- , ^ Europe over the past sev- wide anti-trust case. i erai months now completed, a trio Secondly, Judge Kirkpatrick's ' of stars cast in those pix also ar- product out of its library. RKO's ISc A Share RKO has declared a regular fiiarterjy dividend of 15c per share on- all. outstanding common- stock: - Melon will; be sliced Jan. 3 with flockholders of record Deo. 17 in on the payment. rants for 2,000 shares of Universal common, and Daniel M. Sheaffer reported the- .sale of 680 shares. David Warfield received a bequest tion" exists" tliere" of 3.510 shares of Loew's, Inc., no ' quire long-drawn situation does not apply in any ter- rived on the Elizabeth. They in sequencmg sleeve," "Duffy's Tavern," "Mr. District Attorney" and "Big Story" way out in the stretch. : In contrast to a 19.1 average rat- I . ing for November, 1947, Jol- , P^^" common. He now holds 24,510 , such as the Goldman suit in Philly. ' Tone-Allen pic son's Hooper, dipped to a- 12-1 ! s"'""^^ ~ average for November of this year, or a .7.0 drop. In; '47 .lolie had a 53.8 share of 9 to 9:30 Thursday audience for the month. This year it was S3. 2. ' ritory outside of Philly, since the i eluded Dana Andrews, who wound court in any other area must first | up a stint in 20th's British-made have lound that a monopoly silua- L"Affalrs of Adelaide," Robert Hut- That would re- 1 ton and his wife, eieatus Caldwell, out htigation, 1 both of whom appeared in V the Man on the Eiffel It was pointed out by industry le- i Tower," which was shot in Paris. Robert E. Kintner and Charles \ galites, on this point, that the Jack- 1 Other arrivals were actor Ches- E. Rvnd each sold 200 shares of son Park ■ decision in Chicago is ter Morris, Martha Rave and American Broadcasting $t par I having no direct effect on exhibi- French film actress Liila van common. This leaves Kintner with tion pra'^Mces in other parts of the , Saher. Miss Raye was abroad for 33,300 shares and Rynd with 1,900. 1 country. a short British vaude tour Wednesday, December 8, 194A PICTITRES Kramer Cuts 36-Day 750G Budgeter To $595,000 and 24 Shooting Days Hollywood, Dec. 7. + ' ■ - Producer Stanley Kramer, head i I :„L»»j Cp„-„. ^Jl^ of Screen Plays, claims a new j.lilWIl 3 uCaCI y 1 1 lU formula for turning out features at i (it Ck-,-*- I inlraJ Iln record breaking pace and substan-' OllVlli UUIiCU Up tial coin savings.- Kramer's "Cham- ' New scxer combo to be exhibited pion." second in his series of Ring j on somewhat the same policy as Lardner : stories, which wound up I tlve cui'rently liighly. successful lensing last weelt, was originally; "Mom 'n' Dad'Ms to be offered by budgeted at $750,000 in 36 shoot- : Intei-national Films, headed by lug daxs, but came under the wire , Martin Lichl. Russell Birdwell is at a cost of $595,000 in only 24 to handle the promotion on a road- days. ". - j. show: basis. . Success of the formula, Kramer V Show is labeled '-Because of Eve" gaid, was based on complete pre- , (originally "Ihe btory of Life") production preparation and adher- consists ot three documentary- ence to plans, with close coopera- ^ype shorts inked by a thin story, tion between the technical crew ! 1 i'"' ^^"^J « ^D," Ihe and the cast, headed by Kirk Doug- 1 f Joiy of Pi ocrcation and "The las, Marilyn Maxwell and Arthur |i'"'y'»tBirlh. Film which runs Kennedy. Swift wrap-up of the pic. I minutes, will be shown at sep- which u as closely watched by other I f«^<= perlormances for male and indie outfits, started with pre-de- audience, with a stage pre- ^igning through sketches of de- ilBriefs From the Lots:: tailed plot movements, After confabs between scriptcr Carl Foreman and members of tlie ' cast oil the character shading; tlie j sketches became the basis for two I weeks of rehearsals. After the re- ' hearsals, the sketches were redraft. , ed to fit tlie action exactly. Set | Construction thus came in at a cost ' of $35,000 instead of $85,000 under , normal - conditions. Since the i sketches fixed precise set dimen stage pre^ lude built around a sociological- medical spiel. Korda Separates Prod, from Distrib "Switches made. .in top exec . per- slons and camera angles, every cent ! sonnel by Sir Alexandei- Korda last in props and construction counted, j week were aimed at separating his Director Mark Robson shot only production and distribution opera- 485 camera setups, which is from tions. Howe\er. Koi-da and Sir 200 to 400 under normal for this Arthur Jarratt will continue to be, class of picture "and shows complete I the controlling stockholders in elimination of •so-called"protec- tiou" and second'guess shots. In turn, tins was reflected in film sav- ings, with "Champion" exposing 75,000 feet as against over 125,000 ■ feel normally, thus saving .$10,000 in celluloid lab fees alone. Accord- ing to film editor Harry Gerstad. ; the rough cut, due to careful prep- aration, will have to be slashed both organizations, along with a new man \vlio is bringing in new financing and who will be chairman ot the distribution setup. Newcomer, w h o w 'i 1 1 be ■ a stranger to the film business but is said to be well-known in finan-: cial circles, is rumored to be Har- old C, Drayton. He succeeds Hugh Quennell, lawyer and financier, as only two to three minutes for the i board chairman of British Lion, finished' product. '"I'o steps out of tiie Korda setup ! altogether. I Two other BL directors, Harold Boxalf and Sir David Cunyri^^ I also resigned; but will remain di- rectors and e.xeGS cif Loii don Films, Korda s production setup. Boxall is LF administrative topper and MPAA Asks Reciprocity : On Films With llNaHons! Washington, Dec. 7. Mot ion Picture Assm of America declared the eagerness of its mem- beis to. lift the few remaining . duties on the import of foreign pix to the U, S. while claiming the • same right in foreign countries for American films. Declaration was " made by Theodore Smith, official In tlie MPAA's , international di- " vision, in reading a memorandum : submitted to the Congressional ■ Gomiiiittee for Reciprocity Infor- mation at a hearing today (Tues.). Cunynghame handles its foreign alTairs, Despite the separation. BL will continue, to finance all or part of the LF productions, which will be doubled in number from nine to 18 next year. BL will also continue to finance indie producers operat- ing under the Korda banner, such as Herbert Wilcox. ' Divorcement of interlocking BL and LF boards last week resulted I from the fact that BL will get $8,- 000,000 of the Government's Film ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦»»♦♦♦■■» Hollywood Dec. '7 Charles Coburn signed tor "The Western Story" at U-1 . . . William Elliott stars and is associate pro- ducer for "Hellfire," whicli gallops this week at Republic with Marie Windsor as femme lead and R. O. Springsteen directing . . , Warners bought "The Miami Story," au- thored by Jay Dratler, who will also produce. Dick Morean checked out of Metro's flackery to become an in- die producer ... 1^11 Sullivan re- turns to films for a role in "The Lady Gambles" at U-I . . . RKO, with two pictures in production, will not start any more films until after the holidays ... Jane Novak, star of silent films, drew a role' in "Bitter Victory" at Paramount : . . Patsy Bolton and Phil Tannura signed for featured roles in Equity- Vinson's "Shamrock Hill." Alan Webb, British actor, to be featured in "Greyfriars Bobby" at Metro ... Yvonne De Carlo, How- ard Duff and Stephen McNally will costar in "The Western Story" at U-I . . . C. Aubrey Smith set for "The Forsyte Saga," Greer Garson i starrer, at Metro . . . Snub Pol- lard, Mack Scnnett pie -thrower, ]: signed for a comic part in Ben i Bogeaus' "The Crooked Way" ... Ann BIyth will play femme lead in "Going, Going, Gone " w hich Mi- | chel Kraike will produce tor U-I.; 'Hamlet' 'Red Shoes Big in the Black Belie Yank Antipathy to British Pix Cole Suit Vs. Metro Boils Down to Morals Clause in Pix Pacts f / Complaint of Har(»l4 Wilson, head of the British Board of Trade, aired in Parliament last Aveek that Biritish pik are still get- ting tlie slough'-pf f treatment ' from the Ainerican film ihdustry, leaVes Yank f ilmites Cold. Their pdwiiter-- gripe is to th^; Wf^ct that .'^nglo filmiriakers h^ve not yet absorbed / the lesson which both "Hamlet" and "The Red Shoes," product of J. Arthut Bank, -sliould . have , taught them. • "Both these ■ films are doing great business because tlie Ameri- can public has taken a fancy to them," one induslryite said. "There isn't an American exhibitor who wouldn't be glad to play them because they^re boxoffice. When the British make boxoffice films, there is no such thing as industry resistance. Wilson should be lac- ing it into his own country's in- ; dustry for not turning out more of the 'Hamlet' typie, not taking it out on the Arnericans." Several execs pointed to'the fact that ' Universal (one of Rank's U. S. distrib outlets) has been grooving all its Anglo imports to the Prestige unit for. special han- dling as an added argument. : "If Universal's sales executives were Sir Alexander Korda will seek convinced that a film had general no new deal for U. S. distribution '. fPP??'' \]^^y would unquestionably to replace the contract with 20lh- il»»«lf }^ regular distribution. Fox which was mutually abrogated ' ^heir own judgment of these about three months ago. Instead, ! proves tlie point Binges 50-50 8-Pic Deal In New IS-Film Par Pact Hollywood, Dec. 7. Bing Crosby signed a new seven- year deal with Paramount calling for 18 pictures, 10 of which will be made by the studio on a salary basis and eight on a 50-50 basis with Crosby Enterprises. First pic- ture ug^er the new agreement is "Top b' the Morning," currently in "production, in which the studio and Crosby arrange the financing and the star cuts in on the profits. Next will be "Broadway. Bill," under the same deal. Under the dual arrangement the 10 pictures will be made for $1,300,000 or less. The budgets on the other eight are up io Para- mount. Korda to Sell Pix ToU.S. Individually Korda's policy will be to sell Amer- ican rights to Yank companies out- right for latter!s blocked pounds in England. That was disclosed Monday (6) by Morris Helprin, . Korda's U. S. Los Angeles, Dec. 7. Suit by Lester Cole, screen writer, for: restoration of his con tracted j6b on the Metro ]ot '^^w York with Helprin was Kor So far as Eagle Lion is con- cerned, this other outlet for Rank has been able to garner from $300,000-$400,000 in rentals for the Britisher's top-drawing product Most of the films, -however, have not grossed this figure. While not iyeP- following his return from,,, specially as in the case '^rnHnJrlnSnLtn? ^^'.ti^n^^^ U, EL has been liquidating the producer in London. Returning to ^ore slowly than that of resumes tomorrow (Wed."! before Judge Leon Yankwich in U. S. •district court. A week's contin- uance was granted to allow the at da's brother, Zollan. who went right on to Hollywood to confab comparative Hollywood product. Nonetheless, Rank's prospects of healthy U. S. film revenues are ^J^rffi's SraT'' wliTfil is : ^Z^'^X^-S^f^ t=y.rror-bX sUi"es - MMS^^S K^JpS ' |™~ 'SU^Tn^^^^ fy the problem in the case and to In England in the spring. ^ j^g^ Shoes." The top British in- reduce the area of disagreement i ^^'^l <>" Helprin between them to a minimum.- revealed, for sale to an American r'^in ;,. „t iu -1 . major of "The Winslow Boy," one Colo IS one of the writers who — - --■ ■ • - dustryite is now collecting substan- tial rentals for the first time since' he invaded the American tlieatre lost his $r350-a-v^^ek job be- °* ^""'-^ film^ which is Cur- scene in full force three years ago. i b ipi.oou d weeK joD De j,e„iiy proving an exceptionally I From the two pix, Hank is current- Momo related to negotiations | Finance Corp. funds for aiding now being pushed by the Govern- 1 indie production. This money is ment with 11 countries for recipro- not given to producers directly,' but cal reduction of tariffs' and other j only via a distrib. Therefore, the trade barriers. Nations involved FFC did not want too close ties be- aic nonmark. El Salvador, Do- jtween Korda's production and dis- niiniciin Republic, Finland, Greece, ] trib setups: Haiti. Italy, Nicaraugua, Peru, Until the new chairman of BL is Sneden and Uruguay. Letter from 'named, Jarratt. deputy chairman John G McCarthy, managing di-'and managing director, will act in rector of the MPAA's international 'a temporal} capacity. ving said the memo may be re- . gai clcd as introductory and thai ad- ditional detailed data would be J|QQ J[JJ(J| JQ f£J£ cause he refused to answer ques tions about Communism put to him in Washington by the House Committee on -Un-American Activ- ities His suit for reinstatement is the first to come to trial. The main question in the trial, boiled down alter a week of dis- cussion by opposing lawyers, is strong b.o. entry in England. Hel- prin refused to disclose the poten- tial buyer. Outright sales of his product to U. S.. distribs will not be an inno^ vation for Korda. although it was done before only in addition to his 20th deal. Fox itself bought "Mine Own Executioner" and "Man About "Was Cole guilty of violating the „ , ^ ■ mn-oic i„ "„ the House" on that basis, while Republic bought "Shop at Sly Cor- morals clause in his contract by refusing^ to answer the questions of the Congressional committee?" The morals cWuse in ftiotion pic- ture contracts reads as follows: "The employe agrees to conduct himself W:ith due regard to public conventions and morals, and agrees ly corralling some $50,000 weekly, with a further climb in sight. "Hamlet," unquestionably Rank's all-time winner, is doing a little under $100,000 weekly at the seven spots where it is now playing. Uni- versal, pic's Yank distrib, is raking in 70-80% in rentals, with Rank taking something over half of that coin. Film is gradually being booked for roadshows elsewhere and has yet to close in any of the situations where it origi- nally opened. As a result, U's-top- (Continued on page 18) ner" and the Mary Pickford-Buddy Rogers-Ralpli Cohn unit at United Artists bought "White Cradle Inn." David O, Selznick just a fewf Weeks ago bought "Fallen Idol" (to be re- leased as. "Eyewitness"). . i . ■ ■ ;■ . that he will not do or commit any ' prSlon'dea\'°w?th Schi^i'ck^ j ^3^^* Reade's MoVC t^o,q J\- ^^i"^ '"u*^^ I Samuel Goldwyn. by which the I Tn Haf^,, r«..««*l r««» grade him in society or bring him American producers provide story i lO UetraV tOUnSel TeCS orri'dlc';l"e,'"ort1jr^!u''tUTo ^--6 its. theatre partner shock, insult or offend the com- or that will tend to penditures In return for western 1 Waiter Reade,"w.k."N7\rjerse>^^ munity, or ridicule public morals hemisphere rights. In his own pro- cuit operator,' are again tiffing in or decencv. or preiudice the nro^ Auctions, Helprin declared Korda the courts. After settling their ■ I',™ iwill. continue to use Hollywood tiriri\ °„'r%^"'*-'°^< '^'^^"■^' 'name players to increase U. S. b.o. atncal or radio industry m gen- lvalue, but only when they -are well- main differences .over management v of the Trenton-New Brunswick cir- .. , . , ., , , cuii which also found its way to B M-iver Mrfrr. rhint ^"'t'^? ^'^'^ ™^'' f f ''^.''''^' the court.s, Reade is now Suing:^^^^^^ 1 , *''*>'^'^' Melio chief, merely as an ail ificial device. recover counsel fees for hid at- Nichola_s Nayfack. assistant secre- i • i^pnieTjorw Davk"^^ on the question will be staged in eral.. Louis O'DONNELL IN DALLAS !'^V> °*^oew s. Inc , and jack Cum- mmgs, Metro producer, are the first witnesses slated to be called tomorrow. Mayer is on his- honey- moon and not likely to appear. COL.:S 'LONA' HALTING MOVES PAR'S 'WIFE^ UP Hollywood, Dec. 7. DOUBLE SCREEN FOR 'JENNIE' XMAS BOW handed up in the near future. | MP\A asked for "completely unmiijcded flow of motion pictures ' among all nations." Films should . IJallas. Dec. 7. not be considered solely as a com- R. J, ("Bob'!i O'DonnVn. ihter- modity like all others, memo ar- slate circuit e,\ec and chief barker gued "Trade restrictions of any of the Variety Clubs of America kind uliicli for most commodities ; wafi feted at the ffotel Baker here have to be considered only in Saturdav '4' night on the occasion terms ol tlieir economic impact, of Ins 2,11 li yeai- in the film busi- iiiusl be weighted with less tangi- ness Wore than 500 film execs hie but extremely important ele- star-,, dircc-lors. C;ovei-nmenl offi-^ mcntt, in the case of the modern cials and others attended, .film,;' it added. , . ; ; , Film actor Gco!«e Murphy, as "This consideration," it said, "is ' emcee, introed the lust ol speakers. Halt of "Lona Hanson" at Colum- is now being installed. Move is not presented as a new comment including,' Dallas Mayor JimmvjO'a moves '"Dear Wife" ahead one shrouded in secrecy but story but the fact that it has been Temple, Lieut. Audio Murphy, In- month on Paramount's schedule, leaked out from Berkeley, where the Y. appellate division of the supreme court Friday CIO). ' ■• Reade's first action challenged RKO's supervision of the 12 the- Hollywood, Dec. 7. [aires in or near Trenton, owned David O. Selznick is reviving the ' 50-5'0 by him and RKO. After the wide-screen gimmick used by vari- 1 court ruled that contracts which ous theatres around tlic country for i made RKO the circuit's operator Christmas bow of "Portrait of Jennie'' at Carthay Circle here. I Equipment, with some variation-s, stressed before does not lessen its ' lerstale e\cc William O'Donnell, validil\. It is earnestly recom- : Charles ,J Fi cpman. Intehstate's meiifled that its especial relevance , stage booker, Jolin H Harri.s, one to contemporary conditions be of the foundei s ol the Variety borne in mind by all American ! Clubs; Secrctarj ol Labor Maurice officials concerned with the out-'J. Tobin, Attorney General Tom come of the scheduled negotiations . Clark. William McGraw, national i '"^"t with tile 11 countries." without the right of directors to supervise: the management w ere against public policy. Keadc and RKO settled the case by naming a three-man overall /committee. RKO, . , . however, retained Its control of the. suice William llolden. slated to co- wide screen was used in a .sneak, j houses, star on a loanout with Rita Hay- Equipment there was installed a , Reade then demanded that Tren- worth, now returns to Par. This week ahead of preview. I ton-New Brunswick pay Davis, as permits "Wile" to tee off Jan, 5. in addition to a .screen that his attorney, reasonable counsel Miss Hayworth is under Col sus- 'opens up to twice ordinary theatre- [fees. It was his contention that, pension for balking at tlie assign- j size screen, loud-speaker is spread , the -circuit benefited by the suit. Wiathcr's 3d Texas Pic San Antonio, Dec. 7. exec secretary of Variety Clubs, I Film will give Par three during minutes -of film, involving storm and Karl Hoblilzelle, prez of the 'the first 10 days of the new year " sequence, was Screened in green. [throughout the theatre. Last 18 i Malcolm Kingsberg, RKO theatre jinter'-tate chain. land I ]foag> Cannicliael played and i months i sang a tune titled Tm From Dal> I night. ni ne the St tv men screen, . an all -nylon one. Ja(k Wrather, producer of the ' .".'^t .v. . ' v n ,i n^ll^r AVu Allied Artists release, "Strike It as. Texas Bu \ou Can t lell It: Blue'- ,Oth Rich," recently premiered in eight Clause I Don 1 Talk That Way." Bill," "Sur as cities, plans to film another • Song was penned for the occasion in the state after he sees the hj Carmichael. .John Wayne and ■ Te.^as pic reaction to the current one. iJack Carson. First trio are '^After Mid- doubled its sizej sound volume wa^ Wife" and "Red, Hot and turned up to "almost blast us out ers include "Broadway of seats," as one spectator reported. Sunset Boulevard." Hal Also stated that figures on screen Wallis" "Thelma Jordan," "Rope of didn't lose -any : of s li a r p n e s s Sand," Wallis' "My Friend Irma" through enlargement because of I should pay them out of his own and Ptn^-Thomas' "Captain China." .special: lens; i pocket.. chief, countered with the argument that only Reade stood to gain and not the corporation. Lower court has appointed a . referee to look into the matter. RKO is. appealing with the argu- ment that the referee has no right to fix counsel fees and that Reade PICTtJRB GROSSES Wednesclajr, December 8, 1948 (Par) (2cl wk). Good $10,000. Last week, swell $16,300. RKO Hillstreet (HKO) (2,890; 60- 80)— "Race Street' (RKO) and ■ "Ladies of Chorus" (Col) (6 days). ! Pleasing $19,000. Last week, "Man i Colorado" (Col) and "Manhattan I Angel" (Col) (8 days), thin $17,400. i Ritz (FWC) (1,370; 60-$l) — ' "Mexican Hayridc" (U) and "Grand r Canyon Trail" (Rep) (4 days). Oke $6,000. Last week, "Rogues' Regi- I ment" (U) and "Bungalow 13" (20th) (2d wk-10 days), $8,200, Studio City (FWC) (880; 60-$!)— (Continued on page 18) Too Many Holdovers in LA; 'Hayride Hep $38,060 in 4 Days, 'Race Street' 32G;My41G,Tatlock'23G,H.O;s ■ ■ ■ Los Angeles, Dec. 7. Too many extended-runs with only two new pictures opening this •week is being felt currently at firstrun theatres. Preem of "Mexi- can Hay ride" in five theatres is shaping for neat $38,000 in four days, rated unusually nice for this season of year and since mostly in small-seaters. "Race Str^pt," in two houses, looHs to land okay $32,000, pleas- ing -at downtown spot but slow in Hollywood, \ Second week of "When Baby Bmiles" shapes pleasant $41,000 or near in five situations-. Second, week of "Fighter Squadron" looks ■ likely to hit okay $29,500 in three ; houses, not strong, "Tatlock's Mil- 1 lions" is on modest side at $23,000 I In two sites' while "Three Mus-| ketcers" is catching nice $28,000 In third round. i "Walked By Night" is trim $27,- \ BOO in second stanza, five .spots. | "Hamlet" is excellent $12,000 in sixth frame on roadshow basis. Estimates for This Week i Beimont (FWC) (1,532; 60-$!)— i "He Walked By Night" (EL) and "Indian Agent" (RKO) (2d wk). Okay $3,000. Last week, nice $4,- 1 SOO. I Beverly Hills Music Hall (G&S- Prin-Cor) (834; 85-$l) — "Red i Bivcr" (UA) (8th wk). Near $3,000. , Last week, strong $3,600. Carthay Circle (FWC) (1,518; 60- $l)_"When Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Parole, Inc." (EL) (2d wk). Nice $5,500, Last week, swell $9,- »50. Chinese (Grauman-WC) (2,048; 60-$l)— "Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Parole, Inc," (EL) (2d wk). Good i (Rgp) (reissue) and "Gallant $9,500. Last' week, fine $14,400. ■ gjon" (Rep), solid .$5,000. ..w'iv'T fSn^^T^i (Dickinson) i550: 35-45-65) "Walked by Night- EL) and In- _..Djg~.^j,ledermouSe" (Indie). One ^''^'i^r.t^f^K better weeks here at $2,500 and $5^00. Last week swell $5 500 I holdover. Last week, "King's Jest- Downtown (WB) (l.-JS?; 60-Sl)— .gi." (Indie) and "Carmen" (Indie) "Fighter Squadron (WB) (2d wk). 2cl run), $2,000 in 9 days. Good $12,000. Last week, okay 1 Midland (Locw's) (3,500; 45-651— , $20,900 but below hopes. "Three Musketeers" (M-G) and Downtown Music Hall (Prin- 1 "Blondie's Secret " (Col) (•2d wk). Cor) (902; 85-$l) — "Red River ', Fine $15,000. Last week, great 202 theatres ) . loon Bright [ K.C. Ace I Century (Loews-UA) (3,000; 20- I 60)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d i wk). Holding well at $12,000 after sock $20,200 opener, j Hippodrome (Rappaport) (2,240; I 20-70) — "Only Angels Have Wings" (Col) (reissue) plus vaude. Surpris- ingly good $15,000. Last week, "Re- ' turn of October" (Col) and vaude, ; $13,700. Keith's (Schanberger) (2,460; 20- 60) — "Dear Secretary" (UA). Lauded by local crix and not get' ting much action at $9^000 or less.. Last week, "Tatloclt's Millions" Philadelphia, Dec. 7. (Par) (2d wk), $6,700. Firstrun biz here is now centered New (Mechanic) (1,800; "20-60)— ; largely on tlie weekends. Most new 'When Baby Smiles" {20th) (3d wk). entries are not doing well, only "Blood on Moon," at the Stanley, faring , nicesly. "Ghristppher Blake" is disappointihg at ' Mastbhum' looks mild 'Moon' Lusty In PhiUy, $25,000 Kansas City, Dec. 7. Trade ■ is on lighter side this _ week. Moderately good are "Fight- 1 er Squadron" at Paramount and] "Blood on Moon" at Orpheum. I Holdovers doing okay are Mid- 1 land's "Three Musketeers" and | Tower - Uptown - Fairway combo's I "When My Baby Smiles at Me." I V Estimates for This Week | Esquire (Fox Midwest) (820; 45- 1 65)— "Grand Canyon Trail" (Rep) ; and "Swing Partner" (Rep) (re-| issue). Topping average at $3,500. [ Last week, "Dark Command" i Le^l Down to $7,000 after steady second scsh at $9,800. Stanley (WB) (3,280; 20-75)— , ., . „ "Sealed Verdict" (Par). Mild $10,-, while Dear Secretary 000. Last week, "Fighter Squadron" . at the Boyd. (WB), $8,200, way below hopes. | Town (Rappaport) (1,500; 3!j-65) | —"Blood on Moon" (RKO) (2d wk). i Holding nice at $10,000 after big $13,3()0 first week. El Rey iFWC) (861; 60-$l)- "Walked By Night" (EL) and "In- dian Agent" (RKO) (2d wk). Neat $3,000. Last week, grand $4,200. Esquire (RoSener) (685; 85-$1.20) —•■Mozart Slory" (SG). Oke $2,500. La.'St week, "One Night With You" (U) (9 days), $2,000. Four Star (UA-WC) (900; $1.20- $2.40)— "Hamlet" (U) (6th wk). Smooth $12,000. Last week, strong $14,600. Guild (FWC) (968, 60-$l)— "Mex- ■ jean Hayride" (U) and "Grand Can- 1 yon Trail" (Rep) (4 days). Medium ! $4 ,^00. Last week, "Rogues' Regi- ment'' lU) and "Bungalow 13" (20th) i2d wk-10 days), $3,000. Hawaii iG&S-Pnn-Cor) (1,106, 85-Sl)— "Red River" (UA) (8th Wk). Near $2,500. Last week, okay $3,- SOO. Hollywood iWB) (2.7.-)6, 60-$l)— "Fighter Squadron" (WB) i2d wk) Okay $9,000. Last week, good '-$15i000.: Hollywood Music Hall iPrin-Cor): (512; 85)— "Red Rivci" (UA) (8(h wk). Below $2,000, Last week, $2,000. Iris (FWC) (828; 60-85)— "Mexi- can Hayride" (U) and "Grand Can-: yon Trail ' (Rep) (4 days).. Good $5,000. Last week, "Rogues' Regi- ment" lUi and "Bungalow 13" (20th) '2d wk-10 days), $3,700, Laurel (Rosener) i890; 85) — "Fanny dndic) (2d wk). Good $2,- 600. Last week, $3,000 in 8 days. Loew's State (Loew's-WC) i2,404: 60-$!)- "Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Paiojp. Inc." (EL) (2d wk). Down to $14..')00. Last week, swell $24,- } 200;, ■ -Xi': . ■■'Z-^-^ ■ Los Anfreles (D'town-WC) (2,097; 60-$l)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G) <3d wk). Smooth $13,000,, Last week, sock $18,800. Lo.vola 'FWC) (1.248: fi0-$l)— "Baby Smiles" '20th) and "i^arolc, ' Inc.',' (j;L):< :(2d. wk). Smart $6,800.' La.^C week, great $9,400. Orpheum iD'town-WC) '2,210; 60-$l)— "Walked by NigW" (EL) and "Indian Agent" (RKO) (2d wk), 'B.vj* $13,0P0. Last week, sock $21,800. Pantages (Pan) (2,812; 60-$l) — "Race Street" (RKO) and "Ladies of Chorus" (Col) (6 days). Dull $13,000. Last week, "Man from Colorado" (Col) and "Manhattan Angel" (Col) (8 days), thin $13,300. Paramount (F&M; (3,398; 60-$l) Paramount (Par): (1.900; 45-651 "Fighter Squadron" (WB). One of two new bills, nice $14,000. Last week, "Night Has 1,000 Eyes" (Par), $11,000. 'Baby' Paces Buff At Trim $17,000; 'Saxon' 9G BuflfalO, Dec. 7. Not much doing here this round, even newcomers being hurt by seasonal offish trend, "When Baby Smiles At Me" look^ standout with okay session at the Buflalo. Estimates for This Week Buffalo (Shea) (3,500; 40-70)— "When Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Black Eagle" (Col). Good $17,000. Last week, "Tatlock's Millions*! (Par) and"Leather Gloves" (Col), about same. Great Lakes (Shea) (3,400; 40-70) — "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d v\k). Down to solid $15,000 after last week's sock $25,000. Hipp (Shea) (2,100; 40-70)— "Tat- lock's Millions" (Par) and "Leather Gloves" (Col) (m.o.). Pine $8,000. Last week; "Julia Misbehaves" (M-G) (m.o.), $7,500. Teck (Shea) (1,400; 40-70) — "Canyon Passage" (U) and "Fron- tier Gal" (U) (reissues). Passable $3,500. Last week, "Cry of City" (20th) and "Bungalow 13" (20th) (m.o ). $4,000. Estimates, for This Week Aldine (WB) (1,303; $1.20-$2.40) —"Hamlet" (U) (2d Wk). Packed! houses on roadshow basis. Sensa- tional $28,000 after fine $28,500 opener. Arcadia (S&S) (700; 50-94) — "Johnny Belinda" (WB). Very good $7,000. Last week, "Loves of Carmen" (Col), $5,800. Boyd (WB) (2,360; 50-99)— "Dear Secretary" (UA). Mild $20,000. Last week, "June Bride" (WB) (3d' wk), trim $14,000. Earle (WB) (2,700; 50-99)— "Sta- tion West" (RKO) (2d wk). Fair $18,000. Last week, trim $24,500. Fox (20th) (2,250; 50-99)— "When Baby Smiles" (20th) (2d wk). Great $24,000. Last week, $40,000. Goldman (Goldman) (1,200; 50- 99)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d wk). Still plenty strong at $29,- 000. Last week, new record at $36,- 000. Karlton (Goldman) (1,000; 50-99) — "Rogues' Regiment" (U) ,(2d wk). (Continued on page 18) . ' 'House' Mpls. Standout, Lofty $14,000; 'October' lOG; 'Musketeers' 19G Roxy (Durwood) (900; 4.5-65)— ! Lafayette (Basil) (3,000; 40-70)— "Happened One Night" (Col) and "Saxon Charm" (U) and "I, Jane "Only Angels Have Wings" (Col) \ Doe" (Rep). Thin $9,000 or near, (reissues). Fine with $4,000. Last ! Last week; , "Return of October" week, "Northwest Stampede" lElj) I (Col) and "Old Los Angeles" (Hep), and "In This Corner" (EL), $5,500! $14,500, in 10 days. Tower - Uptown - Fairway (Fox Midwest) (2 100, 2 043, 700; 4,5-65) —"When Bciby Smiles" (20lh) (2d wk). Down to $12,000. Last week, smash $24,000. Century (20th Cent.) (3,000; 40- 70)— "Moonrise" (Rep) and "Gal- lant Legion" (Rep). Modest $10,000 or near. Last week, "Station West" (RKO) and "Jinx Money" (Mono), $16,500 in 8 days. Hub Holds WeU; 'Regiment' Marches To Hep $2i0i, 'Bride Rousing 31G Bo.slon. Dec. 7. ( Majelitic (Shubert) (1,500; $2 40) With Christmas shopping no\^ I — "Red Shoes" (EL) (3d wk). Still in high gear, the Hub's film' take I doing well at $9,000. Last week, is starting to slip but dip is not | big ■$11,000. : Memorial (RKO) (3,200; 40-80)— "Rogues Regiment'' (U) and. "In- dian Agent" (RKO): Fine $24;00fl, severe, this round. Top . iteiii.s i here are "June Bride." big the Met,- and .''Rogues' Regiment," , fine at the Memorial. Also .solid us "Boy With Green Hair ' at RKO Boston, in second round. Estimates for This Week Aslor (Ja\cox) 11.300, 40-80)— "Song Is Born" (RKO) and "In This Corner" (ED (4(h wk). Sag- ging to $5,000 after $7,500 lor last.-. • , ... ^ . • ■! ,; Beacon Hill. fWHJianIs) (800; $2,-;, 40)— "Hamlet" (U) duo) i3d wk) j : Minneapolis; Dec. 7. Three new pix currently, "Three Musketeers," "Road House" and "Return , of October," are, keeping j biz steady. Sudden near-blizzard with cold weather dented weekend I trade. "Musketeers" looks big I at Radio City, with "House" the lown'.s standout at the State, j Estimates for This Week , : , Century (Par) (1,600; 50-70)— ("When Baby Smiles" (20th) 'mc). I Not so big at $6,500, Last week, ' "Johnny Belinda" (WB) (2d wk), great $8,500. Gopher (Par) (1,000; 40-.50)— : "Du_de Goes West" (Mono) and "1; Jane Doe" (Rep). First-runs look mild $3 000. Last week, "Hold That Ghcst" (EL) and "Hired Wife" (EL), (reissues), fair $3,500. . I;>ric (Par) (1,000; 50-70) — I "Night Has 1,000 Eyes" (Par) I I m.o ). Still prospering at $5,000. I Last week, "Luck of Irish" (20th), . $5,000. I Fix ,(Corwin) (300; 50-70)— I "Luck of Irish" (20th) (m.o.). Third iloop stand. Fair $1,700. Last Week, "Kiss Blood Off Hands" (U) (2d wk), $1,800. Radio City (Par) (4;400; 50-70)-^^ "Three Mii.sketeers" (M-G). Big $19,UU0. La.^t week. "When Baby Smiles" (20th), $20,000. RKO-Orpheum (RKO) (2 800. 50- 70) — "Retuin of October" (Col). Personal iippoarance of Terry Moore, of pix cast, opening day San Francisco, Dec. 7. With; holdovers failing to show the same stamina as in initial weeks, biz is sagging currently. This stei{js from the fact that the : city is loaded with bills in second; sessions or: extended-run. Despite offish tone. "He Walked By Night" is landing a sock week at tlie Para- mount- "Fighter Squadron"' shapes ' only fairly good at (he Pox. Re- mainder of town is mainly holdover '■: and way off from big opening- rounds. Estimates for This Week GoldeH Gate (RKO) (2.844; 60-95) —"Song Is Born" (RKO) and "Guns of Hate" (RKO) (2d wk). Down to $13,500. Last week, sock $25,000. Fox (FWC) (4,651; 60-95) — "Fighter Squadron" (WB) and "Smart Girls Don't Talk' (WB). Fairly good $20,000 or over. Last week, '"Road House" (20th) and "The Creeper" (20th) (2d wk), 5 days, $11,500. Warileld (FWC) (2,656; 60-85)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d wk). Off at $19,000 but still okay. Last week, terrific $34,500. Paramount (Par) (2,646; 60-85) — "He Walked By Night" (EL) and "Million Dollar Weekend" (EL). Sock $24,000 'or near. Last week; "Sealed Vedrict" (Par) and "Lsn't It Romantic'V (Par), nice $16,500. St. Francis (Par) (1,400; 60-85)— "Johnny Belinda" (WB) (m.o.) (5th wk). Good $10,000 in 10 days. Last week, $9,000. Ocpheum (No, Coast) (2,44$; 55- 85)— "Man From Colorado" (Col) and "Leather Gloves" (Col) ■(2d wk). Down to $13,000. Last week, fine $1«,500. United Artists 'No. Coast) 1 1,207; .55-85)'— "Red River" (UA) (8th wk). Still solid at $7,000 after $9,000 last week. Staeedoor (Ackernian) (350;; $1.20-$2.40) — "Hamiet" (U) (4 th wk). Husky $11,000. Last week, $12,500. Esquire (Blumenfeld) (955; 55-85) — "Spiritualist'' (EL) and "Behind Locked Doors" (EL). Okay $4,000 in 5 days. Last week, "Northwest Stampede" (EL) and ''Shep Comes Home" (SG), $6,800. Clay (Roesnei-) (400; 6.5-85) — "One Night With You" (U) (re- issue). Thin $2,000. Last week, "Room Upstairs" (Indie)- (3d wk), okay $2,300. United Nations (FWO (1,149; 60-85)— "June Bride (WB) and "Homicide For Three" iRcp) (3d wk). Thin $3,000. La.st week, $4,000. State (Par) (2,133; 60-8.5)— "High Seas" (Indie) and "Hangmen Also Die" (Indie) (reissues). Hefty $9,- 000. Last week, "Ali Baba" (U) and "Phantom Of Opera" lU) (re- issues), $10,000. Trenet on La.st week, stage. So-so sub.sequcnt- Still hanging on at $2,000 altei , , about $3,000 lasi week. Now in Vharles leth week m Boston. !t.6.000. Boston (RKO) (3,200; : 40-80)-. I 'uns. "Boy With Giecn Hair" (RKO I Orpheum (Loew) (3,000; 40-80) and "Inni'i .S.incldnr 'TC; i2d — "Tliree Miisketoeis" (M-G) (2cl wk). Big !p20.000 alter smash $28,- wki. Fine $22,000 after big $28,- 000 openei-. , 000 in first. Esster (Indie) H.'SOO: 45-75) — \ Paramount (M-P) (1,700; 40-80) "Louisianna Storv" (Indie; and | — "Road House" (20th) and "Mir- "Mr. Orchid" (Indie) '3d wk). Okay l aculous Journey' $3,000 after .■?.').()00 lasI Irniiie. '000. Last week Fenway Al-f'i '1373, 40-80)— | (U) and "Angel Last week, "Wlien Baby Smile.i' (20th) and "Bungalow 13" (20th) (3d wk), $9,000 m 3 days. Metropolitan (M-P) (4,367; 40- 80)— "June Bride" (WB) and "Rose Yukon" (Indie). Best in (own at K%Iimons''''?r^V)''«nT ■'n.'^^'^'^^ I^«st week, "Station aster" flA ^20 )^^ I^^-''- West" .RKO). good $12,000. o , c ,o ? , ' RKO-»'»n l^KO) (1,600; .50-70)— Old South (Siritzky) (700; 40-80) '"Station West' (RKO) (mo) First- "Naked Fury" (Indie) with rate $7..')00. Last week, ' "Count Monte Ctisto'' Moiite. Cristb' $8,000. .: - State , (Pat); (2,300; 50-70)-r-"Roaa Haymes Boosts 'Mexico' To Hefty $30,000, Cincy; 'Moon' High at $14,000 Cincinnati, Dec. 7; : Outside of combo Albee, socka with "Mystery in Mexico" and- stageshow headed by Dick Haymes, only two big houses have new bills to fight Xmas shopping. Of the fresh entrants, "Blood On Moon'' is rosy at Palace. Holdovers are fairly strong, "Three Musketeers' and "Baby .Smiles At Me" being best. Estimates for This Week Albcc (RKO) (3,100; 60-94) — "Mystery m Mexico" (RKO) plus Dick Haymes, Salici Puppets, Gil Maison, others, on stage. Haymes is principal tuggcr lor soi k $30,000. Last week, "Lulu Belle" 'Col) with King Cole TriOj Penny Edwards, others, same. Capitol (RKO) (2.000, 50-75) — "Baby Smiles at Me" (20th) (2d wk). Solid $12,000 alter fancy $17,- 500 preem. Grand (RKO) (1,400; 50-75) — "Moonrise" (Rep). Thin $4,000. Last week, "Hills of Home" -M-G), $7,000. Keith's (City Inv.) (1„542; 60-85) "Road House" '201h) and "Mir- aculous Journey" (KC). Average $6,000. Last week, "Love ol Mary" (U) and "Angel in Exile' (Rep), $5,000, :(FG)v Okay :$l5,- ,■"L0Vc^ of Mary" in Exile" (Indie), $13,000. State (Loew) (3,500; 40-80)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d wk). .Solid $11,000 after $17,000 on first. ''''m't?"'V'?*'" "/'—"Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d (LL) (reissues), ^k). Fancy $15,000 oh heels of smash $20,500 opeher, one, #f year's standouts here..; Scale :ui);|(e,d;f iO? ahead of town's 'regulat pb'p pricies. I Lyric (RKO) (1;400; SO-VS) 1 "Fighter SquadroJi'- ... ( WB)' :m.o,). I So-so $4,500. Last week, ''K i sS: ! Blood Off Hands'* (U) (TOO.), $5;0,0a I Palace (RKO) (2,600; '50-751,^ "Blood on. Moon" (RKO): Rosy $14,000. L a:s t : Week. : '"Fighter Squadron" JWB), $13,.5O0. , Shubert (RKO) (2,100; 50-75) — "Tatlock's Millions'". (Par) (ni.o.) (2d Wk). Okay $5,000 after nice $7,000 opener. llou.se" (20lh). Sturdv $14,000 or near. Last week, "Night Has 1,000 Eyes"' (Par). $13,500. . Uptown (Par) (1.000: 44-60) — "Tatlock's Million-.-," (Par). First nabe .showing. Big $5,000. Last week, ■"Julia': .Misbc!"haves" (M-G). [ good $4,000. ' World (M.inni) '350; 50-85)— "'Johnny Belinda'" (WB) (mo) Still slronr at $3,000. La,sl week, "June Bride" (WB) (3d wk), $2,600. Wedneiflqy, December 8, 1948 PICTIJBB GBOSSBS Chi Stifl Big; Colonna Tilts 'Mair' Trim $50,000. 'Plunderers' PlusiiMG, 'Hamlet' Hot 20G, 3d; W Same 4th Chicago, Dec. 7. -f Some of the rith Thanksgiving week trade that awed theatre own- ers appears still around this ses- sion. ."Innocent Affair^ at Chicago, with aid of Jerry Colonna, p.a., should hit trim $50,000. "Plun- derers" and "Angel on Amazon" should teach: bright $14,000 at the Roosevelt. Sti'ongest holdover is the third week of "When Baby Smiles at Me" plus Burt Lancaster personal, whicli is still socko in third Ori- ental week at $48,000. "Hamlet" at Apollo is light at matinees, but with sell-out night trade should hop total take to grand $20,000, -second week. "Fighter Squardon" at Slate-Lake shapes fancy $22,000. „ "Snake Pit," in fourth Garrick week, appears near-capacity biz at $20,000. Estimates for This Week Apollo (B&K) (1,400; $1.20-$2.40) — "Ilamlel" (U) (2d wk). Matinee trade very light but night is heavy. Fine $20,000. Last week $23,000. Chicago (B&K) (3,900; 50-93)— "Innocent Affair" (UA) plus Jerry Colonna p.a. Shaping up to satis- factory $50,000. Last week, "Loves of Carmen" (Col) with Bert Wheel- er and Rose Marie (2d wk), $45,000, Garrick (B&K) (900; 50-98) — "Snake Pit" (20th) (4th wk). Boff $20,000. Last week, $22,000. Grand (RKO^ (1,500;, 50-98)— "Unknown Island" (FC) and "Body- guaVd" (RKO).. Pert $11,000. Last week, "She"! and '.'Last Days Pom- peii" (RKO) (re-issues) (4th wk), socko $12,000. Oriental (Essaness) (3,400; 50-98) —"When Baby Smiles" (20th) with Biii t Lanca-ster p.a. (3d wk). Sock $48,000. La.st week, $59,000. Palace (RKO) (2,500; 50-98) — "Kiss Blood Off Hands" (U) (2d wk). Very fine $20,000. Last week, $27,200. lUalto (indie) (1,700; 50-98)^ "Uunibu" (UA) (2d wk). Nice $11,- 500. Last week, $17,(300. Roo.sevcU (B&K) (1,500; 50-98)— "Plunderers" (Rep) and "Angel on Am:i7on" (Rep). Trim .'514,000. Last week, "Night Has 1,000 Eyes" (Par) (2d wk), big $13,000. State-Lake (B&K) (2,700; 50-98)— "Fighter Squadron" (WB) (2d wk). Heflv $22,000. Last week, wow ■,$34,00o:;. : Surf (Indic) (650; 85)— "This Is N. Y." (UA) (2d wk). Tall $6,500. L'ast Week, $8,500, United Artists (B&K) (1.700; 50- 98i— "Return of October" (Col) (2d vk). Strong $15,000. Last week, $15,000 Woods (E.ssaness) (1,073; 98) — "Song Is Born" (BKO) (7th wk). Sturdy $10,000. Last week $14,500. World (Indie) (587; 80)— "Lost One" (Col) (•4lh wk). Nifty $6,000. Last week, $7,000. Broadway Grosses Estimated Total Gross This Week . $575,000 (Based on 16 ihi?atres) Last Year $622,000 (Based on 24 theatres) 'Sam' Sturdy In LVaieat$13, H.O/S DAMPEN PROY.; Louisville, Dec. 7. Lively action at the wickets this week in most spots. Fine weather for theatre biz. Surprise is the National; where ^ matching of "Hol- lywood Barn Dance" and Renfro Valley Folks on stage is shaping for sock biz in 5 days. • ''Good Sam" at Rialto, also shapes fine. Healthy figures. .Estimates for This Week Brown (Fourth Avenue) (1,200; 45-65) — "When Baby Smiles" (20th) (m.o,). Brisk at $4,500. Last week "Tatlock's . Millions" (Par) and "Bungalow 13" (20th) m.o.), $5,000. Kentucky (Switow) (1,200; 30-40) — "Loves of Carmen" (Col) and "Rope" (WB). Fme $3,500. Last week, ''Feudin'r Eussin' " (U) and "River Lady" (U), $3,000. Mary Anderson (People's) (1,000; 45-65)— "June Bride" (WB) (2d wk). Trim $6,000 after first week's excellent $8,500. National (Standard) (2,400; . 65- 85) . — "Hollywood Barn Dance" (Rep), Renfro Valley Folks on stage. Sock $13,000 in 5 days. Last, week, "Stella Dallas" (FC) and "Raffles" (FC) (reissues), $2,000 on 4 days. Rialto (FAi : (3,000; 45-65)— "Good Sam" (RKOi, Fine $13,000 in sight. Last week. "When Baby Smiles" (20th) $14,000. State (Loew's) (3,000; 45-65)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d wk). Medium $10,000, Last week, bright $13,000. Strand (FA) (1,000; - 45-65)— "Belle Starr's Daughter" (20th) and "Escape" (20th) Trim $7,000. Last week, "Canon City" (EL) and '.'Lady Midnight" (EL), about same. Tears' Hottest Thing In Slow Seattle, $15,000 Seattle, Dec. 7. Too many holdovers here this week, and it is hurting biz gen- erally. "Sealed Verdict" shapes fine at Coliseum; Standout, how- ever, is "Best Years," which is smash at the Liberty. Estimates for This W«ek Blue Mouse (H-E) (800; 50-84)— "Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Escape" (20th) (m.o.). Good' $4,000, Last week, "Good Sam" (RKO) ?nd "Ari' zona Ranger" (RKO) (4th wk), nice $3,400 in 6 days. Coliseum (H-E) (1,877; 50-84)— "Sealed -Verdict" (Par) and "Ap- pointment Murder" (FC). Nice $9,000. Last, week; "Kiss, Blood" (U) and "Miraculous Journey" (FC) (2d wk), mild $6,600. Fifth Avenue (H-E) (2,349; 50-84) —"Station West" (RKO) and "Mil- lion Dollar Weekend" (EL). Dull $8,000 or less. Last week, "Baby Smiles" (20tM and "Escape" (20th) (2d wk), fairish $7,500. Liberty (Ind) (1,650; 50-84)— "Best Years" (RKO). Great $15,000. Last week, "Tatlock's Millions" ' (Par) and "Disaster" (Par) (2d wk), $8,200. Music Box (H-E) (850; 50-84)— ,."June Bride" (WB) and "Sofia" I (FC) (4th wk). Okay $3,000 after $4,400 last week. Music Hall (H-E) (2,200; 50-84)— "Musketeers" (M^G) and "Spirit- ualist" (EL) (2d wk). Big $11,000 after maiveious $.17,000 opener. . Orpheum (H-E) (2,600; 50-84)— "Fighting' Squadron"- (WB) and "Smart Girls Don't Talk" (WB) (2d wk). Fairish $7;000. Last week, great $14,700. Palomar (Sterling) (1,350; 50-84) —"Can't Take It With You" (CoU and "Pennies From Heaven'! (Par) ( (reissues); Good $5,000. Last week, I "Smoke River Serenade" (Col) and [ Texas Rangers on stage, Fair $6,100. I Paramount (H-E) (3,039; 50-84)— l"Red Eiver" (UA) (2d wk). Fine ,$11,000 after last week's huge ' $20,000. I Roosevelt (Sterling) (800; 50-84) — 'ywtfall" (UA) and "Saxon Charm" (U) (2d runs). Slow $3,000 or less. Last week, "Luxury Liner" (M-G) and "Isn't It Romantic" (Par) (2d runs), nice $3,300. EC's, Xmas Shopping Slough B'way; loday' Needs Tomorrow's Biz, My'-Roouey Skid to Soft $93,000, 2d Pitt H.O.'s Take Sharp Dip; 'Moon' Not So Full 'Ealy' IdG, 2d . ■ . Pittsburgh, . bee. 7. Golden 'triangle is experiehclhg a sharp, dip in the ' wake of : holi^ day, v^'ith hOldoV.pr pix falling: -back sharply, bhly brie new; entry is "Blood On Moon" at Stanley. While . doing all right, Robeyt ^n.^. ik,. A Mitchum starrer is on disappoint- TRASH DIVF SnOflfl ing side Three Musketeers, at l/RAOn WHIi ^1J,UUU J, ..Rogues' Regiment," at 'Regiment' Leads Wayin^.Loo,21G St. Louis, Dec. 7 All-day wind of great velocity I last Sunday (5) slowed up big cin- ema turnstiles to a walk. Over- supply of. holdovers, toOj is no help. Topping the field is"Rogues': Regiment," solid at the Fox."Love of Mary" shapes di.sappoint.ing at Ambassador. "Three Musketeers" is doing okay on second week at Loew's after smash first stanza- Estimates: for This Week . Ambassador (F&M) 75) — "Love of Mary' Providence, Dec. 7. ' Four main stem houses are hold- over and new films are not big. Metropolitan shapes fairly lively with '.'Crash Dive" and "Man Hunt." Top holdovers are: Majestic's "When Baby Smiles" and Albee's "Blood On The Moon." Estimates for This Week Alliee (RKO) (2,200; 44-65) — "Blood On Moon" (RKO) and: "Blonde Ice" (RKO) (2d wk) Hetty , $14,000 Fii-sl was swell $19,000. | Carlton (Fay) (1,400; $1.80-$2.40) 1 — ■•llamlet" tU) (3d wk). Very nice $15,000. Second week, hefty $22,- 000 Fay's (Fay) (1,400; 44-C5) — "Nighl .'\(. Opera" (M-G) (reissue) and Jack Lalluc heading stage show. Very nice $8,000. Last week, "Grand Canyon Trail" (Rep) and vaudo. good. $7,000. Ma.)cstic "'(Fay) (2,200; 44-65)— "When Baby Smiles" (20tli) and "Bungaloiv 13" (20th (2d wk). Solid $15,000, Last week, fancy $18,000. Mctroiiolitan (Snider) (3,100; 44- 65)— "Crash Dive (EL) and "Man Iliinl ' (El,). Snappy $13,000. La.st week. ' Lel'.s Live A Little" (EL) and "iXdvcnlurcs Gallant Bess" (!5L'', -lilCOOO. ■ " Stjtc' iLoe'w) (3,200; 44-65) — "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (2d wk). Okaj $16,000. First was neat $25,- 000 Strand 'Silverman) (2,200; 44-65) — "T.ill!Kk'.s Millions" (Par) and "C'atalind Interlude" (Par) (2d wk). Oke $10,000 after cornering solid $15,000 in first. Fulton, are way off liom big first weeks..,'.' , Estimates for This Week FUlton (Shea) (1,700;. 44-76)— "Rogues' Regiment" (U) (2d wk). Will be lucky to wind up with .$6,000, a bit heavy drop from last week's big $12,500. Harris (Harris) (2,200; 44-76)-^ "When Baby Smiles" (20th) (2d W;k).,, Doing a ;bit:bettpr tlian. gen'^ eral run of holdovers, with about $10,000. Last week, fancy $16,500. Penn (Loew's-U.A) (3,300; 44-76) —"Three Mu-s.kpteei-s" (M-G) (2d I wk). Apparently this one shot its f bolt over (ho holiday; Way off at ' $12,000 or less after great $25,000 ' last week, I Ritz (Loew's) (800; 90-$2,40)— ' "Hamlet" (U) (5th wk). Looks like .about $6 000, off Irom recent pace. Last week, nice $6.50.0. ! Senator (Harris) il,7,'50, 44-76) I" Invaders" (U) and ''Commandos I Strike At DaCyd Charlsse. Betty Garrett, 3anet l>igh. Mel Torme, Vera-EUen, Rich- ard Quine. Directed by Normiin Tnurog- Screenplay^ based on lives and music oi Richard RodKcis and Lurcnz IIart> by Fred I' mkelhollc; story by Guy . Bolton I and Jean llollownv, adapted by Ben Feiner, camera (.Teclvnicolor)* Charles Rosher and Harry btradling;:' editors, Al- liert Akst and Ferns Webster; musical teamed with Oscar Hammerstein II in their still-exfstent and fabu- lously successful words-and-music and legit production partnership which teed oft with "Oklahoma'." and has rolled up grosses, as re- cently recounted in- tVARiETY, of moie than $40,000,000. Betty Gairett, in her second film, makes little out of the role of the gal Hart can't wm, Ann Sothern doesn t score much bettor as the duecloi Lcnnic Hajton, dances, Robeit ditto in Rodgerb' early life, while Alton liadeshown New York Pec Running time, 110 :MINS*. 1,: Herself Eddie Loiiison Anders , IleiseIC ileisdf ininst If Lorenz , ■Larrv * Hart. . . . ■ Joyce .Harmon : . Richard '■Dick ' Hodgers; Utiielf Peggy Loi-gan McNeil . : : Dorotliy I'emer ...■;■< lloibeit I itlds , . Himself HcisclC Mrs H.U I . . J, . Ben Fcmei Jr fhoe Clcik lerself ■ ■ . ....... ■pr. li0i\iX0Y&. i Mrs. Hodgers . ...... Mr.^^ leiner. .. . . .■ Mrs. Feinor... ... . i.-™ James Fei'nby ■ Kelly June ' AlLysoii . ^ Perry Gbmo i . Judy GarJiand .i .'.Lena Home- ... . Gene Kelly Mickey Roohey . . Ann Sotheirn . : . Tom Drake Cyd Chaiissc Betty Gairett . ... .Jahet-'Leigh Marshall Thompson Jartet Lei|!h tiii'tis. in a ■ pleasitlg- as the eventual Mrs. R. '■';"',.■:■■■" • Arthur Freed has gilded "Words aiid ;Music" xyitli the ; ciistpmary production ■elegance of Metro musi- cals and dlrectoi' Nbrhi&n Taiirog has sueCeeded, for th^ most part in keeping the .pace swifter thart nO^^^ mal in these biotuncpix. Robert Alton, in cbiieeivirig arid sfaiinig Siei Torme I the mu-sical numbers, rates a tally Jeanettc NoiIS foi'lceeping them simple and realis- k. - Richard Quine 1 tically ^Within the b6Unds.,.(tt'elI ai- ciinton sundberK i most) Of the legit theatre : stSges Hafry Aniiim On wbich tliey die/^iijipbsed to tak^: . . Ilka Ciunim; place. ■' : ■. ■■ .' ■• ' ^H^ien 'spimg I Special mentioh is due the Ttchi Edward Eai-Je i nicolor processing, whicli appears i ;to have reached a final maturity in Metro has made of the lives ot the icahsm and lack ot gaudiness Richard Rodgers and (the late) Loren? Halt a slim but pleasant framewoik on vhich to hang some 22 of: their most ; meJodious and ■best-known tunes. . To /present them, it has corralled a lineup of performers that rate top-bracket for both marquee and entertain- ment values^' An exhib could: haidly ask ior anything more. It's a stong boxoftice entry. , ■:.RKO . relea.se: ;of Samuel : Goldwyrt .pro- diiction.. . Stars David , ' -Niven, .Teresa Wright,.' EveljTi.- Keyes. Farley " Granger;' .features. Ja.v.'ne Meadowis,'.Leo G. /Garroll, Philip" Friend, .Shepperd ^trudwick^ Henry: Stephenson, ;Gigi 'Perreau; . Directed : by, Irviiig , Reis, ' Screenplay, John Patrick, from, novel vby . Kumer .Godden; music,: The .saga ot Rodgers and Hart I JIuso Fnediioier; musical direction, Emll ticplf ic Viwitlior xtorv itifArseKno Newman; song, Don Raye and Gene De useit IS neitnei very interesting , pj,u, ^^mei^. ciegg roiand, editor, nor exceptional, unless it be m Oanlel JVlandell. ; Tradesltown N. Y., Dec. a, 48. Running time, lUi .MlNS. ot tlie tinting. Herb. KiM'linniiiM^nt (ONE SONG) their , early and continued success at turning out words, and music for one top Broadway 'and Hollywood musical hit after another. Fred s^inkelholfe, therefore, in preparing his screenplay, acted wisely in re- ducing the biographical aspects to almo.st a minimum, using them only as a rack around which to weave production "numbers, terp I go"" '»s a ciiiid) routines and lyric assignments ' Gen. Sir Roland Dane :'Xjark:.Jngoldsby.. . . . .' . Qi'izet Dane. . . . . . .;. . Pilot Pax Masterson.': Sehna: Dane: . .'i . ... Proutie., . . . .:•: . .■.■.: . . Pelliam Dane;. : . . . . .'. , Marcliese Del Laudi Cicn. Fitz.gerald. . riie Exe Lark (as a child) Only thing that could have been better trom this standpoint would be even, more drastic scissoring of the phoney romances of the boys and a straining out of the saccha- rine effort for a dramatic finale. But that's minor to the overall lift the : film gives. The tunes of this American Gilbert & Sullivan — as R&H have been dubbed^have an urtpressible fioth and pleasant- ness. ' And, in this era ot^ popular music nostalgia, even more, listen- able than when , they were written are such toppers as .-"Where or Pelham cas « chiiil):. MVS'. Sampson. .. . . Uncle Bunny:...'..;. WiUoughby. .;, i . . . . . Jewtlei L.^nce Coipoial RAF Officer. , Air Raid AVarden. . . Corporal-.. . . . .' Narrator... ■. . . . David Niven Teresa. Writjht '. :. . . . . .Evelyn Keyes .'; .■.■.'.Farley Granger '. ....Jayne Meadows . . . . . . .Leo G. CaiTOU ..'..■. . . .Philip l>riend^ .Shepperd Strudwick .'.■ Henry. Stephenson Colm: Keith-Johnston . .'. . . ; :Gigi Perrcau ......... Peter Miles Sherlee Collier .Warwick Gregson . ... .Mar.)orie Rhodes . . . Edmond Breon Gerald Oliver Smith . . . . .Melville Cooper ... Dennis McCarthy . . .Gavlord Pendleton Matthaiw Boulton ODUl Miniature Reviews "Words and Music" (M-G) (Musical-Coloi ) Biog of Rodg- ers & Hart with lostcr of top names a. b.o. soekeroo. "Enchantment" (Gold w yn RKO) Romantic drama, star- ring David Niven and Teresa Wiight Fern me draw. "Letter to Tliicc Wives" (20th) Another comedy din- ner tiom 20th, suiefire "Chicken Every Sunday" (20th) Heal t\s arming and amubing tannb portiayal Nice letums in the ofling "Just William's Luck"" (UA). Meagie boxoHtce values in this British impoit, may do for kids in some spots. "Whispering Smith'* cColor) . (Pai ) Big-biceped w estei n, toplining Alan Lddd and head- ed foi gieal b o : "One. : Sunday Afternoon'^ (Coloi-Songs) (WB). Remake ot "Stiawbeiry Blonde" model ale bo prospect "So Dear to My Heart" (Music-Coloi ) iRKO) One of Disnev's best, potent faio "My. Own True Love" (Par). Weak; war-theme meller, re- quiung helty selling cam- paign "Family Honeymoon" lU). Good, lamily Comedy with Claudette : Colbert, and, ::'Fred MacMurray. "Scott of the Antarctic" (GFDi John Mills stalk Aictic semi - documentaryj somewhat limited in appeal "An Old-Fashioned Girl" (Music) (liL) Gloria Jean clicks yn standard Louisa May Alcott story; OK dualer. "Here Come the Huggetts" (GFD> Weak British lamily diama. Rol .Wiiliara Hughes Johnstone ."Erichantment'' is : a slow, senti-i niental IbvC stbry tailored for the, feirime, trade. Latter will- find 'it a; satisfactory eoihpendium ■ pt rbinahce, heai'tache arid nostalgia; to (ira'w theiti to the boxoffice. Film looks like a modest budgeter, and when"" 'Lddy""ls" a ' xl^mp? i J^fvid Niven "Mountain Gieeneiy," "Theie's a | and feiesa Wught, can't miss. Small Hotel," "With a Song in My i Slow pace and lack of action Heait" and "Mv Heart Stood Still " I mav limit w oi d-of-mouth plug, but These and other excerpts stem Ion the other hand tliere are com- tioni such R&H hits as ' Gairick ' pensating selling points to push Gaieties,' 'The Girl Friend "Piesent Aims,' "On Your Toes," "Babes in Amis," "I'd Rather Be Right" "T Mduied an Angel" "Bo\s fiom Sjidcuse," "Pal Joey" and. "Jumbo.'' Fihii IS lampacked \\itli musical numbers and Metro has gone right down Its contiract list, as well as reached outside, to find playeis lo properly .sing and dance them, Perry Gomo, Ann Sothern and Betty Gaiiell play ohaiacter lolcs in the plot as a means ot working In their numbers, but tor the most pait the \\aibleis and tcipers are just themselves Moie or less skiU- tullv rung m are June Allyson to do George ..Phipps: -.. Porter Holiingsway . Babe. ; . . ,,, . .:. . . Brad' Bishop'.-,, . 'i . . . :Mi's. Finne.v -: . . . ... .. Mrs. . 'Manleigh '•■ .,. , .. Mr. Manieigh. . .'. .. :K.iihlecn'.: .-...' .,'■; '; ; . ,'. ; Mi^s '.Hawkina.. . ; .- .■'. .Sadie . : . . ., ...:, . .' Story i.s a tale oLtwo generations I Nici?"':" "' ' -.1-.. * 1 Character. ........... . Butler:. These would include the excellent taste of the whole production; superb photogiaphy of the late Giegg Tolnnd ithis> %\as his last camera i ob ) , a nd fi r.st-rate per- formances bv a unilonrily fine cast. as . a - jeweler,' make their roles stand out, ■ Picture throughout has the grace and appeal ot a cameo, as it oen- ters: on the nostalgic past of the Dane house, with its memories of dances, party dresses and dashing Army costumes. Bton, LoKor lo Throe Wives Twehtieth-Iox release of Sol C. Siegel production.. Stars Jeanne - Cram, Linda Darnell, ■ Ann Sotlierit; features Kirk Douglas; Paul Douglas, Barbara Lawrence, Jeftrey Lyfln. Directed, by Joseph L. Man- kiewlcz. ' Screeniilay, Manklewic?., adapted by Vera Caspar.y from, novel by John Klempner; camera, lArthvir Miller; editor. J. Watson Webb, Jr.; music. Altred New- man. Tradcsliown ^f. v., Nov. 23, '48. Running (ilne. 11)3 AllXM. . Deborah. Bishop .... .: . . Lora May Hollingswity •Rita Phipps ot lovers, and plot structure has It shitting constantly back and iorth from one couple to the other. Evidence ot the superiority of the pi'oduclion lies in the tact that this constant shilting isn't at all contusing. 1 he dovetailing is done neatly, smoothly, without jar. Thumasino. Waitei Messenger .■ , Jeanne Craih l.iiuia Darnell ■ Ann Sothern . . . . . :. .Kirk Douglas . . .Paul Douglas ..Barbara Lawrence leilicv Lynn .....Connie Gilchrist . . . . . :1? loi'cnce Bates Hobart (;;ivanaugh P.iiti Bndy Huth Vivian . . ...Thcluia Hitter ...... . Stuart Holmes Gcorffc Oflcrman. Jr. '. llaipli Brooks . ..'. . tiames Adainson. . . . . .' ..-:- .Ice Bautista ... ... . . :,Iohn Davidson ......'.'. Carl Switzer T\vehtieth-Fbx, ■ whl(;h has estab- lished a pbtent antidote for the current boxoffice dip with its high- Yarn is pnmanly the story of i grossing C'bmedies the last couple two lovers separated by indecision, [ of ' years, has" done if ■agaih with wdi and l.imilv dissension It's , "LeUei to Thice Wives" Film Thou S\scU' liom 'Connecti- , lold in flashback thiough the eyes ' combines the slapstuk antics of unanimous approval from tlie males. His role m "Wives" is that of a big, blustering but slightly dumb tycoon and he really gives it a ride with some neat character shading. He's equally good in the more serious romantic moments with Linda Dainell. This single: role should establish stionglv his Hollywood rep but Douglas should be careful not to get typed, since this role is aheady somewhat sim- , ilar to his pait in the "Boin" legiter. Rest of the cast, under Man- i kiewicz's ultra-comedic directorial , talents, is equally good. Jeanne Crain, Miss Oainell and Ann, Sothern, as the tliiee fiaus, each turns' in a job as good as anything ; they've done in pi\ to date, with Miss Dainell in pailicular showing hitheito unie\edleeaining loi the gul (Teresa \\ light) lie let slip out of his geis, the melodist of the pan Roonev .pla\'s Hart, giving the role «t least soi'nc paitial physical veu- sirailitude in that his tiny stature Although performances by Miss Wright and Nivcn dominate the him, poltIa^dls by Miss Ke>es and Giangei also st.ind out for their was a ncai-liatredy in the lyiitist's * excellence Another notewoithy life Biog as a mattei •! tact sticks I peiloimance is that of Gigi Per .:.:.■. : . ,Dan Doiley ': . . : Celeste Holm ] Colleen I owoscnd' : .,.,,: Alan Young 1 ,v. ..: Nalalte . AVobd 1 . : William l^ra-wley ' . ( onnie . GUChrist ■ .William. CTallahan i ...,.....'. .:Vi'da.,Ann IJorg ; Portei II.1II I ......... Wliitner .Bls.scll ' .. . . . . < . : Kathei'ine -Emery 1. : . , Koy Roberts , H.il K bjMson PiKV Htlton .;.,■. ,..;.;..,;..,. Mary Irjcld. '. . ; . . . . . . . . . A nthonv -Sydcs ! H T 1 Slang ;.....' : ; .Lorea .Raker 1 ( . ; . . ... .Junius Maltliews I Ditk Rvan I : ...:. ; . . . ...Rutfi Hicliabv .} .'V ; . . . . ; . . .Edward Keane , : ; i . t ; . . Jack Kirlfwood .; ..;Fi'ancis Pierlot , .. Wilson W ood ; . ^ddie :.LauKhton i ank Meredith, .Jack Daley : Kostalgia racks up one more en- tertainment package In "Chicken Every Sunday .' ' ■ Latest in the tin- type relays on fahiily life in the crinoline era which is currently af- fording escape from these brash postwar years. "Chicken" is an en^ dearing and entirely amusing study but on£e th,it opening-day audi- of goings-on in Tucson Aiu,ciica ence is snaied the w 01 d-of-mouth 1 , nnn n<„ .„ i 1 , „ j ■ should be teiufic addptdlion— and also an Improvement— -on .the play While the piiUuc is sl.mdout in evorv aspect, there are two fn .Ml.!-, „.„,,,,,,,,„ ihil Onr h>>, inn -,u,iv 1 i*"*^?? ^'""^''"^ Pci 1 l)ei g and dii Ce- de spitc the lo^«.s ot thiee men f,^ '1, Z f.i t u ,1 m \non fithri in his lolc ol dash- ^^'^'^ ""S V' -Pm"''''' 'mt with- ' for canny use «l sitii.ilion^ and lit- ing voiing \imv onKoi or m ""^ V'^"'!*^ '"^ ^;'<"'i tie touches atilhcnlic ni.ikcup as a ciolchely excellently confined flashback ten an inli uiMt ,ilK slight stoiy tpfhnioucs the audiencp is then -n^tt- „ - 1 . » given a chance to figuic out which I t,^M*i';,f '^^^^^^^^ of . situation: one It IS betoie a smpiise de- M nouemont explains all i thn^t ^« ^.i h .^^ : , , J - -p:' that a stib-rosa ..aitmur- is -surrep-^ Other .standout asijc.ct is the fine 1 titiously being-staged- Ih her hoilse^ film delnit . ot^ Jegil actor Paul.: betvveen tw'o te noi:!f.;!a.s.;: late ■: of : the . Broadway quent ma-pa ■debatcsi over w-lietlier J'" t ilick, ' Born Yc.'.terd.-.y." Guy • strangb , nbis(^K iii'e: the creaking' I ' i!iL' rugged; tj'iic tlial vviH appeal: fpbtsteps bt !\lFr. Robinsoiv .iWljil- pan and the camcia faithfully catches that Rooney plays Rooney, howevei rather than Halt, almost turning the role into a burlesque. Diake imbues Rodgei s with the 1 is wanning as the older Dane dignity and modesty ot a Rodgers ' biothti .md Sheppeid Stiudwiek — if not with the spaik Film is < ppealing as the Itiiian niiii- doesn'l go into the bieak between (Ik I.ik fin,iliv 1,^ ' (s h the pair, two years befoie Ilail's (< I'dnoM as tlic iMi 1 ,ti\.i.. death. It was at this time Rodgcii and Melville Coopci, ui a bit patt to the lemincs and also attract, ner Bissell) tlnnbing the batkstaiis on his way to Mrs. Lawson'a (Katherine Emery) room are nug< gets of entertainment gold. An^ other standout bit is mother's in« sistence that a room be added to the house (to add another board- er) every time the titular bread* winner embarks on one more of his complex financial schemes Pic takes the form of a flash- back with the opening sequence showing Mrs. Hefferen (Celehte Holm) indignantly seeking a di- vorce for non-support. Kiom theie, story hops back 20 yeais to take in their wedding and trace the fami- ly's rocky path through births, ventures and its accompanying mob of boarders. There is no doubc that ma, intent on secuuty still dotes on pa and that tUe latter (Dan Dailey) Is a lovable and open- handed- gent who IS admired by his neighbors but destined lor con- tinual emersion in the hot-water kettle. A new mortgage on the old homestead, arranged by the head of the family after the old one had been painfully liquidated is the reason for mother's : sudden de- cision to cut the nuptial ties Sen- timental but not obtrusive iinea on novel by Frank H. Spear- gian; camera (Technicolor), Ray Rcnna- _an; special effects, Gordon Jennings, Farciot Edouart; editor, Archie Marshck; muiic, Adolph Deutsch. Tradesshown Dec. a, '40. Running time, (« MTNS,. Whispering Smith. ..... . ... . ;AUin.Ladd Murray Sinclair., Robert Preston Barney Rebstock .Donald Crisp Marian Sinclair Brenda Marshall Bill Dansing William Dentarest Emmy Dansmg . . » .1 ,: , . . . . .... Fay Holden Blake Barton Murvyn Vye Whitey Du Sang. Frank Fayleq George lUcCloud./. .John £Idrcdge Alan Ladd inherits William S. Hart's splits in "Whispering Smith" f or » wild and, woolly stint typical of hoss oprys af the good old days. Back on the sicreen for- its third go-round, the old Frank H, Spear- man yai-n is again a cinch for top grosses by dint of a fine cast and expensive-looking color packaging. Batl guys shoot Ladd's steed out from under him In the hangup tee- oif. Film maintains its git-up-and- go pace as Ladd waylays the gang, bumping off two of them. When Robert Preston, his best friend, offers him a job as a foreman on Preston's ranch, Ladd nixes it be- cause he doesn't care for Donald Crisp and several other of Pres- ton's pals. Being a railroad detec- tiye, Ladd is also-suspicious about Preston being able to afford a ranch on Ms freight-car overseer's salary. Bounced by the road for over- Stepping his bounds on a wreck- ing crew job, Preston openly goes into business with Crisp's gang and is on hand during a holdup in which Frank Paylen, Crisp's trig- german, murders a postoffiee em- plo.ve. Ladd, who had , tried to save Preston's Job with the road, goes gunning for his old pal, and dining the melee Faylen kills Crisp because the latter double- ci-ossed him. In one of those tense shoot-'em-up finales, Ladd gets Pveslon. Indications at- the wind- up also point to Ladd's getting Brenda Marshall, Preston's wife. He loved the gal before Preston met lier, it develops, v Tiouping is excellent through- out, with the excepttion of Fay- 'len's. overdrawn stooge, and the liglil Frank Butler-Karl Kamb script makes the old pulp stuff seem possessed of much more im- portance than it- ever actually had. William Demarest and Fay Holden a.s a frontier couple who befriend ..Ladd give nice balance to the fran- . tic thesping stints required of Ladd, Miss Marshall, Preston, Crisp and Murvyn Vye. Leslie Fenton's guidance of the Strong Mel Epstein production kept proceedings galloping along at a consistently fast pace, devel- oping situations without any dilly- daJtying. Indoor lensing gave the ca.st a slightly overbaked hue but Ra.v Rennahan's outdoor photog-' raphy is all that could be asked ol a galloper. There are some ex- cejHionally good special effects work by Gordon Jennings and Far* ciot Edouart. Music by Adolph Deutsch and editing by Archiie Warshek' generally sustain high merit ol the offering. Mike. and position, his lot in life is really happier. Raoul Walsh, who directed "Blonde," is again at the reins on this version. His pace is slow and interest lags. There are some vali- ant attempts at cortiedy- by Ben Blue and amazon Dorothy Ford that rate an . occasional laugh. Songs are injected ably but, with few exceptions, fail to capture the lilt of the period. New tunes, by Ralph Blane, are the title number, "I'll Forget You," "Girls Were Made to Take Care of Boys," "Amy, You're a Little Bit Old Fashioned" and "Sweet Corner Girl." Miss Malone gives a spark to her role of Amy, who marries Den- nis Morgan on the rebound after he's spurned by Janis Paige. Lat- ter is the strawberry blonde of the piece who winds up a nagger mar- ried to city slicker: Don DeFore. Smaller roles are essayed by Oscar O'Shea, Alan ilale, Jr., and George Neisp Jerry Wald's production trap- pings give the film excellent mountingj but overall supervision is not Up to his usual par and box- office returns will be 6nly iriod- erate at best, f'ostumes and expert- ly valued setti'igs have been given beautiful color lensing by Sid Hickox and Wilfred a. Cline. \ ardson, for editing; John Evving, art direction, and to the u.sual lengtliy lineup of Disney artists and animators, Mi(>e. So Doar to My Heart (COLOR-SONGS) Hollywood, Dec. 3. , . RKO release of Walt Disney production: asosciate, producer. ^Ferce Pearce. Fea- tures Burl Ives, Beulah Bondl, Bobby Dris- coll, Luana Patten, Harry Carey. Direc- tors, Hamilton Luike, Harold Schuster: Screenplay.. John Tucker Battle; - adapta- tion, Maurice Rapt;. Ted Sears: from story by Sterling Northi camera n. Winton C. Hoch; editing: Thomas Scott, Lloyd L. Richardson; score,. Paul Smith; songs, Larry Morey. Don Aaye, .Oene. De Paul, Irvjng Taylor, Bob Wells, Eliot Daniel. Ticker - Freetnan, Mel Torme. Tradeshown Dec- -.Si .'Vt: Running time, «« mm. Jeremiah ■ Kmcaid, . . , . . .Bobby Drisicoll Granny Kincaid Beulah Bondi .Uncle lliram-. , .... : ... . . . ...Burl Ives Tildy. , ...... . . ; . . . . . : . ... . . .Luana Patten Judge. . . , ... Harry Carey Storekeeper . . . . ; .Ra^ond Bond Storekeeper's son. : ... . . . .. .Dihiel Haight Trainer Matt Willis village cronie. . . . . . ..Walter Sodcrling Voices for ycarloon cliaracters; John Boai, Ken Carson, Bob Stanton; The Rhythm- aires;. ■ One Siunday Afiernoon (SONGS-COLOR) Hollywood, Dec; 4. W.irncr Bros, release of Jcirv Wald production. Stars Dennis Morgan. Janis Paige, Don DcForc, Dorothy Malone; fca- : lui«s Ben Blue. Oscar O'Shea. Alan Hale. .Ir.. George Neiso. Directed by Raoul Wiilsii. Screenplay, Robert . L. nichards; .iroiu play by James Hngan: camci-.-l (Tech- iiicolui'i, Sid lUckox. WiHrert M; Cline: ortiloi-. Christian Nyby: son^s, Ralph lii.iiie, Tradeshown Dec. 3, '48. Running time,' »(t .MJNS.-. ■. . ■ . ' ■ ■ Biff Gi'imes . . ... ... . .Dennis Morgan Viv;jinia; .......... .Janis Paige IlUKo Hiivnstead. . . . . ....... - Don :DeFoi-e Amy Lind; . . ...i ....... ^Dorothy Malone Mu'k Ben Blue Toity .„ ......... ..-..^ .Oscar O'Shea Hf.irty. . . . .... ... .... . i . . .Alan Hale, Jr. t'iiamicey. . . ; ". George Neise '. ■■■ ' ' '. ' ■ ■ : I Warners has revived Its success- ' ful "Strawbprry Blonde" for pro- duction as a musical -under the original stage title, "One Sunday Afternoon." Despite Technicolor, period costumes and addition of music, it has not the zip and en- tertainment value of the first screen version. Cast headliners this time are Dennis Morgan, Janis Paige, Don DcFore and Dorothy Malone, all good, but with the exception of Miss Malone, they fail to give the film (hat needed extra value that came from "Blonde's" perform- ances i)y James Cagney, Rita Hay- worth, Jack Carson and Olivia de- Havilland in the same roles. Script is taken from the James Hagan play that deals with young love and shenanigans in New York at the turn of the century. Flashr back device Is used to tell the sloi'y of Biff Grimes, who lost his girl and good name to a sharp- shooting friend and then finds out that, despite the friend's wealtli "So Dear to My Heart" stands right at the head of the class in Walt Disney's long line of paeans to childhood. Although only 20% cat'toon; it's a firstrate job of sen- timental storytelling by Holly-- wood's master animator. Sterling North's "live" story, inevitably inviting comparison : to- Metro's "The Yearling" of a few seasons back, is so heartwarming that the cartoons, excellent ^as they are, never overshadow. It's a must tor kids and adults alike. ..Animation and spriglitly tunes, latter sung mostly by Burl Ives in an important role, are cleverly VVOven into the turn-of-the-century yarn about a moppet who settles for a ■ black ram lamb, when his dreams ol owning a horse like Dan Patch aren!t realized. His ma- terialistic hopes for a County Fair blue ribbon for Danny the Ram are dashed when Danny runs away. Lad promises the Almighty that if Danny is returned he'll for- get about prizes and concentrate on loving the animal. Child's granny provides a switch, when the ram is found, by . revealing that she promised the Lord they'd go. to Uie Fair. She has- "known Him longer," it's explained, so off they go to cop a special award. Beulah Bondi etches a memor- able Granny. Bobby Driscoll's "Jeremiah" is one for the books — ^;Completely un -' selfconscious, warm, humane Ives adds immeas- urably, as village blacksmith, to the Brown County, Ind,, doings. Luana Patten . also accounts for some lieartlugs as Driscoll's play- mate, and .the; late- Harry Carey, in his last screen stint, is the understanding stock judge. There are plenty of laughs, sus- pense and good, oldfashioned meloT- drama in the John Tucker Battle screenplay;, Scrapbook narration technique, " with a Wise Old Owl on hand to sermonize on "doing whatclia can with whatcha got." is nicely integrated by directors Hamilton Luske (cartoonsJ and Harold Schuster (screenplay). Title song is most hummable of the new. tunes, others being "Ol' Dan Patch," "It s .Whatcha Do with Whatclia Got." "Lavender Blue, ' "Stick-to-It-Ivity," "County Fair." and two public domainers, "Billy Boy" and "Sourwood Mountain.'! . Columbus, Robert Bruce and a caricature of the ram also- show up in Driscoll's four animated day- dreams, stepping out of the child's scrapbook of postcards and clip- pings like McGuffey's Reader char- acters come to life. Paul Smith's score is a constant delight, and; the color work is notliing short of dazzling. , High credits belong to Thomas Scott and Lloyd L. Bich- My Own Tnio Love Hollywood, Dec. 4. Paramount lelease of Val Lewton pro- duction. Star,s Phyllis Calvert, Mcl vvn Douglas; features Wanda Hcndrix, Philii) Friend, Bmnlc Barnes,. Diiectcd hv Coinp- tort Bennett. - Screenplay, Theodore Strauss, Josef Mischel; "camera, Chailc-s B. Lang, Jr.: editor, LeRoy Stone: music. JRoberl Emmett Dolan. Tradeshown Nov. 29, '48. Running time, »3 UIN'i. Joan Clews Phyllis Cjlyert Cllve Heath Melvyn DousKis Sheila Heath Wanda Jlemiiix Michael Heath Philip Friend Geraldine Biimie B,iines Kittredge Al.in Napici Ivcrson , .Arthur Shields Mrs. Peach PltyUis Morris A Corporal. . ; . . . , .Richard W«bb umo, unforced comedy situations when first one and then another lunnmg the gamut fiom the kids I succumbs to the Arctic terror, being lett behind, or otherwise From a spectacular point of view missing; the desire of the new ' the production merits full credit stcplather to make himselt accept- 1 Except pcrliaps in a few opening able to the three lieadstrong chjl- shots, the technicolor is magnfi- Trite theme about the father and son who vie for . the same woman is reprised in "My Own True Love," with rehabilitation of mentally and: physically . marred World War II vets tacked onto the triangle for timeliness. Ponder- ously handled, and not too strong marquee-wise, it'll have a rough road at the b.o. Strong film fare was indicated in the weepy Yolanda Foldes novel but it just doesn't get across. Melvyn Douglas plays a middle- aged Briton whose missing son, re- portedly : dead in a Jap prison camp, shows up just as a romance between Douglas and Phyllis Cal- vert, a. mustered-out member of England's ATS corps, is warming up. Philip Friend, in role of the son, also falls for the girl. Friend appears completely un- interested in living, having lost a leg: His father can't understand his pessism, but Miss Calvert, who was also a prisoner of war, is all compassion. She learns that Friend lost his Malayan wife and child to his captors, in adition to losing his leg. She announces that the wed- ding is cancelled, having decided to sacrifice her own happiness rath- er than witness her fiance's loss of his son,. Then Friend attempts sui- cide, !,he convinces him that's a quitter's way out, and he goes off to Cambridge to continue his studies. Douglas and Miss Calvert are reunited: ; Shorter running time would have helped things tremendously. As it stands, film is fully 20 minutes too long. Thesping, nonetheless, is thoroughly persuasive, from princi-- pals to a drunken corporal bit elegantly p 1 aye d by Richard Webb. Douglas and Miss , Calvert are completely convincing, and Friend is excellent. Wanda Hen- drix,: as Douglas' daughter, strug- gles valiantly in her miscast niche. "There's also staunch, support from Binnie Barnes as Miss Calvert's exTcellmate, Phyllis Morris as a cliarwoman, . and Arthur Shields and Alan Napier as Douglas' cronies. Val Lewton production is hand- somely mounted, and lensing by Charles B. Lang, Jr., pars the fog- bound, gloomy Theodore; Strauss- Josef- Mi.scTiel script. Compton Bennett's direction wasn't helped too much by an unimaginative editing job. Mike. dren: the other natural problems ' ot adjustment; the travail of day- coach travel from this wlvi'stle-stop,: wliere the errant children get lost; the backwoods folks' strange be-, luiviorism (including a funny scene I Willi the farmer set to trap the chicken-stealers,, and another about ^.kinning a skunk.) In between, Mac- Murray is sarcastically referred to as "that man" by the children; Rita Johnson, a predatory babe, snafus the honeymoon at the Grand Can- yon; but it all comes out fine with a welcome-home party which looks headed for a real honeymoon. The scripting is a compact job and director Claude Binyon, re- united with a couple of his former Paramount stars, Miss Colbert and MacMuiTay, for whom he has scripted in former years, handles the sum total with fine restraint, Underplaying the broader moments makes fqr a more solid comedy pattern all the way. The touches are natural and human; there's nothing intrusively spicy as the frustrations, attendant to the stars consummating their honeymoon, pile up. The support likewise is in good key, even including the vamp who doesn't get too much out of bounds, although the personable Miss Johnson is a fetching eyeful for any honeymooning or non-honey- mooning male. Paul Harvey, as her father, serves as a good brake in these sequences, Lillian Bronson is excellent as the understanding aunt (w.hose broken leg in a pre- ^vedding ceremony almost cancels the honeymoon trip). Gigi Perreau, Jimmy Hunt and Peter Miles are competent as the obstreperous children. Abel. cent, and pictures the Antartic wastes with all their .terrifving beauty. Not only Johni Mills as Scott, but all other members of the expe- dition soft-pedal their respective parts. Harold Warrender, as Dr, Wilson, the scientist; Derek Bond, as Captam Gates, and Reginald Beckwilh, as Lieut. Bowers, play their respective parts on a low but even key. They don't attempt to make glory out of their portrayals of real liie heroes' but choose to behave in the way the actual char- acters were believed to have be- haved. They set the standard for the acting, which is faitlifully fol- lowed by other members of the cast. - Myro. $«ot< of the Antarctic (Color) BRITISII GFD release of Ealing Studios-Micliacl Balcon production. Stars .lohn Mills; fea- tures Derek Bond, Harold Warrender. .lames Jlobertson Justice. Reginald Bcck- With. ^Directed by Charles Frehd. Screen- play by Walter Meade, Ivor Montagu; ad- diUonal dialog.-' by Mary Hayley BeU. Camera (TcchnicUor), Jack Cardiff, Os^ mond Borradaile, Geoffrey Unsworth; fcdltor, Peter Tanner: mu.slc. Vaughan Wil- liams. At Empire, London, Nov, 29, '48. Running time, 111 MI.NS. Capt.R, Scott . .John MUls Kathleen Scott Diana Churchill ^' •^;,yi*<>" Harold Warrender Oiiana Wilson Anne Firth C'SPt. L. Qates Derek Bond Lieut. H. H. Bowers ..Reginald Beckwith Ian i!,yans. . , , . . James Robertson Justice i;!*"r' Evans . Kenneth More Lashly Norman Williams P. O. T. Crcan . ... John Greeson Surgeon E. Atkinson . . . ; James McKechnie <;l>a>lcs S. Wright Dennis Vance ''• 9i ?• Keohane Larry Burns Dimitri Edward Lisak Cecil Meares '...Melville Crawford Bernard Day Christopher Lee I' ; ""OPcr . . Joiin Owers Ueut. H. PenncU Bruce Seton Herbert Pouting Clive Morton t McKen/ie Sam Kydd Family Honeymoon : Universal release of .Tolm Beck-Z. Wa.vne Griflin production. Stars Claudcttc Colbert, Fred MacMurray. Directed by Claude Binyon. Screenplay, Dane I.us- sler, based on Homer Croyboolc: camera, William Daniels: editor, Multon Carrulh: musiii, Milton- Schwarzwald. Frank Skin- ner, David Tamkin: asst. director, Frank Shawi special ofTects, David S. Horsley: Tradeshown M. .Y., Dec; 6, '48. . Running time. .90' IHINM.. - . ■, i , . Keltic Arm.itrong Jordan . Claudette Colbert Grant Jordan ........... .Fred , MacMurray Minna Fenster Rita Johnson Arch Armstrong. ... , ..:-.>,WilHam Daniels Zoe Gigi Perreau gharlie. . . .: .1.;, ...... Jimmy Hunt ,Abner ; . iV.,.-.,., . ; .,, Peter Miles Aunt. Jo.-; . . ... . . ......... Lillian Bronson Phyllis Ilattie McD,inieI Fred Chill WilK Mrs. Abercrombie ■. .Cathanni^ Douccl Richard Fenster;. . : ... . , • Paul Harvey Mr. Webb . ... . . . . . . Irving Bacon Taxi-driver .... Chick Chandler Gas Station Attendant. . . .. . Frank: JenkS! Tom Roscoe Wally Brown It would have been difficult to have found a more fitting subject for presentation at the Royal Com- mand Film Performance than "Scott of the Antartic." The in- spiring story of the ill-fated ex- pedition to the- South Pole has An Old-Fashioned Ciirl (SONGS) Eagle Lion release of Vinson produc- tion. Star,s Gloria Jean: features Jiininy: Lydon, John Hubbard, Frances RafTerty. Directed by Arthur Dreltuss. Adaptalioa and screenplay by Dreifuss, McElbert Moore, from Louisa May Alcott's story o( same name; camera, -PhUip Tamiura: edit tor; . Arthur A. Brooks: songs by Charles Previn, Moore, Bobby Worth, Al Scndry. Tradeshown in N. Y., Dec. 2, '48. Ruu- nina time, HS MINS. . . : : Polly Milton Gloria .lean Tom Shaw, Jiinroy Lydpn Mr. Sydney, . . , , . . .John Hubbard Frances Shaw Frances Rafrerty Mauu Shaw;-v. .Mary Eleanor Donahue Mrs. Shaw. ........ .., Irene llvaii .. Mr; Shaw. . . . .. . Dou.gla.s Wooa. Trix Parker . ....;..,...... Barbara Brier Miss: MlUs; . : . . . . . ; .Claire Whitney Emma Davenport; ... .Rosemary LaPlance Miss Perkins QUenna MorU BeUe , Shirley MiUs Irma; . . .'■ .r. : ,.>', . ;.. . , >,Sa\indra Berkova Farmer Bravm. ...... .. ; . . MUton Kibbea This is an immature adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's romantic ' story about the working girl who made good and shamed her rich relatives. "An Old-Fashloned GiiT* is for audiences who like the "Little Women" type of yam, since it's in much the same vein. Strictly for the duals. Story of the poor girl who teaches music in Boston for a live- lihood rather than depend on ricli distant relations in the same city is entirely in the Alcott 19th cen- tury tradition of modes and man- ners. The little teacher gets shoved around, belittled and even tem- porarily thwarted of her lone ro- mance. But she eventually gets her man. Miss Jean's excellent singing goes far to smooth the rough spots. She does. best with "Where" and "Kitchen Serenade," but the latter is all but murdered by some ju- venile antics, With Miss Jean's maturity is' revealed. Acting devel- opment, too. Saundra Berkova. at one of Miss Jean's pupils, im- presses with F. Mendelssohn'* "Violin Concerto." She combines looks with skill as a violinist. Besides Miss Jean. .lohn Hub- bard breathes some life into this wooden vehicle as a successful businessman,.' Jimmy Lydon ap- pears overly stupid as the college student. Frances Rafferty does well enough as the snobbish rela- tive. Mary Eleanor Donahue, her kid sister, hints at promise in comedy relief, Arthur Dreifuss' direction shapes +„Vv;.„„j-;.;„ j_ r- ' * Annur ureituss airection snaoes Vn^'^^w**'^? »P as too leisurelv although the "Family Honeymoon" is one of those pleasant little family come- dies, as the title indicates, wivich represents no extraordinary talent expenditure, save for the co-starSj . resolves no major . issues, . but j emerges as a wholesome hour-and- Ja-half- film divertissement. It will please generally, and should do a lot to perpetuate the Claudette Colbert-Fred MacMurray marquee values. She's the attractive widow with three lively children and MacMur- ray^s the college prof more familiar with botanical behaviorism but completely ignorant' of childhood' behaviorism. The fun stems from the five of them, including the 9 and 10-year-old boys and 7-year-old Zoe, going on the' titular"Family Honeymoon." A combination of circiimstances eliminates the i bride's aunt as the stay-at-home ; guardian of the . three children; : likewise Hattie McDaniel includes herself out. The honeymoon trip to the Grand Canyon is replete viith gen- In color, it should not only have been a magnificent eye-filling spectacle but also a stirring ad- venture. But the director's affin- ity to the documentary technique has robbed the subject of much of its intrinsic drama. -While it's a picture which will enhance Brit- ain's prestige, it doesn't fall into top category of boxoffice successes, and its appeal will be restricted to audiences interested in a chapter of British history. . Pic's greatest asset is the superb casting of John Mills in the title role; Obviously playing down: :the; drama ; on directorial insistence. Mills' close resemblance to the famous explorer makes the char-r acter come to life. Beginning with the preliminary arrangements for the expedition and Scott's tour of the -country to raise necessgry finance, the picture- traces the adventures of the; crew through the Antartic Wastes, reach- ing their goal only to find that i-Mr ' Amundsen had already planted the , Norwegian flag on the South Pole. I It is a grim journey, almost unre- I lieved in intensity, depicting the I continuous battle against the ele pace improves in the last half of the picture. He and McElbert: Moore did the Screenplay. Philip Tannura's lensing is a briaht spot Wear. IIei*e f 'ome tlie Hnggeti* (BRITISH) London, Nov. 25. GFD relca.sc of .1. Arthur Itank-Gains- borough (Betty K. Box) production. Fea- tures Jacic Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Jane Hylton, Susan Shaw. Petula - Clark, Directed by Ken Annakin. Screenplay by :Mable-- ,and ', Denis . .Constandtiros, Muriel and Sydney Box, Peter Rogers. Camera. Reg Wyer; editor. Cordon Hales. At Leicester 'Squ4re> London, Nov. 24, .'48, Running time M MINS. Father Jack Warner Mother , Kathleen Harrison .Jane. . . .. . .,;.-. . . . : .-.-.-..; ... .Jane Hylton Susan .. ... . . ... Susan Shaw^ Pet , Petula Clark Jimmy. , . ... < . Jimmy Hanl«y Harold lUnchley ......;.. David .Tomlinson Diana Hopkins. . .v. ...!.;,.; . .Diana Dora Peter Hawtrey. . . . . .Peter -Hammond- ' Gowan ;. . . . .John Blytha Grandma ... .. . . ... ;. ; . : . . . Amy Venest Mrs Fiy V\^llllAM A. WELLMAN . Produced by LAMAR TROTH . Scioenplay by iomof TrciftI • Bosed on o story by W. R. Burnett TYRONE POWER • GENE TIERNEY m 'THAT WONDERFUL URGE" with'«EGlNALD GARDINER. ARLEEN WHEIAN, Luc.le Wation, Genti loeWhait, Lloyd Gough, Porter Hall, Ricltaid Gqt««s, Toylot'^tlolmes, Chfll Wills • Directed by ftOBBRT 8. SINCLAIR . Prodvced by FRED KOHLMAR • Scr'-i-n Pluy by Jov Droftor . From a Story by William R. L.pmon ond 1 Fredetick Ste|>hani •yABIEXrS' LONDON OFFICB S St. Aliirtbi'ft Place, Trnfnla>aT Sauiir* INTRRNATIOjEVAL IS Arg. Expects Pix Dearth Next Year; Raw Stock Temporarily Eased Buenos Aires, Nov. 30, -f Despite U. S. Ambassador James Bnice's efforts tliere is still no agreement which might improve trade prospects and relax curtail- ment of imports to Argentina of aU save essential machinery. The ■ dOUar shortage is stymieing trade all around and is likely to hit the picture biz hard. The Assn. of Empresarios is al- ready mulling measures to offset the probable dearth of good pic- ture entertainment in the next year, and one suggestion is that after Msjrch 1949 pix bill? in nabe theatres should be cut down to two, instead of three pix, per show. Meetings are being held to discuss this and other j>roposals. Tlie exchange problem' has created yet another snag for the , picture biz, arising out of the i newsprint shortage andvConsequcnt drastic reduction of newspaper space. Apai't from the difficulty in getting space to advertise new pix and announce releases, space rates are expected to increase, with. $7 (US) per centimetre talked of as a possibility. , Distributors may have to turn to radio adaptations of film stories in intensified form, as a :, means of publicizing their . releases.- Argentine j)ix producers have had some of their fears of a com- plete dearth of raw stock eased by a, decision of the Central Bank British Studios Nix New Foreign Technicians ■ London, Dec. 7. Hollywood film technicians, other than those already covered by existing Anglo-American reciprocal deals, will find it difficult |o work I in British studios in the face of a new. stand taken by film production unions here. To meet the current depression hitting employment on. the lots, British unions . hav0 clamped down on all new entrants and will issue no new cards. The ban covers every studio grade including Yanks crossing the sea for work here. Brit. Exhibs Get Rough Handling in Palrlianient Debate on Finance Bill London, Dec. 7. ■'' ■ With: the Film Finance Bill thrpughafe .first stage in the! Hbuse of Commons without iencountering opposition frOiti jth^ Cpiis^ the governrrieht is determined to; push it ihtough its either st^geS; as quickly as possible in the hope „^ ^ „„..„ that it will be on the statute book to granr"pemirts"for""Vm7)oHntT ' before the end of the. year, of celluloid, to the value of S170,- i,^'^?V,3te on the second readmg of 000 (U. SJ. This will take care of ij^^ bill occupied five hours pf Par- requirements for approximately U^H'entary time last Thursday (2). three months, but uncertainty as ' the debate emerged three to future supplies still exists and, salient points. Firstly, Harold Wil- ls holding up major studios in blueprinting plans for the future. Cinematografica Inter-Americana, which has international distribu- tion, is in a better position than others and has already announced plans for production of a string of pix with local and International talent. FkOM GLASGOW Gordon Irving details Bonnie Scotland Invaded by Yankee Vmiders an tditorial ftatar* in th« 43d Anniversary Number of Out Soon Show Biz Carries On in Hectic Israel; Bernstein, U. S. Plays Hypo Morale ! Power Shortage Crimps I Berlin Film Houses Berlin, Dec. 7. Jerusalem, Nov. 15. Most of the cinemas in Jerusa* lem were badly damaged in the re- cent Arab-Jewish fight for the "city. Now with the front quieting down lor a while, film houses are reopen- ng but the crowds have been cut. N. Y. Group Sequesters son's anxiety over production costs and his decision to set up a work- ing committee to carry out an im- mediate . probe; secondly, his deci- sion to raise the. limit of financial aid beyond the original $20,000,000 if the scheme justified it; and thirdly his ■ confidence that the British industry "would survive the challenge of U. S. industry." In Wilson's opening remarks he did not disguise the fact that he _j- , n r f T» M I iregarded: the legislation as a re- Robt. Goelet s Rome-Made '^t^;^^^^^^^ 'Rapture' in Coin Dispute !^riU™^sVogram"°"'' "Rapture," English-language film ! , Replying to criticisms thai had currentl.v being produced in Rome with financing by Robert Goelet, Sr., New York real estate tycoon, has been ordered sequestered by an Italian court to satisfy a $14,000 lien by a group of New Yorkers. Sequestration is siihilar to atlach- ment. but leaves the negative , in tiie hand.-; of the producers .so they can continue work on it provided been levelled that tlie money was going where it was least ;riceded» Wilson felt that dist'ribs would exercise control over costs, but conceded the point by admitting that provision had been made for direct lending to producers. . In any event, the scheme would be in operation only for five years, and all loans would have to be repaid thev do not remove It from the , in that period, jurisdiction. MP Flays- Bill Sequestratiom was served on I Labor MP Tom O'Brien added to Goldridge, Inc., producers of- the the debate with an outright castiga- picture, two weeks ago. It was ' tion of exhibs— excluding Rank- sought, through papers filed with . who take $400,000,000 a year out of the Italian Embassy in Washington, ! the industry and don't put a cent by New York Motion Pitcures, Inc., of which Mrs. Germaine Goss'er is prez and principal stockholder. John Shepridge and David Pel- ham, -who are listed as associate producers of "Rapture," but hold no stock in Goldridge, Inc., were formerly associated with Mrs.. Goss- back into production. One would have thought, he asserted, that an industry with such a colossal turn- over would be able to find its own finance and manage its own affairs. The bill was a disgrace to -the in- dustry itself, he said; Eric G. M. I'letcher, who is a di- ler's firm. Writ she obtained was rector of Associated British Picture bnsed on personal notes signed by I Corp., told the House that it was Shepridge. She claims $14,000, | virtually impo-ssible to make Brit French-Brit Film Quota Stalemate Paris, Dec. 7. The Franco-British quota talks held last week in Paris were stale- mated when French government officials informed the Britisli Film Producers Assn.'s mission that new British film allowance for France would be based on their altitude towards French films. At present, Britain is allowed 20 dubbed ver- sions of their ; pix. The mission, consisting of Air Commodore F.M.F. West of Rank, Sir David Cunynghame of Korda and Ma,i, R. P. Baker of Ealing; representing the BFPA, came across the chan- nel to see if they could increase this quota. The confabs were held at the Quai D'Orsay with M, Fourre-Cormeray, head of the French National Cinema, and Rob- ert Gravenne, in charge of; foreign relations, representing the French government. ; ■ , ^ The French government in- formed the British reps that the new licenses for the quota would depend on the amount of French films played on British' screens. The problem of dubbing French pix for the English market was dis- cussed. British . execs pointed out that the few -French pictures that were dubbed: in English, got a bad reception at the. b.o. France's argument was that they hadn't been given a fair chance and that Britain should be willing to experi- ment with the dubbing so that it could be perfected. The Britain mission went back to London to report on the talks:- I Meanwhile, a French producers or- j ganization was ; being formed for i the specific purpose of promoting I French exportation of films/ This ! group will attempt to handle the 1 dubbing question and will also ad- I vise on the foreign quota flickers. I Representatives of llie French 1 producers association and. the I BFPA will meet in a tew weeks to I try and work out a satisfactory I solution to France-British film re- I lations. I It's to be borne in mind that the French have agreed, when the Blum Byrnes agreement was altered last, to A definite numbei?: of foreign pix to be imported there. If they changed their total im- ports in favor of any one country they would lay themselves open to claims of increase ot admissions from every other country. city's western zones at a consider- 1 popular film is "Gilda," the Rita able disadvantage Most houses Hay ^orth starrer, but a few' He have been unable to run more than brew productions, - such as one or two shows a day. '- *^ Difficult - situation has , , .._ ..fwy: - IFather's .HpiisPi'' are ■iilso.'in-fayoj'* :• . . , , <^*"?ed I America's most prized import to some theatremen to depend enUrc- \joi-usa\,im at the moment, however, ly upon midnight performances in j,, j^eonard Bernstein, an effort to .stave off red ink. De spite the multitude of hazards; American product is chalking up i extended runs in a variety of key theatres. Top b;o. pi» include j "Flame of New Orleans" (U), I "Valley of Decision" iM-G), and To Each His Own" (Par). Filipino Distribs' $13,050 Suit on Hopalong Series Settled in N Y Sun Ct '^^^ meanwhile revealed a decided OCUICU lU 11.1. OU^. I American trend and U nnprnfina conductor and soloist with the Israel Philhar- monic Orchestra. Although resi- dent in Tel Aviv, the IPO recently came to Jerusalem to relieve the long musical drought suffered here since the city was cut oft' from the newly-created Hebrew state. Bern- stein presented Gershwin, Ravel, JMahler, Copland and several of his own compositions, making a tre- mendous impression with his ba- toning and personality. . The repertory of the Chamber theatre, a legit troupe in Tel Aviv, American trend, and is operating film I more or less normally. The crisi* ' in the Habimah group, however, is ' still unsolved following its tour of the U. S. last season. Zvi Fried- land, Habimah director, has left for the U. S. again, and Leon Schiller, noted Polish producer, has been invited to join the group Recovery of $13,030 in royalties from the ; A.F.K. Corp which has been sought from the. defendant distributor in. a N Y. supreme court action, was denied the International Optima Corp. in a decision handed down last week by Justice Samuel Dickstein. The jurist held that in the agreement as a guest directior. itself, delivery of the films and ; Legiters In Combat payment are concurrent conditions ! t ' -i . , „ , - . and no obligation exists to pay for i ^ ^T^^ Shoshana Damari and prints which are not delivered or trolland are touring the front at in advance of any order for their f'l^se'it. Recently, Zvi Ben Yoseph, delivery talented composer of the Hebrew Under an Oct. 7, '46 pact, A.F.E. 1 ''-'8it musical, "Yeshi-li-Kinnereth," and International Optima entered i ^'^^ "^"^V" into a deal whereby , the former ' ""ander of a combat group. All firm would have exclusive Philip pine distribution rights to. some 35 Hopalong Cassidy: westerns over a five-year period. Originally A.F.E. was to take three pix monthly. However, this was reduced to only one a . month in August, 1947, when the parties modified the deal. In bringing the action. Interna- tional Optima claimed that the modification was void since A.F.E. failed to send a check for a Sep- I tember and October order "imme- diately." It therefore asked entire of the musicians and theatrical people in Israel are doing a war job. The Jerusalem dancer, Rina Nikova, while building the Jewish National Ballet, was slowed down by several gun blasts which struck her studio. The new Jerusalem broadcasting station, the Voice of Jerusalem, which replaced the British-con- trolled Palestine Broadcasting Sys- tem, is still groping around for a programming formula. Too mucli of the station's programs are of a ish production pay out of the home- market. He quoted the case of "My Brother Jonatlian." which had cost $792,000 to make, and which had grossed more that $4,000,000 at the ibOxoffice. By the time the Treasury had taken its cut of over SI. 600.000 jin entertainments tax. and the dis- itrib had his share, the amount re- ' turned to- the producer was $768,- 000. a net loss ot $24,000. i'. In his reply to the debate. Wil- i son endeavored to justify: the loan tr{ltv>limic.n A /»*i-irJ<-v fin ' of $4,000,000 to British Lion by dc- r limnOUbe Atlivuy KJH claring that if it had not been made Increase in Poland the activities ol a number of indie Warsaw, Nov. .30 [Producers would have come to a Plus 6^0 Interest and attorney's fees. New York Motion Pictures, Inc., which never : became active, was formed for the purpose of produc- tion in various part of the world. "Rapture" is now in the editing Stage, recently having completed photography. It stars Glenn Lan- gan and Elsy Albiin, Swedish actress, and features Lorraine Miller. royalties of $19,250 less $6,200 1 discussion-type, all spoken in He- already paid when A.F.E. vvas I brew, while there's too little music allegedly dilatory in executing the ' and entertainment. Strangely terms of the modification. j enough, the station never inter- jrupted any program for news bul- iletms during the siege of Jerusa- MFV TV Tfl TFF OFF WITH ''^"i although practically all of the HIliA IT IV ILCiUlI "Hn station's personnel were involved TANTIWFI A1' PRfifRAlU i'^^'^'^'^y fighting. Heavy vnli lliirJLinJ riXvUnnin losses were felt among some prom- ising musicians. : • Mexico City, Nov. 30. Mexico's first full television pro- gram wiU be presented here in the spring with "Cantinflas'' (Mario Moreno) as the star, according to Santiago Reachi, pr.ez of Posa Films, producer of the comics pix. Reachi' said his organization made a deal for the video shqw witlr GE to install and operate a plant here that will cost $1,500,000 Aussie Fdm Business in Doldrums; Sameness Of Imports Blamed Oxford Films, foreign film dis- i tribs in N. Y., acquired new Swed- ' ish pic, "Blood and Fire." Sydney, Nov. 23. Au.ssie pix boxoffices are in a (U. S.). Plan includes placing 20,- | slump, with one or two exceptions. 000 video receivers in restaurants, t Looks like doldrums will stay till . stores and cinema lobbies as well i Xmas. Both major and minor loops Five new theatres, with a com bined seating of 5,000 are to he under construction in ' Warsaw soon. In addition, a five-story building will be erected to house offices and experimental studios of the Polish Film Enterprise. This will also have a theatre. The government monopoly also expects to get under way a theatre for the Saska-Kepa suburb of War- total stop. . He made it clear, also that he didn't share the view of some MP's that the $20,000,000 would have have to be written off as a loss. ■■ ■ Wilson complained that in the past few months America had not made the effort to push British films to the maicimum extent in the U. S.. Which he 'had hoped to see after the agreement in March. But saw where there is no picture ! he did not regard the bill as part house at present. Plans have also; of a campaign in a cold war, and been approved for a modern thea-' didn't recognize any cold war with tre in Poznan, which will also in- j the Americans. To him the bill was elude a television studio and a an essential element in bringing separate children's theatre in the .about a revival of the British in- basemenfc - ■ Idtustry. Current London Sbows (Figures show weeks of run) • London. Dec. 7. "A La Carte," Savoy (25 <. "Anatomist," West i6i, "Annie Get Gun," Col s'in (79i. "Bless the Bride,'' Adclphi I85' "Bob's Your Uncle," Sav. (31 ^ "Browning," Phoenix (13). "Cage Peacock," Cambridge (35). "Carissima," Palace (39 1. "Chiltern Hundreds," Vaude (67' "Don't Listen," St. Jas. (14). "Edward My Son," Lyric '80i. "Four, Five, Six," York iOi. "Gioconda Smile." Wynd. '26''. "Happiest Days," Apollo (37;. "Kid From Strat," Princes dOi. "Little Lambs," Ambass. (35). "Miss Mabel," Duchess (2). "Off Record," Piccadilly (75t. "Oklahoma!" Drury Lane (841. "Perfect Woman,"Playhouse (13). "Return of Prodigal," Globe (2). "Slings & Arrows," Comedy (3>. "Solitary Lover," Wint. (3>. "Together Again," Vic Pal. (87). "Wild Duck," St. Mart. (4>. "Worms View," Whitehall. as home sale. Station would op- erate daily, with expected audi- ence of about 400,000. The plant. are yanking pix after a couple of -weeks dating, with Col's "Lulu Belle" getting the hook after one Reachi figures, will have a .50-mile week. Oldest showmen can't recall radius of perfect visibility. Posa, of which "Cantinflas" is such poor biz Down Under, Both Yankee and British fare are taking veopee, is to produce 16m pix lor i.a terrific beating, British more so. video stations in Mexico and cNc- where. U S. companies arc al- ready making such, pix at the Churubusco studios here. Albert Hunts U. S. Talent Sameness of product coming from Hollywood and the British .studios during the latter part of '48 is held responsible for the de- cided swing away from celluloid entertainment. ir» i> Tn-i Queensland exhibs in many in- f or i'anama Lanai l*llm .stances are switching from a Six- French film producer P. Albert nightly policy to a three-nightly is scheduled to leave N. Y. for the Coast shortly to hne up American talent for his forthcoming ''Stoiy of the Panama Canal" pic. Albert, who turned out the film, "Grand Illusion," recently com- pleted "Man to Men," which stars' Jean Louis Barrault in a pictorial setup, figuring it better to remain, dark for three nights and save a little overhead. KEW SWISS-U, S, PIC '^'■■''■■'P- Zurich.. Nov. 30. Curt Siodmak. Hollywood screen- account of the founding uf iho In- \\ Titer, is in Switzerland working iternational Red Cross. Picture is one of the most expensive ever imade in France, Albert claims. on a new Swiss-American pic ten- tatively called "Swiss Tour B 15." Praosens Film, Zurich, will pro- i with its budget scaled at 350.000,000 : duce. 'francs ($1,250,000). Accompany-' Pic is a ski comedy about a ing him on his U. S, junket is Paul group of GI's on leave in Switzer- de Perregaux, head of the Swiss land, and will be filmed With Swi» IChambcr of Commerce in France, ' and American players. u Wcdncflfbiy, Deeembcr 8, 1948 HERFS THE 19-CITY PROOF BASED ON ITS MOST RECENT ENGAGEMENTS Its Thanksgiving business topped Labor Doy grosses of Paramount's big- gest non-musical summer hit in Okla- homa City, Tucson, Poughkeepsie and Jacksonville. its Thanksgiving business topped labor Day grosses of another top Paramount summer show by 30% in Worcester, 20% in St. Paul and by wide margins in Hartford, New Haven, Sioux Falls, Milwaukee, Springfield. Its . amazing non - holiday week gross in Portland, Oregon, topped the Labor Day week business of Hit No. 1 mentioned above. Its first 2 days (non-holiday) in Marion, O. topped Hit No. 2 by 30%. It played to the biggest Para- mount business of the entire year in Salt Lake City — with the exception of "The Emperor Waltz" and "Unconquered." Vedaegday, Decemlicr |t« 1948 IS 56 ^^Jfrz.rt)r Its first week in Denver was 40% over average gross of the past 3 months, its second weeic 8% over first weeic and it's holding for a third stanza. And it's making holdover and move- over history in city after city— in* eluding Buffalo, Boston, Hartford, Oakland, Springfield, Milwaukee, Oklahpina City and Newark. JOHN LUND WANDA HENDRIX BARRY FI12GERALD MONTY WOOLLEY ^^^^^^ ILKA CHASE ROBERT STACK DOROTHY SncKNEY ELIZABETH PATTERSON ftoduc^ byCHARLfS BRACKFTT D.---^ :> RichaRD haydn "Totlock" outgrosses •very Paramount Picture played in Boise, Idaho, during 1948 including "The Emperor Waltz." And its first 4 days were 10% ahead of "Road to RIa" which included the Christmas Day gross. 16 PICTURES tTednesday, D reason for slotting such pix into j,^ ^j, ,,,ide. There Broadway would be to capitalize ^,,.4 grave doubt, however, that the quality to that being played on on the publicity in other cities and ■ r, ..i. 1. — unii, lu:., in subsequent runs for N. Y. Top A product, of course, still preems on Broadway. Latest to open off the Stem was Columbia's "Untamed Breed," wh'ch preemed Friday (3) at the Fox Fabian theatre, Brooklyn. Film, lensed in Cinecolor and stai-nng Sonny Tufts and Barbara iJritton, carried a hefty production budget 'and; in former year almost certainly have teed Broadway. Another such enti-y «ao 1 ,„ Metro's "Secret Land," feature | <>« ^^^''^^ percentages documentary in Technicolor on the recent Byrd Antarctic expedition. It made its N: Y. bow at Loew's: Metropolitan, Brooklyn. Also openr Ing at Loew's Metropolitan was .^j—j continued from pi lieved likely the others would Carry, thorough. Murray Silverstone, 20th-Fox for- eign chief, and Joseph McConville, overseas topper, returned RKO Pattern Continued fr/in page t from England Monday (6) night aboard the Queen Elizabeth. They had been in London endeavoring ment of who owns what after the | ^.^,^^^^,^5 j warrant break, Ills thought will mean that „f houses the importance oi these former ties | ,^^5^ ^^^^ ^o save a bare remnant, wiU be merely fnendsh p and their Moreover, the D. of J.'s terms would value will gradually, fatle. Another important factor, of course, in tending toward the be lief that exhibition and distribu to make individual deals with tion ^ill be on a much more corn- Rank. George Weltner, Par's for- 1 petitive basis than heretofore is eign boss, return to New York to- the general trend of laws and court day I Wed.) from London, iollow , would hedge the operation of the salvaged theatres as Well as the distribu- tion end of the companies with so many ifs a«d buts that the whole transaction becomes uneconomic. How 4 of 'Big 5' Differ from EKO' On the other hand, the advan* llUle 3' Contuiued from p.Tge i ner $ros, oi ]Vletrp-H^do.e« ■ person hold control witl)! lai "e unvileces in ihe spleriinn nv i PC"" P''»'t ot us own lunus, urawii Among pic whicn Have not Deen hihitmn ami hrcak th« hnirt nt iho " »""-"-'"itlal percentage of stock elimination ot pi4luct allomng 'rom general appropriations, if the , been sold to Rank are Par's "Em- , jj^^^'^';,"' ^'^"'^ ^'''^^ °^ *''« such as remains in the hands o* deductions for double bills; grant- i Economic Cooperation Aid coin is | porer Waltz," "Beyond Glory "1 ing moveovers and extended runs: granting roadshow privileges; "or any similar provisions , which dis' criminate unrpiisonably between such licensees .and .their smailer. Independent competitors.". . These reslnctions, brief asserts insufficient Com'l Exliib Continued from page 3 ..uii,., i,^j>.,.i« ! Howard Hughes. Therefore, th* "Dream Girl''' and "Sorry Wrong I Conclusion is. thi l eCore, that the ties could be sliced without the Number" and 20th-rox's' "Street i ^"'ure will see a va.stl> more com- forced stock liquidation required of ' "Road iiouse '" i P^t'tive exhibition , sltitation.^^^: With No. Naijie "Cry of the City" and Waters." .y'- The four companies involved in ^ ^ the X and Y list plans are the i distribs-^affiliated and unaffiliated "are primarily in the interest' of bill- Slate followed through with ' ones most deeply hurt by Rank's — see production being put>on a » niiinority group ot exhibitors." If a booking of the same pic at - the [ insistence on holding playdates. on [ healthier and self-sustaining basis adds: "The Goveriimenl has seem- ' Empire, Paramount-affiliated house i his circuits to even less than per- 1 as a result of the dissolution of i division could be effected without ingly forgotten the purpose of the ' in Montgomery, Ala. > mitted under Britain's present 45% the circuits. They sec greater com- 1 major surgery. In that event, sucii Slici-man Act and is going out of '| '■llollville " was pencilled in for quota. Metro and Warner Bros, petition for pictures leading to primarily theatre men as Barney Deep ' theatre control much more widely] Management would require dispersed than at present. shuffling so that there 'would be ' Looking for silver linings, the no joint officers or. directoiv ott; the twin companies. But since the de- partments have been operating as separate entities in the past, this lis way to fashion a decree which ' two days at the Empire but biz was I gel playing time on England's third will go so far in favor of independ- so good that the management held Chain, the Associated British Cir- ent exhibitors that the rights of lor a third day. Operator of the cuit. of which WB is part owner, these defendants will be jeopar- Fain also asked to hold the film. Universal and Eagle Lion, which | dized and possibly destroyed." in this instance for a week, but the 1 have U. S. tieups with Rank, get Continuing its attack, ..brief de- Dept. turned it down because it " slight playing time break on his flares- "Thf,fc Little Three who wanted to save the cream for the Gaumont and Odeon circuits, while UA has been doing better than average recently. sti'ugglec). iilong for many years on .Moiitgomery date thin ICC to uiDply hundreds of pic- Alabama situs was chosen be- tures to the industry and who nowV.au.se "lloltviUe'- is a documentary higher rentals, w'lth production put | Balaban, Par's prez, and Spyros on an economic basis that will lead Skouras, head of 20th, would \ety to greater eventual strength. I likely stick with the theatre'outfltsl In Balaban's case. It is already re- ported that he would take the step. The change in thinking is re- ported to have led 20th into tlie re- cent, now terminated, ■ negotia- tions for control of the Americaii EGA Coin ' Continued from pAge 3 "Fouith circuit" idea has been 1 equate. To point up their peeve, Broadcasting Co. The $J5,000,6o6 ery participated m the film. State , ,j sufficient assured "^^'^'^^ matter howl . . renlarp thnso frnm 1t« „m„i„i. ..... .„„„in.o,i <""e to line up suiiicieni assured small, should be repaid if the Gov- !'^3s -n. fA^^^^^ ernment is concerned with : wide l^m^^ and television crops up a« indies. ' X and Y plan has been criticized in ihe past vceek by some distrib execs as a "half-hearted" scheme ment, in its shortsighted policy, ^.-i'^f Vimeials does not realize that il the Little ?hat the healthT b o ne^- however, to arou.se any Throe are put out of busine.ss there i?;^;'^^^^^^^^ of interest by the will be such .-i .scarcit) of motion .^jje^^^^e , pictinres that these independent ex- „. ,, - , hibitors Will ultimately find them- ■ *?, \ o"?"" selves Without product." t"res. lloltviHe is a big-reeler run Trio are prepared to produce , "'"S so'"e minutes. Feature , for developing a fourth web. If the witnesses when the case i-eopens ' Production program is something j companies really want to create who will testify to the "vicious na- 1 "ew since it was started this year ■ competition to Rank, it is s^d, they ture" of some of the provisions. Heretofore, only slions were turned ,hould go at it whole-hog by offer- brief said. It also demanded a out as part of he Governments , jng all their product to the indies, provision which would bar infeiing , overseas intormational program. , They've gone slow on such a plan, conspiracy from the mere unifoim-. Reportedly, - several" major com- , of cour.s6, because the Rank cir- i(y of ciearanccs when the com- panics Iiave indicated" interest in ■ cuits, with top' firstrun situations, panics took pains to Sell witliout 1 handling .some of the features for accounts for such a large portion ol consulting each other, idomcstic theatres. 1 income. from Britain. distribution of American films as a . a natural for the purpose. form of propaganda. In the final analysis, it's said. _,„. ,„ . , , , ^ , 'management is answerable only tO ECA officials want the Industry the stockholders for the action ft to set up a committee to select , takes in the anti-trust suit. While films and recommend them tor ' conservatively estimated on the ECA funds. So lar, no such action [books, these circuits are now at has been taken. ECA would lather peak values and could, on liquida- the culling ol pix be done by tlie tion, supplv enough cash for tre- ': industi-y. subject to final okay bylmendous capital dividends ap- the Government bureau, so that preaching the market price of the the ,heat would be taken oft the stock. Additionally, of course, the latter from inlra-indiistry Jealou.s- stockholders would still retain their les and charges of unfairness or holdings in the studio and dis- ifavoiitism, (tributing organizations. W*dneaday, December 8, 1948 17 L MOTION PICTURE HERALD. NOVEMBER 20. 1948 MCM PLANS 21 IN COMING MONTHS CUT YOURSELF A SLICE OF SECURITY ! As usual, the Leader sets the pace with optimism and dar- ing. Millions for production and prosperity, but not one cent for gloom! M*G-M*s product announcement has electrified the industry. Your future's sound when your theatre rests on the solid foundation of M-G-M! 16 Completed and 4 Now Shooting; 12 of 21 To Be Made To Have Color Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has scheduled 21 major properties for production during th« coming months^ it was announced this week. The company now has 16 pictures com- pleted and four before the cameras. The new production schedule was set as a result of a decision by Nicholas M. Schenck, president; Louis B. Mayer, ex- ecutive head of the studio, and Dore Schary, in charge of production. Of the 21 pictures to be shot a record total of 12— more than 50 per cent— will be in color. Ten of the 20 completed or shooting also are in color. Of the films set for production, two will be shot abroad, "Gonspirator" starring Rob- ert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor,' in Eng- land, and "Quo , Vadis," in Technicolor, in Italy. "Conspirator" is in work. Planned Product Listed The MGM production lineup : Forsyte Saga, in Technicolor, from the John Galsworthy novel. Leon Gordon, producer; Compton Bennett, director. Starring Greer i Garson and Errol Flynn. Madame BovaRy, from the Gustave .Flaubert novel. Pandro S. Berman, producer; Vin- ^ente Minnelli, director. Starring Jennifer . Jones, James Mason and Louis Jourdan. Storm Oviw i Vienna, Carey Wilson, producer ; George Sidfleyt director. With all-star cast. Intruder in the Dust, from the William Faulkner novel. Clarence Brown, producer- director. Greyfkiar'^ Bobby, in Technicolor. Robert Sisk, producer. Starring Edmund Gwenn and Lassie. Robinson Crusoe, from the Daniel Defoe novel, in OT-eehnicolor. Sam Zimbalist, pro* ducer. East Side, West Side, from the Marcia Dav- enport noveli Voldemar Vctluguin, producer. The Chosen, Arthur Ripley, producer. Young Bess, in Technicolor. Sidney Franklin, producejf. AnV Number Can Play, Arthur Freed, pro- ducer. Viva Zapata, Jack Cummings, producer. Star- ring Robert Taylor. Annie Get Your Gun. musical in Technicolor. Arthur Freed, producer. Starring Judy Gar- land. Good Old Summertime, musical in Techni- color. Joe Pasternak, producer, and Robert Z. Leonard, director. Starring Judy Garland. Three Little Words, musical in Technicolor. Jack Cummings, producer. Midnight Kissy musical. Joe Pasternak, pro- ducer. Norman Taurog, director. Starring Kathryn Grayson, Jose Iturbi and introduc- ing Mario Lanza. It's a Date, musical in Technicolor. Joe Pas- ternak, producer. Duchess of Idaho, musical In Technicolor. Joe Pasternak, producer. Starring Esther Wil- liams. * Battleground, Robert Pirosh original. Pandro S. Berman, producer. Starring Robert , Tay- lor, Van Johnson, John Hodiak; Kcenan Wyrni aiid Ricardo Montalban. Buck Hand, William H. W ' " SatMB or THE Crimb, Harry 1 Pictures now before the cameras at MGM in- clude: The Stratton Story, Jack Cummins, producer, with Sam Wood directing. Starring James Stewart and June AUyson, Neptune's Daughter, musical in Technicolor. Jack Cummings, producer. Eddie Buzzell, director. Starring Esther Williams, Rea Skeltoni Ricardo Montalban and Keenan Wynn. The Great Sinner, Gottfried Reinhardt, pro- ducer. Robert Siodmak, director. Starring - Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. The Secret Garden, partly in Technicolor. Clarence Brown, producer. Fred Wilcox, director. Starring Margaret O'Brien and Dean Stockwell. Set for Release Productions set for release in the coming months include: The Three Musketeers, in Technicolor. Pan- : dro S. Berman, producer. George Sidney, "director. Starring Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, June Allyson and Van Heflin. ' Words and Music, musical in Technicolor. Arthur Freed, producer. Norman Taurog, director. Starring June Allysoti, Perry Como, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Gene Kelly, Mickey Rooney and Am, Sothern. Command Decision, Sidney Franklin-Gottfried Reinhardt co-production. Sam Wood, direc- tor. Starring Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson and Brian Donlcvy, Little Women, in Technicolor. Mervyn Le- Roy, producer-director. Starring June Ally- son, Peter La^rford, Margaret O'Brien, Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Leigh, Uossano Brazzi and Mary Astor. The B arkleys of Broadway, musical in ^Tech- nicolor. Arthur Freed, producer. Charles Walters, director. Starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Edward, My Son, filmed in England. Edwin Knopf, producer. George Cukor, director. Starring Spencer Tracy and Deborah Kerr, Hills of Home, in Technicolor, Robert Sisk, producer, Fred Wilcox, director. Starring Edmund Gwenn, Tom Drake, Donald Crisp, Janet Leigh and Lassie, The Kissing Bandit, musical in Technicolor. Joe Pasternak; producer, Laslo Benedefc, di- rector. Starring Frank Sinatra and Kathryn: Grayson, ■ :■ Take Me Out to the Ball Game, musical in Technicolor. Arthur Freed, producer. Busby Berkeley, director. Starring Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams and- Gene Kelly. The Bribe, Pandro S. Berman, producer. Rob- ert Z. Leonard, director. Starring Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton. Vincent Price and John Hodiak. The Sun Comes Up, in Technicolor. Robert Sisk, poducer. Richard, Thorpe directing. Starring Jeannette MacDonald, Lloyd Nolatli Claude Jarman, Jr., and Lassie. Act ojf Violence, William H. Wright produc- er. Fred Zinnemann, director. Starring Van Heflin and Robert Ryan. Three Godfathers, in Technicolor. An Ar- gosy production directed by John Ford. Star- ring John Wayne and Pedro Aririendariz. No Minor Vices, Enterprise production. Lewis . Milestone, producer-director, Starring Dana Andrews, Lilli Palmer and Louis Jourdan. Force of Evil, Enterprise production. Bob Rob- erts, producer. Abraham Polonsky, director, starring John Garfield. Bio Jack, produced by Gottfried Reinhardt 1 18 MCTI7BES Wednemlay, Deoemlier 41, 1940 a C. on Skids; 'Blade^ Dull $12,500, 'Secretary' Plus Vaude Sickly 16G Washington, Dec. 7. It's a week of holdovers and re- issues along the ■ main stem; and biz reflects it. Coming on the heels of a disappointing' Thanks- giving weekend, exhibs are reel- ing. Two newcomers. "My Dear Secretary" at Loew's Capitol, and "Gallant Blade" at Warner, are doing very mildly. There is not a winner in town currently, except for "Ilanilel" at Little and Play- house, and "Red Shoes" at Nation- al, both of which roadshowsi though- tapering off, are holding steady for stage of runs. Estimates for This Week Capitol iLoew'p) i2,434; 44-80)— "Dear Secretary" (UA) plus vaude. Sickly $16,000. Last week, "Thvea Godfathers" (M^G) with vaude, disappointing $2.'5.000 and well be- low par tor holiday week at this house. Columbia iLocWs) il,263; 44-74) i-^"San Francisco" (M-G) (reissue). Strong $7,500. Last week. "Road House" (20th) (2d run). $7,000. Keith's (RKO) (1.939; 44-74)— "Song Is Born" (RKO) (2d wk). Wiv down to $8,000 after fine $l'i,000 last week. T f.*tle (Lopert) (287; $1 20-$2.40) — 'amlet" (U) (7th wk). Slipping at this house, but still okay at $3.500;for Stage of run. Last week; $4 '^00. .Metropolitan (WB) (1,163; 44-74) — ' )rive At Night" (WP) (reissue). So-so $6,000. Last week, "June Bride' (WB) (2d run), sturdy Sf? 000. 'ational (Heiman) a,590;. 85- $2 40)— "Red Shoes" fEL) (8th wk). Gkay $7:500. Last week, $8,500, Holds until Jan. 2 to be on holiday gr- vy boat. Palace i Loew's) i2,370; 44-74)— "Tlivec Musketeers" (M-G) (2d wki. Nice 817,000 after hot $27,- 000 last week. Piajhonse (Loperl) (432; $1.20- $2.40)— "Hamlel" lU) (7th wk). Good $7,000. Last week. $8,000. Wamor (WB) (2,154; 44-74)— "GV.lant Blade" (Col). S'ow $12,- 600. with crix jibes hurting. Last week. "Fighter Squadron" (WB), sturdy $18,000. LOS ANGELES (Continued from page 8) "Mexican Hayride" (U) and "Grand Canyon Trail" (Rep) (4 days). Good $5,000. Last week, "Rogues' Regi- ment" (U) and "Bungalow 13" (2d wk-10 days), $4,800. United Artists (UA) (2,100; 60-$l) — "Mexican Hayride" (U) and "Grand Canyon Trail" (Rep) >4 days). Nifty $17,500. Last week, ''Rogues' Regiment" (U) and "Bun- galow 13" i20lh) (2d wk-10 days), $12,800. Uptown (FWC) (1,719; 60-$!)- "Baby Smiles" (20th) and ''Parole, Inc." (EL) (2d wk). Moderate $5,- 500. Last week, fine $10,600. Vogrue (FWC) (885; 60-85)— "Walked by Night" (EL) and "In- dian Agent" (RKO) (2d wk). Near $3,50Q. Last week, okay $4,500. Wilshire (FWC) (2,296; 60-$l)— "Three Musketeers" (M-G) (3d wk). Sturdy '$7,500. Last week, whop- ping $10,600. Wiltern iWB) (2.300; 60-$l)— "Fighter Squadron" (WB) (2d wk). Medium $9,500. Last week, below hopes at $15,300. W SOLID $16,000, MONTI; 'PITFALL' 7G • Montreal, Dec- 7. .Cooler weather is helping the boxoffice in spite of three repeat- ers. '^Good Sam" is best of new- comers withv nice session. Orpheum is dropping duals and will use first- | ssv^ product start- doing nicely , 34-60) — i2d wk). following 34-60)— larceny' OK lOG, Omaha Omaha, Dec. 7. "Larceny" is out. in front with fairly good: business at Orpheum this week. "Belle Starr's Daugh- ter" and "Fighting Back" at Omaha are trim. Snowstorm last Sunflav i5) slow^cd biz Kenr'rall.v. Estimates for Tliis Week Orpheum (Tristatest (3.000; 16- 65)— "Larceny" (U) and "Angel m Exile" iRep). Okny $10,000. Last week, "Tatlock's Millions" (Par) and "Night Wind" i20th>, big $13,000. Omaha (Trislates) 1 2,1 00; 16- 65' — "Bcllo Starr's Daughter" (20Lhi and "Fighting Back" i20th) Neal $9,000. Last week. "Baby Smiles at Mo" (201111. (m.o.) and.i "French Leave" iMonoi. Kl 0,000 ■^'aramount iTrislaleS) ('2.800; 16^ e.'i "ThrGC Mubketcoi-s" iM-G) (2cl wki. Sock $10,000 unusually big lor hoUlovcr. Last: week, great $14.200. v^: - ;. ■ : ;'. Brandris (RKO) (1.500: 16-65)— "Bride Frankenstein" (FCl and "Son of Frankon.stcin" 'FCi (re- issues) Started Sunday (5) Last week. "Song 'Is Born" iRKO) and "Bodyguard", (RKO) (12 days), $11 .m State iGoldlicrg) i865; 16-65)— "Hills , of Home" (M-CJ) (2d ' wk). Fine $3,500. Last veek, .solid $4,800. run : United Artists ihg with "Pitfall, this week; Estimates for This Week Loew's (CT.) (2,855; 40-65)— "Luxury Liner" (M-G) (2d wk). Dovin to $18,000 after rich $22,000 opener. Capitol (C. T.) (2.412 "Sealed Verdict" (Par) Dipping to mild $11,000, sock $18,00(y first. Palace (C. T.) (2,625 "Good Sam" (RKO). Good $16,000 La,st week. "Julia Misbehaves" (M-G) (2d wk.), okay $11,000. Princess; (CT ) (2 131; 34-60)— "Fuller Brush Man" ( Col ) ( 3d wk). Still big $12,000 after $13,000 for second. Imperial (C. T) (1,839; 20-45)— "Coroner Creek" (Col) and"Rac- ing Luck" (Col), Okay $7,000. Last week. "Feudin', Fussin' " (U) and "Inside Story" (Col), fair $6,000. Orpheum (CT.) (1,040; 26-45)— "Pitfall" (UA). Fine $7,000. Last week, ''Jolson Story!' (Col) (reissue) and "Rusty Lea(Js'' :: (Col), so-so $5,000. Adventure" (Rep) <2d wk), good $7,500. Mayfair (Palker) (1,500; SO'SS)— "Kiss Blood Off Hands" (U) and "Miraculous Journey" (Indie). Ter- rific $10,000 or a bit' under. Last week, "This Is New Vork" (UA) and "Golden Eye^' (Mono), ' disap- pointing $2,500. Music Box (H-E) (1,000; 50-85)— "When Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Sophia" (Indie) (9 days) (m.o.). Okay $5,000. Last week, "Johnny Belinda" (WB) and "Lulu Belle" (Col) (3d wk) (5 days) (m.o.), good S3,000. Oriental (H-E) (2,000; 50-85)— "Fighter Squadron" (WB) and "Smart Girls Don't Talk" (WB), dav-date with Orpheum. Fine. $7'000 in 9 days. Last week, "Tat- lock's Millions" (Par) and"Isn't It Romantic" (Par) $5,700 in 5 days. Orpheum (H-E) (1,750; 50-85)— "Fighter Squadron'' (WB) and- "Smart Girls Don't Talk" (WB) (8 days), also Oriental. Terrific $9,000. Last week, "When Baby Smiles" (20th) and "Sophia" (In- die) (6 days) (2d wk) .(m,o.), sock $6,000. Paramount (H-E) (3,400; 50-85)— "Blood on Moon" (RKO) and "Smuggler's Cove" (Mono). Big $12„500. Last week, "Tatlock's Millions" (Par) and "Isn't It Romantic" (Par), $ll,!iO0. Playhouse (H-E) (1,200; 50-85)— "Tatlock's Millions" (Par) and "Isn't It- Romantic" (Par) (m.o,). Near new record for this house, sensational $6,000, Last week, "Night Has 1,000 Eyes" (Par) and "Triple Threat'" (Col) (m.o.), $1,7.50, United Artists (P.arker) (895; 50- Three Musketeers" iM-G), Huge $15,500- Last week," Julia Misbehaves" (M-G) (4th wk), fine $6,000. Gowthorpe Continued from page S PHILADELPHIA -'Gonlinued imin page 8) Holding well at $15,000. Last week, new high here, $21,000. Keith's (Goldman I (1,300, ,50-99) —'•Road House" (20tlii (2d wki. Strong $8,500, Last week, terrific $13,000. "tastbaum (WB) (4,360, ,50-99)— "C'lristoplier Blako" (WB), Dis- ap.'ointing with $18,000. La.st veJk. "Fighter Squadron" (WB) (2d v.-k), mild $17,500. Pi\ (Cummins) (500; ,50-99) — "Br-st Years" (RKO). Profitable $6,000. Last week, "Southern Yankee" (M-G), $3,900 in 4 davs. Stanley (WB) (2,950, .50-99) — "Blood On Moon" (RKO). Nice $25,000 or near. Last week, "Song Is Born" (RKO) (3d wk), down to $15,000. Stanton (WB) (1,475; .50-99i — "Gallant Blade" (Col) (2d wk). Down to $9,000 after keen $14,500 Initial stanza^ I loon' Bright $13,000, Toronto; 'Belinda' 17G Toronto, Dec. 7. Pre-Christmas shopping is be- ginning to hurt here but".Iohnny Belinda'' and "Blood on Moon" are doing nicely. "Hamlet," "Rogues' Regiment'' and "Red River" are stout holdovers. Estimates for This Week Hyland iRank) d 345; $1-$1.50)— "Hamlet" (U! (3a wk). Dropped a bit to $13,000, .still big after ca- pacity $15,500 last week. Imperial (FP) (3 373: 36-66) — "Johnny Belinda" (WB). Snia.sh $17,000. Last week, "Apartment for Peggy" i20(hi (2d wki, $10,800. Loew's (Locw) (2.096; 36-66) — "Red Ri\er" (UA) (2d wk). Big S13,000 alter last weck'.s licify $15.- 500. Odcon (Rank) (2.390; 35-$l 20)— "Woman Hater" (ELi, Fine $13,- 000. Last week, "Dulcimer Street" iFX), S13,500 Shea's iPF) '2 386; 36-66) — "Blood on Moon" (RKO). Hefty $13,000 Last week, "Sealed Ver- dict" (Par), tepid $8 200. Tivoli (FP) (1.431; 36-66)-^ "Tatlock's Millions" (Par). Fancy $5,000 or over. Last week. "Road House" (20th I (3d wk) okay S3,9()0 Uptown d.ocw) (2.743; 30-66)— '•Rogues' Regiment" (U) (2d wk). I Fine $13,000 alter last' week's ter- ' rifie $16,300. a group of attorneys headed by L. £: Gordon, current prez^ since the death of Edwin C. Beatty in Janu- ary, 1947. Gordon wants to retire and therefore ■ .negotiated : with Gowthorpe as an experienced the- atre. man. Gowthoi-pe, ; it's said, refused to enter hard-and-fast negotiations until he obtained the blessings ot Par where he has been connected lor the past 28 years. He has also been on the Butterfield board foir the past 15 years as Par's rep. He takes over his new job Feb. 1. It involves a sizeable boost in pay. Leonard Goldenson, Par's the- atre topper, will mo* replace Gow- thorpe who was his No. I financial and management aid. ; Instead, Gowthorpe's duties will be divide^ among other Paramount execs. Since Paramount is: prepping for reduced operations because of the antirtrust suit's partial divorce- ment implications, circuit is fig- ured to be able to • operate with a smaller executive .staff; 'Hamlet', 'Shoes' Continued from page 'Squadron' Fast $16,000, Port.; 'Tatlock' Big 6G Portland, Ore.. Dec. 7. All downtown houses brought in strong piciuros this weok. '"Red River" at Broadway and "Three Musketeers" at United Artists are doing especially well playing solo. "Blood on the Moon" shapes big. "Fighter Squadron" looks nice at^ two houses. "Kiss Blood: Off My Hand.s"' also is great. Estimates for This Week Broadway (Parker) (1,832; 50- 85)— "Red River" (UA). Scorching $19,000. La.st week, "Blandings Dream "House" (SHOJ and "Sons of I pers see a climbing revenue graph for months to come. "Hamlet" is first British film in about 18 months to land among the top eight big grossers in Variety'^ monthly boxolTiee survey, It placed .seventh last .month, being first Britisher to do as strongly since "Great Expectations,"' another Uni- versal release,: pushed up into se- lect boxofTice circle. Such strong showing was possible because play- ing currently in 10 or more kby. Cities. ''Henry V" did comparar lively the same biz in key cities as "Hamlet," but former failed to show: up so strongly in surveys be- cause initial dates were .staggered, actual firstrun playing time being extended well over a year. Follow ing a rousing reception by Gotham's critics, Kagle Lion is now dickering to open "Shoos,'*- which it distributes lor Rank at tile Regina. Los Angeles, before the end ot the- year to qualify for the : Motion: ; Picture : Academy's Oscar for '48. Additionally, film will open new dates in seven other situations before or on Chri.stm,-is . Day. ' Plajing in New York. Washing- I ton and Boston, "Shoes": is bring- i ing $18,000 weekly in gros.ses. i Roadshown at a $2,40 top, it is fig- i ured to triple in returns by the I end of the year. I Technicolor feature on the ballet I hits the Selwyn, Chicago, Dec. 23; I Esquire, Cleveland; Flamingo, Mi- |ami; Little, Bal imore; Carlton, I Philadelphia; and a theatre in San ' Francisco, all on Jhristmas Day. Inade Stuff-Inures Hollywood gets one of its most extensive and'serious magazine studies in the January issue of Holiday. Spread over. 45 pages, the Hollywood story is covered in two historical-analytical articles by Budd Schulberg : and Irwin Shaw with drawings by Al Hirschfteld and Harry O. Diamond. Both Schulberg and Shaw present soberly critical appraisals with the fonner handling Hollywood as the film industry capital and the latter describing the town in terms of its people. , ^'Hollywood used.,ta be a pbyground," Schulberg quotes a pioneer producer, "but now it's a battleground." That battleground, Schulberg writes, "is an arena for labor struggles, Congressional Red probes, Government anti-trust : suits and the profound financial and : artistic: crisis brought on by shrinking domestic and foreign revenues and the growing realization that some of the old picture formulas aren't work- ing any more. "The industry," he continues, "is facing its most crucial challenge to date.'' As a result, Hollywood :is a "Wonderland in, transi> tion;"i to a new level of creativity. "If Hollywood has not always come ; to the world, the world has surely come to Hollywood/' Schulberg writes. "Yes, the world rests heavily on Hollywood these days. And if you remember your: geology, the :town is built on a 'fault linei a potential earthquake producer that could shake things up a little or crack them wide open." Hollywood's impact on the star-struck emigres to its borders is de- scribed by Shaw. It's a spot where dreams die hard: but eventually, most of the candidates for "celluloid glory" are driven into "less glamorous but more solidly, rewarding pursuits" . by economic pres- sure^ : But despite its goodlooking citizenry, and ideal weather, Shaw says Hollywood has to take an intellectual place"far ' back of : many a city whose streets are narrower, whose citizens are: hungrier and whos((i climate is worse." Flock of exhibs have written to the Motion Picture Assn. of America asking about getting copies in bulk tot local distribution of the bro- chure, "Good Taste on: the Screen." MPAA sent out a. single copy to ■ .every theatre op in the country last week. Should :the' demand build: sufficiently, MPAA plans to run through another printing and either give them to exhibs or sell them in large quantity at cost. The four-page brochure is a step in the industry's hyped-up public relations program as it attempts to counteract the much bad publicity that Hollywood has been, getting in the past couple years. It explains the working-: of the. Production and . Advertising Codes in simple Ian-, -guage.: : "The motiori picture theatre . . . hasn't been foldeci so happily into everyday community life lust by chance,": states the MPAA handout. "Its position has been built on a firm foundation of responsibility to the public, A cornerstone of ^his foundation is the industry's volun- tary production code. ... It is a guarantee against indecency and bad' taste, but within these limits it allows f or thi$ fullest vfiriety of subjects , and treatments. It puts no brake on creative ability. 'The general standards on which the code is based ai'e simple and clear cut: "1. No picture shall be produced which will lower the moral standards of those who see it, hence the sympathy of the audience shall never be thrown to the side? of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin. "2; Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and enteiitainment, shall be presented. - ; : "3. Law. natural or human, shall not be ridiculed or sympathy created for its violation." Intense interest in television developments was disclosed by Metro's homeofi'ice sales staflers and visiting pix salesmen during opening sessions of the company's five-day meet at the Hotel Astor, N, Y. Burtus Fisher, Jr., midwest division chief, gave a lengthy talk on the mushrooming video prospects in Chi and other parts of his territory. Fisher declared he did not believe tele would hurt film prospects. Metro would hold the industry lead in the distribution end of the business, William F. Rodgers, company's sales: chief, declared while chairmaning the meet, Rodgers said he was "looking forward to the future with considerable optimism and confidence." "We know where we are going and why," he declared. MrG's. trainee 'course w'lMi touted by the sales staffers. Four of the six trainees in. the first course have been promoted, it was pointed Out, and. another group will probably be selected after the first of the year* it was indicated. Running verbal fight between the American Civil Liberties union and the Progressive Synagogue. Brooklyn, over the showing ot J. Ar- thur Ramk's "Oliver Twist" in the U. S. has ended in a stalemate. Defending the pic's right to be shown despite alleged anti-Semitic overtones in the characterization of Fagin, ACLU chairman Elmer Rice wrote to Dr. Theodore Lewis, of the' synagogue, "There is not much use in continuing our correspondence, since you are unable or unwilling to see that the restrictions which you advocate, if effectuated by every minority group, would soon put an end to freedom of expression in America, Dr, Lewis, on his end of the correspondence, had said, "There is no absolute right to freedom of expression," Distribution of "Oliver Twist" by Universal-International, meanwhile, is being held up pending solution of the controversial angles. Milton Kusell, v. p. in charge of distribution for the Selznick Releas- ing Organizatioii, continues to appear at the SRO homeoffice in Newr York each day despite an announcement by the company almost a month ago that he had "resigned." Kusell has refused to accept a settlement of his contract, demanding that he be paid off in full until its expira- tion in March. Otherwise, he informed David O. Selznick, he prefers to work it out. ■: '. Sales thiel's"re,signation" was an economy move in a general sTic- ing ol overhead by SRO, His assistant, Sidney Deneau, was moved up to Kusell's post. Deneau now handles all the duties, with Kusell given no activity, despite the tact he makes himself continually available in order to fill out the terms of the contract. Despite assurances of British Board of Trade prez Harold Wilson that creation ot a government film bank of $20,000,000 to aid indepen- dent producers is .strictly an emergency to tide filmmakers over dif- ficult times, the N. Y. Daily News, which likes to go into editorials on the picture busine.s.s, commented on Sat. (4) that the indies figuratively are sticking their hand in the Lion's mouth. Taking a crack at Britain's labor government, the paper opined that the administration is "now forcing the Lion to act as a banker to part of the British film industry. . . . And from there it will be just another couple of steps to govern- nient control, Russian stjie, of Britain's motion picture industi-y. . . ." Late.st mode in film advertising, as evidenced in a couple of recent Metro layouts, is to give photographic billing to the men behind the production scenes. Started experimcntally-since Dore Scharv took over as exec vice-prexy at the Culver studios, idea behind the ads is to personalize the key figures, such as producers, directors and camera- men, who usually take a back seat to the east in public recognition. In a current ti adr pi ess layout for Metro's "The Secret Gary, bought out the Fabian circuit's share in the Tri-City drive-in at Binghamton. Pooling arrangement for three other drive-ins in Colonic, Lathams aAd near Philadelphia, Pa^, continues with Hellman still manager. MP's to Probe BBC Continued from pK(« 1 i and Robert S. Wolff, managing directors in England for Columbia and RKO, respectively, are among the American industryites pressing for an end to the series. Wing Com-^ persecution because they laid th^ AVAILABIEJ NEII EVE i-KHEND SUN. . Dk.3I Jon.l Itml CHICAGO . Crown,: west side nabe, reopened after extensive remodeling. Joe CavelU, 20th-Fox office man- ager^, resigned to join Griffith cir- cuit; no replacement yet. John Sokley, Warners office man- ager, switched to sales force. Ar- thur Weinberger, N. Y. office man- ager, takes over Sokley's spot. Zion city council has set Dec. 21 for referendum, election to repeal city's "blue law" which - bans. Sun- day business operations. New angle on theatre giftbook sales is being tried out here this year. In addition to the coupons for pic admissions, the buyer may also trade them in for popcorn and candy at the candy counter. Ac- ists) cording to Filmack Trailers, which is promoting the books, several exhibs also want to get a coin book for the softdrink machine. New Taxes Conttnued from page 3 ss head off a straight income tax rise, which would hit them. Up . until last week, inference from' the Capital was that an ex- cess profits levy would be sought by the Administration. How such a- tax 'affects any particular busi- ness hinges on the base 'years chosen, against which current inr come is compared to determine how much profit is "excess." : ./ Under; the old act,', .which expired in 1946, the base years were 1938- 39. That was a period of relative- ly low ' earnings for films, and so, when wartime biz sent receipts kit- ing, the industry got badly hit. It was expected that any such law enacted by the next session of Con- gress would use some of the war or postwar years as a : base. Earnings were higher than than no\, , so the industry; would be. faced with no "excess?' on which to pay taxes. The straight rise in the rate, which is now contemplated, would up the present 38% which all cor- porations pay. Advantage to the industry of . the excess profits levy over this straight tilt is seen in the following comparative figures on net -earnings of the seven major companies (all except United Artr Have YOU iried a SKYBERTH on American's famous DC-6 "MERCURY" flighi: lo LOS ANGELES? Phom KAvemsyor i-SOOO or your travel agonl ■T/ckel.'Offices; AiV/mes Term/no/' ■.■ ,;Rqc)(efe/(er . Center », Hptel hleW YorUf ' y ' . :■ .lid Pi^oodwoy •• , .Hofe/ iSf. G.eorSe'i;- '- ' AMERICAN AIRLINES CINCINNATI Injection of stage novelty, "Disk Jockey Parade - of Stare'' which links a pop platter spinner with amateur talent, at RKO: Para- mount, as Friday - night extra, has filled the 2,100 seats for first three times. Western is new name for the 1,000-seat: Family downtown house leased by RKO Theatres , with change of policy from first runs to subsequents. Cincinnati is getting its second full-time art house. Theatre opera- tor Vance Schwartz and a syndi- cate have taken over the. Eden, downtown.; subsequent-tun^ and converted it into a sureseater un- der new tag. the Guild; Lloyd E. Rogers, Welch, W. Va , was made president of West Vir- ginia Theatre Managers Assn. at two-day 15th :annual convention. Other officers named are Fred Hel wig, Charleston, vice-president; Rube Shor, Cincinnati, . secretary- treasurer. (Estimated) 1936 $29,200,000 1939 19.000,000 1946 118,000,000 1948 60,000,000 It is obvious from the above that the net in 1946, the last year of the levy, was being compared with much lower figures, while present earnings would be compared- with higher ones. One of the unfortunate angles to the excess profits tax during the war, many industryites believe, is that it led to a great deal o"f the extravagance of which the studios are now having such a hard time: ridding themselves. Feeling was — not only in films but in every in- dustry — that a little extra moolah spent here and there didn't matter,, because it really only meant 10c to 15c out of each dollar. The rest would ; have gone to the Govr ernment, anyway, in excess profits taxes, it was figured. , Collusion s: Continued from page 1 extended runs and could be con- DETROIT Nathan Schreiber, founder of j of judgment Colonial Store liere, quitting as a I tested. merchant to return to the theatre | As a matter of fact, just as fre^ biz. He now has 10 theatres under | quently as not, the major affiliated his control, having purchased a [ circuits feel that they are; diserimi- I 15-year lease on four houses in mated against in bidditfg situations. iBay: City and one in , Saginaw from | There's; some tendency to favor Harold Berstein, the indie, in order to avoid trou- I More and more Detroit film ble, where bids are very close and ^ni»v?«M'"^.!?ri',f»^.'"^ ^T"^^^ "^'"^ doubtful. Majors, of course, how- I television receivers, and managers „,„,. ua^- infpntirm of onint/ report that patrons are enthusias- , f„^^»'„J:t«;«it^° mander Cooper and Evelyn Walk den are the M.P.S; wh? have brought the .question Up before Parliament. ; Those who first noted the al- legedly prejudiced angle In the radio shows exercised great cau- tion originally before Institutiiig any complaint, bein^ wary of the possible hyper-sensitivity in theii; attitudes; AS the BBC series c(»ri- tinued with no letup in its general theme, they now regard It 'ais ' rio longer a casual a^air or something; that can be- brushed off: as ah "accident" in the scripts. Time has now come; consequently, for a se- rious probing into tiie inatter via Parliamentary action. ^ ^ Exhibs Assn. Complaint: ^ ; Entire program is ..;als() said . to constitute offensive pKopSganda against the film industry, EarMer this year the Cinematograph iExsi hibitors Assn. sent a deputatioh to BBC with documented criticisms, on the show. BBC reppftedly promptly dumped the critiques into the nearest wastebasket anifl showed the deputation tP the door. Now the Kinematograpiv: Renters Society is being, asked to get ; to BBC Director General Sji: William Haley for a satisfact6i?y answer. Evidence has been: turned ovei* to the M;P;s to enable them to; pro-; ceed with their Parliamentary ac- tion, and the Postmaster General, who is held - responsible for; .BBC, is to be .spproaehed. Most of the accusations: ceijter on the show's satire spotv Until re- cently this part was scripted by writer-actor Roy Plomley. When he left for a- short: trip td ; America; a couple of months ago, firoducer Peter Eton got Noel Langley;- nov- elist, playwright and .i^imsci'ipter, to Sub for Plomley. ;lh Plomley days,:the satire was liut oVir' under;, the : title of "Drearitoiie Presents," Its central character was a; produ- cer named Goffenheimeri who had an obviously thick accent and was. a blundering boob who managed to pfoduce films in Siiite of. him-, self. Others In the cast 'freq^^ had : hokum German or . Jewish-- sounding names and. 'accents: to ■match. :: . ■ ■-. '-'■'V ■ BBC Denies Propagahda . ; '^^ When Variety asked BBC to per- mit Eton, as the show's prpducer, to answer the allegations. Officials replied: "He is not alloNved tO; make- a personal statement ' on the; matter but we definitely . deny that any insulting- ■ anti-Semitic., propa- ganda is intended in tiie .: program^*' That's as far as BBC would go, but etc. Many of l.scripters Plomley and Langley these points are debatable matters were ready and anxious to answer tic. Bills on the outside of the theatre- now list television sched- ules as well as the film program. ST. LOUIS I H. Paul Stroud, Dr. Eugene E. Brezany and Dr. Ralph L. Rntledge, I owners of World here, have pur- chased seven-acre site on Missis- sippi, near (5uincy, 111., for drive- in I OHtlieOeeitH,..M\m\ BEACH £ matters. On the habit of collusion by indie exhib.s, distribs say it is gen- erally in no M'ay subtle, When they oft'er a pic and get one bid for 40% for a full week and the other 30% for three days midweek they know that no two theatremen's judgment is likely to differ that much.^ls cu.stomary in such cases -to reject the charges. Plomley told Variety "There: were not so many foreign- sounding characters in my 'Dreari- tone* series. The main oner— Gof- fenheimer, - the producerT— was one of the 'whitest' characters of the lot. When there were' previous complaints about the program I analyzed all the old scripts and confirmed that when a character was played as a; Jew, it was in the same way that . comedians Harry Greeh or Julian Rose would play it." . "I lielleve the present critics are hyper-sensitive. Goffonheimer was simply the Hollywood boss of 'Diearitone' who sometimes operat- ed from London or Hollywoocl. The . program simply poked harm- less- fun . at different well-known habits of the industry, but I have and who walks through, the loript complaining of "r«c« pemcution.'' Langley told Variety: "Marlene wai complaining about Joe Hornstein, New York, bought i *'oth bids and .send a salesman to , never before heard complaints that the Mid-States: Theatres Supply I the housegi to negotiate locally. Go, here and changes tag to Joe l The distribs figure that this type Hornstein, Inc. Morton S. Gottlieb, i of colhisive bidding, where exhibs one of owners of . the organization, stays with the new company. . Sol Hankins, former salesman for divide: the product between them rather than battle each other for it, is costing them considerable in- Monogram in Missouri territory, 1 come. It is not enough, however, to joined Monogram exchange m ' merit taking ca.ses to court or Joe Now Specializing in -Refreshment ! Service for 'DRIVE-IN THEATRESy l-SPOirTSEIfVICE, inc. ji.*«.ciB< «s<« , 400-seater, Brookport, HI., sold house to Fred Whitten of Brook- port. Paul E. Horn and Fred and Jo- seph Ballard, owners of the Jersey, Jerseyville, Ul„ destroyed in a fire several weeks ago, may rebuild. ALBANY ■■ Cliff- Swlck,.recent promotion di- rectdr. for ; Smalley Theatres, ap- pointed supervisor of Royal and; Paramount here and Palace in; Troy. Leo Youijg, who succeeded Leo HosM) assistant general manager of Fabian-Hellman drive-ins last place, it is rather easily de; tected and can sometimes be elimi- nated by letting ..the exhibs know they're not fooling anybody. Scc- ondly* the whole thing may soon take « different pattern whe.n the New York Statutory court finally winds up the Paramount, et ai, in- dustrywide anti-tru.st .suit. On the other hand, exhibs, mind- ful ol the fact that biddinK has pushed up rentals in numerous situations, privately defend their we were being anti-Semitic. The CEA deputation to BBC was about 'Picture Parade' being unfavorable to pictures, not about anti-Semit- ism. I'm not anti-Semitic and never w>ll be." Langley, one of the most sucpess- ful of this year's playwrights, and scrlpter of J. Arthur Rank's "Card- board Cavalier" film, has written two of six spots for the "Parade" series. At the time he was • ap- proached liy Varikty, )ie had just been informed by Eton that his latest skit bad to be cut entirely for reasonvs of running time. There was no suggestion that the spot had been cut because of outside complaints or lack of time for re- write. LapKlcy was told, though, that. Eton would retiuire ".slight changes" In the .sciipl lor u.se at a had made films during Hitler days. It's true my characters have for- eignTSounding names, but actuallj^ they all are phonetics of jokes^ My central figure la -Wotan Sitsan- quitz,' the : producer. Others are 'Bottleneck,' ^HorseankleV and 'Flogfiddle.' But some of my other characters have Yorkshire; - and :Cockney accents.: . ; . . "Any accusations of anti-Semiti Ism in my work I have until now dismissed as one fellow being sore. I'm surprised and concerned that it should be takej^ this way and I categorically deny It. .. . . The critics have forgotten that I once did some pro-Semitic writing at the New Llndsey theatre. As lor many of my film industry satire characters being unscrupulous, that is only holding a mirror up to na- ture/ I!m; sufficiently adult not to think in terms of anti or pro- Semitism." Billy Rose Continued from pa{* 1 b Quitadinha, one of the most ornate resorts in the world. . . - Rose, as: yet, hasn't been apprised of the special : problems in staging; the: fair. : He's still to learn whether monetary restrictions will mean a limit on the number of acts that- .can be Imported from the U. S. He feels that a flock of beauties and: some, sock sight acts could aid the fair considerably. Staging of the fair may indicate that the Government . is ready to loosen the ban on gambling casi- nos. The gambling- spots in Rio de Janeiro have: been a. magnet for tourists from all; over the world. In order to ^et enough ouUanders to visit the huge industrial exhibit, government may buttress the fair's, lure with permission for casinos to resume . gaming. If that happens Brazil will again be a. lucrative out' let for U. S. talent. New York Theatres —■ RADIO CITy MUSIC HAU TT" RMkttelhr Ctnhr i "WORDS AND MUSIC" ? JUNE ALLYSON - PERRY COMO ■ JUDY GARLAND -LENA HORNE 'GENE KELLY MICKEY RODNEY ■ ANN 8DTHERN , Color by TECHNrCOLOR A A1elro-6o/W> > ^UIMIIi-CUMMII6$|Bill ROBINSON I I la^Wtlk \^LuboJAllNA I ^pnOl .•»!!« VBJGeo.PAXTON | i*'"..t5:i— ' STEM S mmnm » BKTl'y OliAIU,B - DAM » AII.KV "WHEN MY BABY SMILES AT ME" .;;A aotli tyiitury-irw riciiire :)n teil^ On Va rioty Si«go— ^Mickey Rooney Rmarit & Antonle V - MtrmcnU* RaKili ; Excerpts trtni; "MIIC Modlttt" ; . Am. * . -Mth -8). : < r OLIVIA de HAViLLAND I iHe Snakes Pii IDir«ta4 bt mmmni PiMvMky iimi collusion. "What's the point," they I later date. .Skit in question iealured demand, "in knocking our.selves out an accented character' n.nmcd "Mar- bidding against each other for the i lenc Hropondraws," who could be benefit of the distributor?" | either a German or Jewish actress [ JOANofARC .,.„,„ INGRID BERGMAN COLOR BY , TCGHNICOLOR - CAST OF rH0US.»NB5 7 Shows Paffv NOW AND WIU ; CONTINUE AX VICTORIA «» I / Rtlervad $«ats / m If. -Mc. Ufh u / , WttAnnaSmjf IVeeinlMsr 8, 1948 t2 RADIO Wednesday, December 8, 1948 Coy, After Wlute House Vbit, Says Hell Stkk Around as FCCChurmaii Washington, Dec. 7. -f FCC Chairman Wayne Coy afr firmed Friday (3) what was gener- ally expected after the election— that he will stay on in his present post. Asked by reporters, follow^ ing a call on the. Presidcnt> whether he will remain with the commission, he said: 'Xet?s put it this way. I have no plans to leave. I have a contr^ict until June 30, J951." Coy was appointed Chairman to fill out the unexpired term of for- mer chairman Gharles R. Benny, now veepe6 and gen. counsel of- jfBC. Term of a commissioner is Bix years. Chairman Coy. last month discouraged consideration of an offer to become president of Society of Indepedent Motion pic- ture Producers, job formerly held by Doiiald M. Nelson. He is re- ported to have a choice of several highly lucrative jobs in private in- dustry but desires to continue with the FCC at least until the current freeze on television applications is lifted and the direction of the me- dium charted. When the freeze was announced last September, Coy said it would last from six to nine months. Coy declined to reveal the pur- pose of his White House visit but when asked about FCC's budget for the coming fiscal year, he as- serted: "They tell me I'm getting what's Coming to me because I was Once assistant budget director." The commission has been oper- ating under the handicap of a tight budget the last few years, despite an enormous increase in its work load of television, FM and AM ap- plications, hearings, license proc- essing, engineering operations, rule-making, allocation determina- tions, etc. Lack of funds has made it im- possible for many staffers to ad- here to the processing timetables and has resulted in discouraging some applicants from going ahead with plans to enter radio. , Only last week a California group, after waiting two years for action, with-' drew its application for FM and AM stations with an explanation that it had accumulated "substan- tial debts" in maintaining an or- ganization pending a final decision and conditions had since changed CO much that it could no longer raise the capital to operate the stations if the permits were granted. Capital Loss . When Goodman Ace was no< tified by his sponsor, Cleneral Foods, of the cancellation of his "Mr. Ace h Jane" CBS ihow, he cracked: : ''It's a capital loss deal." ' ABCs mm GE Aft. Plum General Electrie's "GE House- party," the Art Linkletter after- noon cross-the-board show worth an estimated $1,500,000 in annual billings, moves from CBS to ABC soon after the; first of yean . Show will probably be heard in the 3:30-4 p.m. slot, same as on CBS, plugging GB's appliance and merchandise . division. Young' & Rubicam handles . the account. Although no reason was given' for the switch, it's believed GS felt ABC would do a /more con"' certed promotional job on the pro- gram. , ■. ■ ■ Ironically, the CBS cancellation comes just when Columbia had achieved -an SRO daytime status with the sale of the 4:30-5 p.m. segment to Lucky Strike for the Don Ameche show.. KLZ Announcer MAUREY MILLER A background of four years pro- duction and announcing in MidT west radio circles makes Maiiiey Miller another reason why KLZ's announcing staff is right at the top with Rocky Mountain listeners, KLZ, DENVER. Radio Pulls a SwitcMirabs Tm Off Video For AM Showcase Natl Biscuit To Ride 'Red Ryder' One' of the top transcription deals of the season was signed Monday (6) when National Biscuit Co. purchased the Lou Cowan- packaged "Red Ryder" transcribed show for approximately 40 major markets. It puts National Biscuit -back into the bigtime radio pictute, with the outfit only the week before having .signed a deal with Mutual for three half-hours a week of net- work programming. Decision to latch on to "Red Ryder" follows an extensive pre- testing of the show in five of the' major markets. New deal gives "Ryder ' an approximate 100-sta- lion outlet. National Biscuit begins Its transcribed spread Feb., 15, GF Replacement For Ace StiH in Doubt Wilh General Foods cancelling out the Goodman- Ace "Mr. Ace :& Jane" CBS . Friday -nisht . show, effective Dec. 31, the client has definitely committed itself to . a renewal of the 8:30-9 period; How- ever,: the replacement show is still undetermined. GF has meanwhile taken a two- week option on the CBS house- built Lucille Bair comedy,. "My Favorite Husband," currently a sustainer. it has also been toying with, the idea-, of bringing back Fanny \Brice, : who was drppped by GF a. couple seasons back in • a budget retrenchment move. Ace show, despite critical kudoes, failed: to rack u p the kind of rat- ings. GF is interested in (show cur- rently has a 5.9). It will probably continue on the web as a sustainer. Jack Cariion, who heads up GF's other Friday night CBS show, has been gradually building up his Hoopen Its present 8.3 is a 1.4 advance oyer the previous rating.. lipping of Falsom Ends Speculation On Trammell The higher echelon setup of Radio Corp. of America has finally crystallized itself with announce- ment 'of the appointment of Frank M. Folsora as president of RCA. Folsom was exec veepee in charge of RCA Victor division and mov- ing up into the latter spot will be John G. Wilson, veepee and gen- eral manager in Camden. For some time there had been speculation as to : whether NBC proxy Niles Trammell would be moved into the presidency of the parent company, but Trammell, (Continued on page 32) : . BajidsU Into KPDR New Orleans, Dec. 7. The executive board of the Louisiana Baptist Convention was authorized by the FCC Friday (26) to acquire 77.5% interest in KPDR and KPDJl''FM at Alexandria,. La. The board is to pay $24,500 for stock being bought from Eugene Levy and other stockholders. CBShSOOG Borden's Nick Borden's is lopping off a half- hour Qf its network time and is cancelling out its Hummert-pro- duced "Your Song and Mine" Wednesday night CBS musical pro- gram. Cancellation becomes effec- tive at end of current 13-week cycle, at end of the month. Borden's in turn is moving Its Saturday 1-1:3,0 afternoon "Coun- ty Fair" show into the vacated Wednesday time. "Fair" occupied the nighttime segment during: the summer while the sponsor was in process of switching its nighttime program. . Armour is moving its "Stars over IloUywood" . into "County Fair" Saturday segment from its present .2-2:30. Saturday afternoon nichei with a sustainer : going: into the latter spot. Upshot is -that , CBS Is minus a half-hour afternoon billings, which^ adds up to: an approximate $500,- 000 nick. >- There's fresh evidence that telo variety shows are becoming a lead« ing showcase for talent in all fields i —including radio. WOK, N. Y., this week signed Al Bemie to emcee a; half-hour evening show, "Let's Play Games," after the station's pro- ducers had caught Bernie in a rer ; cent video appearance on Ed Sul- livan's "Toast of the Town." ' A . WOR spokesman: said that Dave Barry : also had " registereq.. strongly in a video guest shot, an^' declared the station. had been hot :, on his trail ever since: Howeverj WOR was unable to get Barry, he said, because the comic^ now: at New • York's Martinique^ is sewed up with nitery dates. Don Hamilton and Norman Liv- : iifgston, members of the WOR pro- gram board, are enthusiastic about . the idea of auditioning radio talent via tele. While they believe the Bernie switch may be the first case :: of an entertainer scoring on tele: to clinch: a radio job, they predict that this type of on-the-job audi* tioning soon will become a 'general practice;."-' Radio- and tele producers, pack- , age producers, and agency men, Hamilton said) have already fallen:! into the habit, of scanning the net- work and local tele shows with; an : eye to . picking up talent. It's pointed out that auditions of this type are more convenient and practical for all concerned; The talents scouting producer, agency : rep or sponsor can catch a show at :home — often a more favorable atmosphere than an audition booth — and the performer can work and audition at the same time, .: - : , Signals Over Several ' weeks ago NBC: made a deal with all its affili- ; ates in connection with the • Dorothy Lamour film, ''Lucky Stiff," for a tie-in with ex- hibitors in their towns. In return for the film houses . carrying a trailer on the film in which Miss Lamour would' also : call attention to her Thursday night NBC Seal- test show, the stations pledged to give the exhibitors -and the film a plug on the air. That's as far as it got. "Lucky Stiff" is a product of Amusement :: Enterprisesy That's the Jack Benny cor- - poration now owned by CBS. BEICH CANDY WHIZZES OUT OF TOZ QUIZ' Chicago, Dec. 7. Belch Candy cancelled out as "Whiz Quizi' bankroUer, following Saturday's ' (4) : broadcast. ABC quizzer, with Johnny Olsen as emcee,, had been on notice since last month. Cancellation" stems from general retrenchment in the candy indus- try.: Beich Candy retired as "Super- man" bankroller on 15 MBS sta- tions Nov, 26, and another sweets- maker currently, is; reporteB -giving the fish eye to his high-rated net series. Why Everybody Wants to Get Into the 7.30 Act FROM 7:3C P.M. e:00 P.M. TO Capital Gains Idea Was Sparked by Housewives League, CBS Confesses Contrary to general belief that ! Amos 'n' Andv were the pace- 1 makers in the current capital gains ' , maneuvers for top radio talent, ac- I tually it was the CBS takeover of 1 Fletcher Wiley's Housewives Pro- \ tective League programming setup more than a year ago that .set oft the spark. The event went practically un- heralded, since no top personalities were involved, yet it encompassed coin dimensions on a par with both the A & A and Jack Benny deals. CBS now frankly confesses that the handsome dividends paid off Jn the HPL takeover was a con- tributing factor in rinalizing the A &A and Benny deals. GENE mrict JACK BENNY NBC 83.3 % Mr,MBSjOTHIEIIS.J.8) RADIO. OFF 9.3 % PHIL HARRIS ALICE FAYE NBC ICC % STOP THE MUSIC ABC £0.8 * ^ QBS 6.2 % MBS 3.1 % CHARLIE ' i:- Mc£!ARTHy .NBC :-60.4; RADIO OFF 9.4 % AFRA to Decide On Dbk Repeats Decision on whether the Ameri- can Federation of Radio Artists will permit NBC and ^BS to go through with their proposed ' plan to keep top personalities on the air on a 52-weeks-a-year basis by doing transcribed . repeats during the summer months will be forthcom- ing within the next two or three weeks. George . Heller, exec secretarv of : AFRA, left for the Coast Monday (6)' for a series of: huddles which will determine the union's policy on the transcribed repeats. AFRA is thought to be the chief hurdle on the NBC-CBS scheme, with little opposition anticipated . from the American Federation of Musicians or the Radio- Writers Guild. Hooper chart she iiji?i(7 t/ie P/i.il 7Jo.Tris-.Alicc FuuQ Sunday uUjht (ludictic a jlow, toith i/s- 83 3^-^ pic/c- «p of the Jack Brnny audwnce, siq^nficanHy htghliyhts why llarrix w reportedly doiny a. fast bum over his failure to grab off the CBS 7.30 post-Benny slot and Lever Bros,' iriswteriec that Amos 'n' Andv stay put in the'tivw. It's a situation that currently snafues CBS' Sunday niyht "dtcavi parlay" nf Edgar Bergen-Benny liarris-A & A, ABC's Outlay For Video Seen In New Statement; Net Income Is Below '47 ABC's nine -month financial . statement is particularly revealing, indicatmg the millions of dollars , that the web is pouring into tele- vision. ■ Despite the fact that the gross income for the nine months shows an increase: from $38:138,847 irt 1947 to $39,080,912 lor the cur- rent year, there's been a consider- able dent in the net income accru- ing to the network, chiefly beciiu.so of the coin being channeled Into video. (It's estimated that the coast-to-coast ' ABC-TV setup is costing the network in excels of $8,000,000.) Nine-month statement puts the Sblimated net income at $440 000 (after taxes), whereas in 1947 the net income lor a hke period totaled $1,050,000. GILMAN, LEVER AD MGR., QUITS ON POLICY TIFF John R. Gilman, advertising manager of Lever Bros , whose ac- tivities over the past 20 year.s a.s an LB exec have been closely identi- fied with the Lever wrapup of many of radio's top personalities and properties ("Lux Radio The- atre," Bobe Hope, Amos 'n' Andy et al.), has turned in his resigna- tion to Lever prexy Chatles R. Luckman, Resignation, it's reported, stems from a division of opinion between Oilman and Luckmaq 2S CBS UNHAPPY IN D UFFY TODGHIE NEED TO flPPEASElCBS to Limit Spot Sales to 15 Radio Despfor Limg Opinion is being expressed In some quarters that, once having establislied undisputed leadership with a radio dynasty second to none, CBS board chairman William S. Paley might conceivably jump on the capital gains Music Corp. of America bandwagon him-- self and walk off with a neat $9Q,000,000 for himself and the prin- cipal stockholdera In the event of a CBS capital gains sale. It's figured that Paley is spiraling his multiple corporate setups Into total assets roughly estimated at $120,000,000. That would in- clude the approximate $65,000,000 in annual network billings; the , newly-acquired Jack Benny and Amos 'n' Andy corporations; .the Housewives Protective League corporate setup annexed about a year ago; at least two more capital gains projects now in the works, including acquisition of Fibber McGee & Molly; the Columbla- owned-and^operated stations; and the CBS television holdings, in- eluding WCBS-TV in New York. It's reasoned that, for the 10% off-the-top fe§ that would pour $1,200,000 into his MCA coffers, Jules C. Stein could be in a posi- tion to affect a mating of Paley with one of the major jSlm com- panies (spread over a 10-year period Metro, for one, would be in a position to move in lock, stock and barrel, and thus finds itself with one of the cream tele empires). With a Treasury Bept. capital gains blessing, reducing the tax nick to 25%) it would leave Paley & Co. with $90,000,000 in the clear. CBS hsurance Policies on fenny To Protect Capital Gains hvestment Although there's been no official' confirmation, it's reported that CBS : board chairman William S. Paley has managed to grab off jsome insurance policies on Jack Benny, his new 'capital gains" property. It's said to involve a number of such policies placed with dilTeient companies. ■:. Equitable Life, in Philadelphia, for one,: it's reported,, has a $150,- 000 lite insurance policy" that's been placed, on behalf of the come- dian. That Columbia would take such tnoves to protect heavy invest- ments as those involved in the Benny and Amos 'n' Andy deals was considered inevitable. Trade gag, for example, is that Paley gets a daily bulletin from' the Coast on the state of Benny's health, how well he slept last night, etc. O&H Shoulda Stayed Put' Intornational Silver, sponsors of *'Ozzie and Harriet," are beginning to wonder whether they "shoulda stayed put." . When, back in 1946, the O & H sponsors decided they had enough of Sunday at 6 on CBS; and decided to switch over to Friday night at ,0;30 on Columbia, prexy Frank Stanton, it's recalled, - pitched a "don't make a move" plea on the basis that, under a long-range pro- gram- concept, ; Sunday at 6 would pay off handsome Hooper divi- dends'.. Had they remained in their origi- nal time segment, O & H would have led the Sunday night parade which; when and if it finally jells (and the high web echelon is con- vinced that all the pieces will fall into its, correct paKeni whc>n the current bu!?s are ironed outi will find Edgar Bergen in at 6.30, with Jack Benny and Amos 'n' Andy definitely sot Jit 7 and 7-30, and Phil Harris-Alice Faye at 8. O & H have since moved over to 6:30 NBC on Sunday, preceding Benny. It has a current Hooper of 11.0, but when Benny exits after the first of the year it's considered highly probable that O & H may take a nosedive. During their Sun- day at 6 reign on CBS, they were hitting a seasonal average of 11-4, No Penny-Pinching Here Although CBS has no inten- tion of promoting it as such, 7 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, effec- tive Jan. 2, adds up to the most costl.v program stretch in radio annals. It's Jack Benny and Amos , ■n' Andy, back-to-bacfc, but it cost CBS bo^rd chairman Wil- liam S Paley approximately $5,000,000 to engineer it. CBSBuildsUp Sat. Nite Roster For Big Payoff Although the big noise In recent weeks has centered on its Sunday! niglit- program maneuvers, CBS has been quietly at work developing its Saturday night commercial roster into a. bigtime payoff. Up to a few weeks ago, the Sat- urday night schedule, with but one: or two half-hour- exceptions; was. allocated strictly for sustaining; time or for cooperative program ventures, such as last' season's Joan ! Davis show or this year's "Payrf to I (Continued on page 32) : With Ben Duffy, prez of BBD&O agency, the pivotal figure in thel current snarl that's sidetracked.! CBS' ambitious Sunday night pro-' gram lineup, relations between the i network echelon - and the . agency's top man are reportedly at the straining point. CBS, for one, makes no bones over its unhappi- ness, recognizing that, while it adds: up to a "Duffy toughie" in trying to appease all the BBD&O: clients involved, the fact remains that Duffy is the man who is in apposi- tion to manipulate ther- strings that could bring: order .out of chaos. In this instance GBS'interprets "Or- 1 der". to read as follows: Edgar Berr i gen at 6:30, Jack Benny at 7, Amos 'n' Andy at 7 : 30, Phil Harris- Alice Faye at S: and. "Sam. Spade'' at 8:30. Duffy's .'toughie" is that all the" shows and accounts involved in the current CBS confusion are BBD&O accounts. Fori in addition to the American Tobacco ,Go. ( .lack Ben- ny), with its lucrative $10,000,000 "jryear in billings, the Duffy opera- tion is responsible to Rexall, which sponsors the Harris-Faye show, and Carroll Carroll who should know abeat th«M thing* from •xpcrioneo as a ieri|>t«r: .AWl : prodnur puti forth Radio's No. 1 Poser t Where Will They Come From? . * * ' an •ditorial footuro In Hi« iipeomin9 43d Annivermry Number of Bergen-Coke Deal OfF? Complications has resulted; in the Edgar Bergen-Coca Cola capital gains deal.(also to CBS) being at its lowest ebb. Report yesterday was that "it's practically cold, with both sides having cooled off.'': That would throw Bergen . right back into the lap . of Standard Brands* who have al* ready been required to pick up. a new 13-week ^ renewal continuing the show on .NBC. It's believed a "no dice" edict from Washington (without: a D: C. okay Bergen refuses to budge) threw the deal for a loss. Wallen to BMI Board James E; Wallen, Mutual web treasurer, controller and assistant •secretary, was elected to the board of Broadcast Music, Inc., yesterday (7). He replaces Robert Swezey, who leaves the BMI board because of his recent resignation as MBS veepee and general manager. to Wildrooi, wiilch bankrolls "Sam Spade." • :: . ■ .... ': The Osborn Angle Another . sensitivity, in connec- tion with the latter accounti Is that the major policy-shaping stockhold-; er in Wildroot is Alex Osborn. He I happens to be the Osborn of Bat-, i ten. Barton, Dur.stine & Osborn ! and vice chairman of the board. 1 And if Osborn, on behalf of Wild- ' root, refuses to budge "Spade" j from the Sunday at 8 period 1o make way for the CBS blueprint, I the network execs realize what I they're up against. 1 Similarly, Justin Dart, prez of Rexall, supports Duffy in feeling that the only natural sequence is for Harris-Faye to follow Benny, or else no dice. But that would mean Lever Bros, moving Amos 'n' Andy out of 7:30, and if Charles^ Luck- man says "ab.solulely no," it isn't J likely that CBS is going to invite ' ■ ■. , (Continued on page 32) Paley Now Hot On m Deal; (Fibber & MoDy) Jim and Marion Jordan (Fibber McGee & Molly), for the past decade one of the prize Hooper draws On the NBC roster, are next on the CBS "capital gains" agenda, if Columbia's board chairman, William S. Paley, has his way about. 'it; If CBS succeeds in wooing F & M over,: it would be the sec- ond Tuesday night casualty , for NBC. For years the Tuesday night NBC sock comedy parlay read: Amos 'n' Andyi Fibber & Molly, Bob Hope, Red Skelton. That would leave Hope alone to carry on, with A & A now part of the CBS lineup : and: Red . Skelton oc- cupying a Friday night NBC berth. When originally approached by Paley, the Jordans put themselves on record as wanting no part of. capital gains, preferring to stay put. , The picture has changed, however, now that Lloyd Wright, attorney who negotiated the Benny deal with CBS, has moved in as attorney for the .Jordans as well. Don Quinn, who writes the Fib- ber show, is a one-third owner of the F & M radio package and as such figures in the. negotiations; Washington, .Dec. 7. Net result so far of last week's hearings before the Federal Com- munications Commission on net- work operations in sale of national spot advertising was a firm com- mitment Friday (3), as sessions re- cessed until next month, that CBS would limit its Radio Sales Divi- sion to representation of no more . than 15 stations, including network owned and managed outlets. : ■ While this assurance apparently gave some comfort to the big inde- pendent reps, banded together for the hearings into the< National: . Assn. of Radio Station Representa- tives, their real worry was how far the nets, wiU go in selling spot ad- vertising to non-owned television stations. On this point, Howard Meighani CBS veepee and general executive. Dinah's Second Show Dinah Shore, who already ap- pears as a regular on the Eddie Cantor Show on NBd starts a three-times weekly, stirit on the Jack Smith CBS show, starting Jan. 4. Miss Shore will be on display every Tuesday, .Wednesday and Thursday, and Martha Tilton will be Smith's guest Mondays and Fri- days. Mi,ss Shore's pact with Cantor permits her to take on other radio assignments. ■Rosenman's lOOG Fee? Washington, Dec. 7. Favorite guessing game among observers at Federal Communications Commission hearings last week on network operations in selling national spot advertising was what fee Judge Samuel A., Rosenman, former White House . adviser, got for handling CBS case at proceedings. . • Some of -: the' independent rep. crowd guessed Rosenman got at least $100,000 and fig- ured if the hearings resulted: In no FCC restrictions against network spot selling to affili- ates the price would be cheap, as CBS spot business this year will go beyond $6,000,000. Others thought Hosenman . was getting paid on basis of $2,000 or $3,000 per day of hearing. So far there have been five days of: hearing.s; with more to come, beginning Jan 3. On one thing there was unanimily the judge is getting a tidy sum. would make no commitment. When : he was asked by William Fitts, of . counsel for NARSR, whether he would include television in his lim-:. itation he said - that anybody who can anticipate how the video situa- tion will, shape up is "out of his head." Pres.sed further on what CBS policy might be in selling na- tional spot to video affiliates, he de^ clared:: -'I don't know." . Meighan's remarks came after hours of relentless cross-examina- (Continued on page 32) . KMPC Lights a Ch'field I Hollywood, Dec. 7. ■ KMPC became the Hollywood outlet ot an NBC .show yesterday (6) uiion Chesterfield Supper Club' moved to the indie lor five nights ' weekly broadcast. ' Program pulled out of KFI when that station refused to move frost warning period out of the 9 o'clock slot.' OUT SOON! The 43rd Anniversary Number OF :orms closing shortly VsniBl Advertising rates prcToil Special exploitation advantaged Copy and space reservations may be sent to any Variety office NEW YORK T9 154 W. 4«th St. HOLLYWOOD 28 6311 Yucca St. CHICAGO 1 360 N. Michifim Ave. LONDON. W. C. a ■ Sr. Martin'* Piac* Trafalgar Sqa CBS' Rathbone Policy Dilemma Because Ba.sil Rathbone will be ; touring during 1949 in "The Heiress" legiter, some of his up-: coming CBS shows for B'atima cigarets, wliich tee off Jan. 8 in the Saturday 9-30-10 slot, will have to be transcribed. (Wherever out-. of#town facilities are: available,' program will- be done live.) : The nece.ssity of transcribing some of the shows poses a policy problem for CBS. The network; recently lifted its ban on trans- cribed; shows, but limiting them. to. daytime only, with a 6 p.m. time ceiling established, Thus the new. Rathbone show would be excluded" under the partial erasing of, the I ban. I However, the web' justifies the i move under it.s proposed scheme I wlioreby all the CBS top shows can j remain on the air on a .')2-week-a- year basis by "layofi period" tran- .scnptions and permitting the stars ! to stagger such vacations into the I Winter time. The unions, however, , i are still balking on their okay. If they fail to come through with a green light, it leaves CBS the predicament of carrying night-^ time transcribed shows without a confomlng policy. 24 RAIIIO REVIEWS fOVn LVCKY STRIKE fvith Don Ameche, emcee: Frank- . Martin, announcer; participants Producer: Bernard Schubert Pirector: Harlan Dunning Writer: Ed Helwi«r SO jVIins., Mon.-thru-Fri.; 4:30 p.m. (EST) AMEIIICAN TOBACCO CO. CBS, from New Yorlt iBBD&O) Here's new evidence of the rtighttime-to-daytime trend, with afternoon network programming gradually taking on after-dark for- mat characteristics and lop per- sonalities inching into the daytime field. It also clinches the daytime audience-consciousness of. the cigr gie sponsors, with American To- bacco I Lucky Strike) the latest to pitch toward the femme consumer. "Your Lucky Strike," emceed by Don Anieche, is another in tlie string of 'talent development pro- grams ("Godfrey's Talent Scouts," "Original Amateur Hour,'' et al;) currently getting a wholesale kilo? cycle, revival. Thanks to a glib iob by Ameche; who can invariably be counted on to tie all segments -teigether into a neat pattern, the. program, at least on Monday's preem (6), was completely engag' ing. Switch here is to have three housewives (listening in by phone) ■ pick the favorite among, four daily contestants, each of them obscure pros who are given a chance to. crack the bigtime. Housewife-judges file their on-the-spot ballots via phone and where a single perform- er lacks a two-out-of-three majority, the studio audience makes tho final decision. On initial show, a femme. violinist copped the laurels, win- ning ah engagement at the "Mo- combo", Hollywood nitery. She competed with two other gals, a, singer and a dramatic aspirant, and ft' male vocalist. It's obvious that, with such un- sure talent, there will be bogging moments. But with Ameche on hand to provide the lift. Lucky Strike's on the way to a bull's-eye : in afternoon programming. . Rose; METROPOLITAN OPERA With Riiie Stevens. Janues Melton, Marulyn Cotlow, Nicola Mos<> cona; Boris Goldovskjr, Gladys ' Swarthout, Charles • KuUman; Robert Lawrence^ Sigrmund Spaeth, Robert Bagar, Lawrence Tibbctt; Milton Cross, announcer Producer^director: Henry Souvaine Writers: Harold V. Milliean, Don- ald Agger, Souvaine 195 Mins.v Sat., 2 p.m. TEXACO ABC. from N. Y, iBnchanan) • One of radio's staples, the Met- ropolitan Opera, still continues to bring fine music in its best presen- tation to the masses. Met bowed on the air Saturday (4) with a flavorsome performance of "Mig- non,'., to continue tire fine tradi- tion. Performance was distin- guished for the debut of Marilyn .Cotlow in the role- of Philine^ while presentihg two of the Met's stalwarts, Rise Stevens and James Melton, m the lead roles of ; Mig- non and Wilhelm Meister. Wil- fred Pelletier and the orchestra contributed yeoman support with some beautifully played instru- mental interludes' as well as solo singer backing. As welcome, too, were the added intermission offerings tliat have also become Saturday afternoon staples. For liis "Opera News on the Air" proceedings, emcee Boris Goldovsky had Gladys Swarthout and«Charlcs KuJIman as his guests, to discuss intelligently and lightly the somewhat serious question of musical enjoyment. Robert Law- rence was emcee of the "Opera Quiz," with Sigmund Spaeth, Rob- ert Bagar and Lawrence Tibbett as the eager, knowing guests. In all, a pleasant, melodious after- noon. Br6?i. THE HAWTHORNE THING Writer r Producer - Director i Haw- thorne 30 Mins.; Sat., 11:30 p.m. Sustaining ABC, from Hollywood A bizarre half-hour is "The Haw- thorne Thing." Piloted by a laconic disk jockey billed solely as "Hawthorne,'' his comedy airer al- mo-st .defies appraisal. Opening !: theme, which features a feeblej skirl of bagpipes, amounts to ai figurative high-sign to dialers that some zany antics are coming their way. It's an odd type of humor that sandwiches letters from list- eners, household hints and Haw- tliornc's bon mots between the spinning platters* Aside from Ike Carpenter,- show's musical' director, Hawthorne is the whole works. In turn-tabling a quartet of records on his bow Saturday i4) over the ABC net, he undoubtedly , came up with a new slant on radio comedy. How- ever, most of his witticisms ap- pear too forced. Format, in gen- eral, has soporific effect. But m.nybe that's- what he's' aiming at In view of the program's pre-mid- night segment. \ Gilb. K.'VNTA CLALS With John Saunders, Bruce Mac- Donald Writer-Producer: Saunders 30 Mins., Mon. thru Sat., 4 p.m. Coca-Cola WJW, Cleveland . iCIic-Mer C. Morelmdj: John Saunders is back as the laughing, rollicking Santa Claus: reading the letters and messages 1 from the city'.s children who pen him a note giving what they'd like for Xmas.' . . For voice, technique and mike ease,' Saunders does a neat job. He is, assisted by. Bruce MacDonald as an effective "Uncle Bruce." , To further perk children inter- est, Santa employs a voicerduek. Twinkle-Toes, who quacks reports ■■ and notes. ■ ■ Commercial are kept to a fine, discreet minimum, thus eliminat- ing the Santa commercial. On pro- gram caught, Santa could have .done better on reading children's? onames. No kid— Icl alone an adull ---likes to have "Santa" mis-read liis moniker. Mark. TELEPHONE NEWSREEL With George Brooks; Jerry Mar- shall, aqnouncer Writers: Dick Pack, Bert Briller Producer: Ted Cott 19 Mins.; Mon.; through FrI., 8 p.m. Sustaining WNEW, N. Y. This a novel type of human in- terest program that takes enter- prising .advantage of the recent FCC: decision permitting the re- cording and broadcasting of both sides of telephone conversations under special conditions. Based on interviews with • persons : star- ring in news oddities, this show is able to pr'esent good feature ma- terial with more scope tlian the usual studio interview-type airer. For the incidental stuff now of- fered, "Telephone Newsreel" may have too ambitious a. title, but it points to a- real, radio news po.s^ I sibilily of interview/s via phone re- cording with the top headliners. On the session reviewed (3), there were phone conversations be- tween WNIJW newscaster George: Brooks and a man who lost a trailer in the Bronx, a Pennsyl- vania preacher who parlayed a bank loan of $700 into $2,000, and the owner of a cat who found a pile of coin. Every. 15 seconds during the interviews a warning beep sounded to indicate that the phone call was being recorded but did not materially interfere: with the program's run-olT. Brooks handles his assignment well and the show caught was particularly lucky in having a group of hep gabbers at the other end of the phone. Herm, MUSIC, PLEASE With Louise Rlnt. Connie Russell, Billy Leaeh, Bill Dcspard, «llkd Caesar Petrillo Orch. (26) Producer-director; Skce Wolff Writers: Skee Wolff, Mwrvin ^avld, Chucli Romine .: 60 mins.; Mon.-thru-Fri., 11:00 p.m. Sustaining WBBM, Cliicago "Music, Please" is one of the better musicals, better in fact than any put together for local- con- sumption here in, lo, these long montlis. It's a day's end luller with non-frenetic cleffiing. .and bits of no.stalgic balm to make listeners purr. As such, it's likely to ' get many fugitives from the di.sk session and band remote line- ups on otiier stations. ■ ..Bill ii Despard, . - as- announcer, bridges deftly via dialog that packs a lot of mood in : terse style. There's no : wordage wasted on cuteness and the vocalists are spared the romantic drool so often contrived for musicals. The sing- ers are heard only as singers, which in itself is refreshing. Billy Leach,; Connie Russell and Louise King, all WBBM staft'ers, are uni- formly good in pops and stand- ards. Show heard (30) moved smooth- ly throughout, decelerating lo lul- laby speed in its last quarter. Scripters apparently assumed vo- calists were so well known that identification was superfluous; Numbers were generally sung anonymously and the usual lead credits were postponed until mid- way in the program. Idents, if only to distinguish between the two songstresses, should be given. Orch backed expertly and' en- riched its instrimiental numbers. Show will be up for bankrolling in whole or quarter-hour segs, de- pendftig on the market.. Baxt. From Ae Production Cadres MANHATTAN PLAYHOUSE Wiih John Harvey, .loan Allison Producer: Win Wright 30 -Mins., Sal., 3 p.m. Sui-tainins' Mutual, from New York ' WOR N. y has iianscribpd Manhattan Pla^ house," li e a r d . earlier in the day on Mutual, and , Is airing it at 3 p.m. as part of Its revamped Saturday afternoon ' schedule. "Mr. M'olt Steps Out,"; the premiere <4). was a rather in- nocuous offering for a rie'w staftor. j;he principals did all thev cdiild (Conlirfuefl on j)age 32) , THKEK S A CROWD With ,Iohn Reed King,, contestants 30 Mins., Sat., 4:30 p.m. Writer-producer: King Director:: Bob Emery Sustainer: .. won, N. Y. "Three's a Crowd." latest of (he quiz sr.s,sions w Inch teed of¥ Saturday i4) on WOR. N. Y., is , slightly different in format but ' not sufficiently so lo kick up much stir on Uie airwaves; Its process of elimination is not entirely new either bu( it will probably suffice , to snare giveaway shows fans, both i in studio and: on the listener end. I Three contestants kick oil the j session: Winner of the. quiz scries, is succo.s.sively flanked by two other contestants and so on until the survivor of the trio grabs the capital prize. There are prizes for each round, u.sual merchandise ' pas.soiil. riiriging irom perfume to an elct'tiic roaster. Lucky conlcst- ,ant .ciirt: pfirlay . tlie:in; right uji;' to ■the.:)iiiiin;gift;':. ■■■. :^ ' ■;.■. ' ,.■:.; ,■ .lolm Reed King is a glib quiz- master and kept things rolling at good pace. .Questions ranged from naming .sti.ge and radio celebs o\er or under 40 years of age to geographical Sticklers and: other sundry question.s. On opening ses- sion roost of Ihem were not too dil'fictiit but mike fright defeated many from the right answers. Probably the stan/a will iniprove at it goes filong. and il so, should snare a .sizeable listening audience. Edbu. FAMILY THEATRE With Frank Leahy, emcee; lB;obert Stack, Richard Webb, Gloria Blondell Writer: Richard BIU Wilkenson Director: David Young 25 mins.; Sat., 3:30 p.m. Mutual, from New York It's difficult to understand what Mutual thought it was accomplish- ing with this show, aside from fill- ing an empty 25 minutes. WOR, the N. Y. flagship, has picked it up as part of its new Saturday after- noon sked. With Frank Leahy, Notre Dame's football coach, as "host," the series kicked ofl: Satur- day (4) with a vaguely inspirational mtro to a thing called "World with a Fence." Leahy delivered a plea for hap- pier home life which, he declared, may be .achieved through "famiry prayer." As for the show itself-— if it was intended as adult enter- tainment, there's more than a sug- gestion of naivetle. If it is slanted at the bobbysoxersi the young should be protected against such "inspiration." The writer posed supposedly serious situations-r^the life of a young married couple in comic- strip \,-.!ues, with all characteriza- tion in black and white. As. such the show was one long cliche. The acting ranged Irom adequate to inept. Followup Comment I Jack Benny has long been com- mitted to tjie premise that radio comedy ditlers from visual, i.e., Television, comedy. His Sunday nonsense with the French fiddle prof, the vault with its eerie en- N irons (the guard who doesn't I know vi'ho won, the Flection, the I creaking door, the bats that emerge when the secret combination is twirled, etc;) proved that. Benny always contended that the Amer- ican listening audience .was condi-; tioned lo that, just as each in his mind's eye visualizes, Allen's Alley, Amos 'n' Andy, et al, in one oi another per,spective, and that any I reincarnation of same, \ ia a visual show, might dissipate tlieir basic I appeal. The comedian's funny show, with its running gag of bick- ering with Don Wilson, browbeat- ing Dennis Day. the nonsense about ! his mother playing fullback at ] Notre Dame, and: the thorougly sophisticated Day — an e.xperl ' mimic-,- making out like he's strictly from Nitwit, conjures up the potentials oi Benny on TV Especially in this day and age ol CBS maneuvering . . . Now that ^ the .Season grid sea.son is at the end, sa\e for the po.st-season giunes. why doesn't BUI Stern re- . solve to cut down Ins verbose sta- tion break announcements: "So that our NBC stations may proporl.v : identify themselves by the FCC 1 letters of which they are so ju.sti- (iably proud, we pause now all over the nalicm for .station identi- ficfilion." iUammyl ^♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦44«4»»»44*»»»»44«4 M »»» IIS mW YORK CITY ... Roberta Stahborough, of ABC's public affairs division, engaged to Alistair P. Masson, associate editor of Ouyer Publications. , . .With jam- packed turnout assured, Radio Writers Guild cocktail party on Friday (10) switched from Hotel Astor north ballroom to the Roof. Milton Berle emcees With Eric Sevareid in Arlington hosp with double pneumonia, GriHing Bancroft subbing for him on the nightly D. C. news series . . . Irene Rich is huddling with WOR about doing a show- Deal is still lij the talking stage. Actress is currently appearing in the Bobby Clark "As the Girls Go" Broadway musical. An almost total silence in the New York press and among radio news commentators has greeted the struggle of Independent news- stands against payment of a special "service fee" demanded by dis- tributing syndicates. Going on for weeks Composer Harry Archer sold a special Chevrolet song in exchange for a car of the same name . . .Beverly Chase, ex-CBS gal, canvassing Hollywood. . . ^Gilbert Seldes on his WNEW stint attempted, not too successfully, to explain the much-worried-about .A.ddams cartoon in the New Yorker, the one Showing the customers gaping at a departing and presumably peculiar, barber shop visitor .\ddie Richton and Lynn Stone, \vho author "Hilltop House" for Ed Wolf, have a stage play nearly financed.,..; Alma Marks, formerly of William Morris agency, now settled in San Francisco as Mrs. Montgomery Oslrander. ... .Joe Liss rates production' centers: CBS-TV "Studio One" produces his "Time Is a King Friend" on >Ian. 9. Helen Hayes' "Electric Theatre" does Liss' original Dec. 28 called "The Second Sarah Siddons". And Liss' wife gave birth to a: girl, Emily, last week. Guy Lombardo, Gregory Peck, Al Jolson and Benny Goodman have' transcribed special 15-rfinute appeal programs on behalf of March of Dimes for airing between Jan. 14 and 30 Peter Zanphier, formerly asst. director of sales promotion and research for Mutual, appointed as exec in-Wm. Weintraub agency radio dept.. . . .WQXR marked its 12th anni Friday (3). . . .Bill Todman named chairman of : Quiz Progranf Committee of American Heart Assn.'s 1949 campaign . . . .Irwin Zeltner named publicity director ,lor Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts stage shows. . Rosalie Allen, emcee of WO'V's nightly "Prairie Stars," doing; a fast triple-take these days, appearing at the Village Barn and now featured on.WNBT's "Saturday Night Jamboree" Guy Sorel and Grace Coppin into "Lora Lawton" cast Frank Thomas. Jr., joins "Stella Dallas" . . . Rod Hendrickson, Craig McDonnell and William Lipton new to "Front Page Farrell." Franklin Pulaski pacled for "UN Weekly Roundup" series as well as "United Nations Today'.', i . .While Garry Merrill is in on locatioiy: for 20th-Fox In Florida, Sandy Becker ; is replacing him on "Young. Doctor Malone.". . . .Roland Trenchard, WAAT public relations chie*,! illjoke at the Ain^ican Cancer Society New Je^y meeting in Atlantie City last week.. Confab 'N^'as held t)ec. 2-4« .Trenchard is chairman of the radio division for tlie New Jersey section of AC$ Ray Middles- ton, currently in the legiter "Love Life," signed for "Plymouth Hock,'* 15-minute cantata with music by George Kleinsinger and lyrics by P«u| Tripp. Show, to be produced by 'Fed Hudes, will be transcribed for broadcast in January; ,$how will tell the story of latter-day pilgrims wlio arrived in the U; S. alter a stay in the* displaced persons camps ; in Europe. Robert J: Landry elected to- council of Authors Guild at yesterday's (Tues.) meeting in N. Y., and also nafhed to succeed felenway Wescojt. the novelist,, as chairman: of the membership committee . . . . Charles W. Christenberry, Jr„ has been named promotion director for WQXR . , . He was formerly manager of program, research for Paul Raymer, ti&r tipn rep. . . .Metro splurging on radio exploitation for "Words; an« Music" opening tomorrow (Thurs.) at the Radio City Music Hail. Composer Rishard Rodgers and Mickey Rooney, who plays role of the late Lorenz Hart, are being interviewed on several airerS,,. StanlejJ Nies, who pens the "Gangbuster" show, has adapted Irwin Shaw's play, "The Gentle People," for the hour-lpng "Ford Theatre" broadcast ovef CBS Deo. 17. Adaptation will star Gene Kelly. /iV HOLLYWOOD ... Vic Ratner around for a few days to discuss With Jack Benny plan| for a whopping campaign .incident to his move to CB§. All stops ar* ' out and radio campaigns wfll date from this one, so Hollywood hears . ..Chet Huntley gave up the directorship of news and public afl'airs at KNX so he can devote full time to his commercial newscasts. Jack Beck and Stuart Novins split up his duties under the knowing eye' of A. E. .Toscelyn . KNX lost Studebaker as a newscast sponsor but gained Mennen. It was a double raid and a standoff Les Welnrott' picked Danny Kaye to emcee Wrigley's Christmas day two-hour special before he hopped back lo Chicago. Gets back here Dec. 14 to whl^ together his stars for a grand a.ssault on the dialers In competition to Elgin s ditto already set ABC gives "The Hawthorne Thing" « full network spread to lure some participating sponsors en route Radio and Television Directors hold their annual dinner party Dec. 8 in Bevhills... Mutu,al's Cecil Brown passing six weeks here, meanwhile disciissing with Metro the treatment of a story idea he sold the studio . . . Bob Burns won't hold still for a radio deal but when NBC's tele topper, Sid Strotz, lunched him the other day it didn't break up till two hours later. Robin knows he's no beauty but he believes his bazooka is. Looks like a deal " Agent Eari MacQuarrie finally talked Basil Ruysdael into picture work and forthwith landed him in three films. In g ying up his Luckies stint of 10 years' standmg he's not completely divorcmg himself from radio, and will take Jobs where they don t conflict with his cinema chores. .. .Jack Piatt, ad chief of Rraff, and W. h. Lochridge, ■Thompson exec on the account, around for a feJ I h n A xv",™i'° »'''>^>l«"is" . -«ay VirDen, prexy of Lennen b I Mitchell, and Nick Keesley, radio head, looking around at radio and , tele shows and sampling a few for future reference. IIS CHICAGO . . . Pr?*nMinipf ""i ^t^''"' ^''^f.'*''"' for a series of shows, still undefined in type. Although the documentaries have been hit heavily by the fence- jumping of this group, it's gener- ally felt that commercial radio has gained from their social-minded touch. The ex-documentarians have carried ■ over their hard-hitting techniques into commercial pro'- grams,: where it counts for more. Cited, for example, is ;CBS' "Our Miss Brooks," in bringing the eco- nomic plight of teachers before the public in a sugar-capsuled form of popular entertainment. But the basic idea that something ha.s to be done for the teacher is as effec- tively struck home as if a straight documentary had handled the problem. Probably more effec- tively, in the opinion of . Hellen, (Continued on page 32) WOR Talent Bureau Head Couldn't See Rubin Yhiggaig Rival Agency Bill Xodman DiieuuM th* YMr of - th» Grtal - Anauli' OR' Olvtawayt: Freedom of the Dial an •dlterlol ftaturt In th* 4'3d Anniversary Number Number of Out Soon MBS' $3^000 Biz in 6 Weeks Mutual web expects the final quarter of 1948 to be ; one of its biggest with more than $3,500,000 in billings inked in the six weeks from Oct. 15 to Dec. 1. Biggest plums in Mutual's holi- day grab-bag were Kaiser-Frazer's two half-hour buys of "The Thin Man," and Guy Lombardo, repre- senting more than $1 ,700,000 in billings, and Natiohal Biscuit Co.'s three "Straight Airow". half-hours, at $1,200,000. Other heavy contributors to Mu- tual's gross, were Gonti Products, "Yours for a Song;" Universal Car- loading &' Distributing's "American Forum of the Air," and such profit^ able one-shots as the Army-JIavy and Blue-Grey footbaU games, sponsored by Gillette, and the Cot- ton Bowl game for Camel- cigarets. Sum of the new business, plus a six-figure total representing station expansion of Mutual's "Fishing and Hunting. Club" for Mail Pouch To- bacco, was $3,575,000. Two Stations Pacted For Supermarket Spot Deals Storecast Corp. of America has WOR's "Spotiigliting New York* got a new, emcee last week report' ; edly over an argument on freedom of plugging. Benny Rubin, who's been with the show for four weeks - after Harry Hershfield bowed out, was replaced temporarily by Dan Healy, after Nat Abramson, show's producer, objected to Rubin's praise for Beckman & Pransky, re- sort and club date bookers. Abram-/ son is also prominent in the club date booking field, being head of the WOR Artists Bureau, and re- portedly couldn't see giving free plugs to a rival concern. ; Incident ' took place when; Rubin had lined up, a series of guests in': eluding members of the Troupers;: a femme theatrical organization headed by Lucille Beckman, wife of Al Beckman of B&P. Abram^ son did not object to plugging Mrs, ; Beckman's org; only her husband's booking firm. Rubin is said to have objected to Abramson's extremely close super- vision. According to Rubin, Abram- son would intervene at all times with instructions to interview this ; personality, tell a gag at this point, and get these people to come up, etc. WOR execs claim that it's the. policy to rotate emcees; until a suit? able personality is found. Healy will go on for four weeks. With , change of emcee, title: has been changed to "WOR Spotlights New York." Show goes on for a half- hour at midnight from Monday to Friday, originating from a different spot each: nigh't. Among the origi-' nation points are the Hotel Astor, the : D i a m o n d Horseshoe, Al Schacht's, China Doll, Gallagh^r'a and the Shelton hotel. Abramson declared that -the free plug to Beckman & Pransky had nothing to do with change of emr cee. Rubin, Abramson said, had been doing a good job on , the show, just as Hershfield did before him. However, Abramson plans to get a conferencier who isn't so tied up; with club dates and other en- gagements that he frequently re- ports for the; show. 10 minutes be- fore air time. Abramson would like the emcee not only to do interviews, but re- port on new plays and films,, take .signed WIBG, Phila., and WTHT,4in opening nights, perhaps a ses- Hartford, to a spot announcement | sion of the night court for a color package deal tied in with food story, etc. Show is still in the supermarkets. - | process of experimentation,, he de« The spots oti WIBG and WTHT I clared, and; might conceivably go are followed up with Storecast an- 1 off the air if sometliing better pre- nouncements and point'of-sale mer- 1 sents itself, thandising in 235 markets of the American Stores Co. and First Na- tional Stores, Inc. WTHT sales are being handled by J. P. McKinney & Son, national rep, and WIBG by Joseph Lang, both of New York, Daytime Stations Ask Mex Channels Be Included in No. American Huddles Betty Moore to Mutual Mutual has sold the Betty Moore weekly quarter hour to Benjamin Moore & Co.; New York paint manufacturer, starting March 5. Show - was .last " beard : Saturday mornings on ABC. , New ; time on MBS' will; be announced later. St. George & Keyes is the agenqy. Washington, Dec. -7, Leonard H. Marks, counsel for the , Daytime Petitioners Assn. , rep- resenting 105 daytime stations op- erating on Mexican channels, re- qiiested the Government-Industry Committee on preparation for -the forthcoming Canadian conference next September to consider en- larging the agenda to include: the question of whether the so-called "gentleman's agreement" between Mexico and the U. S. has expired. DPA is seeking nightime privileges for its station members.-, ■ D. R. McQuiV^y Of the State Dept;'s telecommunications- divi- sion, said that the department con- siders the agreement valid, at least ■ until a new North American Re- ~gional Broadcasting Agreement ; (NARBA) has been ratified. He 1 added that the agreement should I be included in tlie; general alloca- I tion discussions when the signatory I nations meet in Canada to ratify a I new pact. I ; : Opening the three-day confer- I ence, FCC- Commissioner, ■ Rose! ■ Hyde, chairman, cmphasizied the 1 importance of thorough, prepara- ; tion for the international meeting, i He said: "I will, not worry ; too ■ much if neighboring countries get I the impression the U. S. is altempt- ■ ing to prevent the wrecking of its ^ broadcasting system." Hyde was re- ferring to efforts of other countries 1 to obtain further concessions on I use of frequencies now allocated to i this country. I About 60 representatives of Gov- ! ernment and industry are in at- I tendance, including : radio lawyers I and engineers representing net- ! works, stations, the clear channel and daytime groups, and the Na- tional Assn. of Broadcasters. Former FCC Commissioner T. A. i M. Craven appeared at the con- I ference as a representative of the i public. He resigned his post as : vice jjresident in charge of engi- , neering, of the Cowles Broadcast- I ing Co/ last week to join the firm [ of Lohn^s and Culver, Washington ' engineeriag consultants. Bond Checks Off Six 15-Min. WOR, N.Y., Shows : Bond Clothes, heavy user of lo-. eal air time.: is scuttling part of its New' York City campaign, but company officials deny that any general radio: retrenchment is in: the wind. Six quarter-hour news .shows on ; WOR, N. Y,v have been dropped becau.se "they have served ; their purpose," according to a Bond spokesman. Purpose was . to plug Bond's new Times :Square store, WOR already has sold three of the show.s Bond has dropped to Mul- ler's Spaghetti. The clothing firm still sponsors John Gambling on WOR and other shows on; other; N. Y. outlets. Bond operates .'59 retail clothing stores in cities all over the U. S., and ; uses local ; r&dio in most; of . th most of whom are Loeb seeking virtually the same time al-J locations, r'efused to accept the plan or to compromise with each other on their demands. As a re- sult, the meetings lasted all day Monday and Tuesday with little progress, made. NBC reportedly threw up the heaviest b lo ck through-; its? determination to get the Sunday night 8 to 10 period. Exact slotting of .several new sbows scheduled for launching on the various webs within the next couple of weeks, consequently, is being held up pending a solution of the cable impasse. Each of the nets figures to hold its strongest shows for the. times when it: will have the east- to midwest cable i available, thereby insuring the I widest possible simultaneous cov- f- erage.. If some sort of compromise .. is effected. It's believed possible that several network shows may have: their present times switched to take advantage of the cable. Tele SetsbyEndof'49 Television sets in the American home will hit the 2,000,000 mark by the end of 1949, according to current production estimates. With most of the major manufacturing outfits tooled up for capacity pro- duction for the first time, since, the video boom began, an output .of 1,300,000 sets during the next 12- month period js regarded as almost certain.- There are now . 750,000 isets in operation. I Philco alone has set a produc- tion schedule, of 10,000 per week for next year. Added to this 500,- 000 sets will be the increased out- put of RCA, DuMont, Emerson and the other large concerns plus the tributary flow from the. ap- proximately 100 smaller manufac- turing outfits who have entered the field in the last two years; Only possible block to the reaching of the 2,000,000 figure by 1949's end may be the tube and steel short- ages caused by the. drain o£ hypoed, armament production: in' the next period. CBS Bucb Berle With Quality Pix CBS television plans to be the first to buck Milton Berle's "Tex- aco Star Theatre," which has been consistently attracting more than 90% of the total TV audience In the Tuesday night 8 to 9 slot. CBS won't go too far out on a limb by planting an expensive live studio show opposite "Texaco." In- stead, the web plans to strengthen its "Film Theatre of the Air," which has held down that slot for the last several months. First stra- tegic move in the battle is the booking Of two David O. Selznick pictures, with, top star names, which CBS hopes will snare some of the audience now held by the Berle show. '-'Made for Each Other," starring James Stewart and Carole Lom- bard, has been scheduled for next Tuesday (14). It's to be followed by "Dancing Pirates," starring Frank Morgan. Other oldies of similar top quality will be booked in later. Pu^es Top 10 TV Ratings Vaudeo took the lop two ipots in the Pulse teleratings for the N. y. metropolitan area In November, same as, « did in the top 10 Hooperatings released last week. MUton Berle's "Texaco Star -The- atre" copped the No. 1 spot, followed by Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town." Unlike the Hooper listings, which showed not a singU sports show, the Pulse ratings included three. "Philco Television Playhouse," one of the mostly costly dramatic series on the air, failed to make the top 10 in both ratings, although Toast," aired directly opposite, dropped slightly. Indicating the Philco show may be starting to snare its audience. Following are the Pulse listmgs: Program Texaco Star Theatre ^ Toast of the Town Original Amateur Hour Boxing Kraft TV Theatre We, the People Small Fry Club Winner Take All Wrestling Chevrolet Tele-Theatre Hor.se Show Station WNBT, Tuesday WCBS-TV, Sunday WABD, Sunday WNBT, Monday WNBT, Wednesday WCBS-TV, Tuesday WABD, Monday-Friday WCBS-TV, Wednesday WNBT, Tuesday WNBT, Monday WCBS-TV, TJhursday Nov. Oct. 59.3 50.7 36 36.7 32.7 32.7 31.3 46.7 31.3 28 28,7 27.4 29.3 26 24.7 24 37.3 24 Separate Deals With Music Firms, In Place of Blanket License, Are Mulled Hub's 37,000 Sets 'Goldbergs' Definitely Set For CBS Tele Series CBS television is working out a suitable time slot for the video version of "The Goldbergs," fol- lowing an audition show conduct- ed over a.closed circuit by the web Thanksgiving Day. Show, which will be a once- weekly serieSj is to combine the top features ^of both the old radio version and last season's "Molly and Me" legiter, which was adapts ed by Gertrude Berg from the AM program. TV show will star Miss Bergi Menasha Skulnik and Philip Texaco Still Mulling Opera As Regular Diet Texaco and the Buchanan ad agency are still mulling the feasi- bility of telecasting performances; from ; the . Metropolitan Opera, N. Y., on a regular schedJiJe over AB C-T V. Preem performance Nov. 28 elicited varying reactions from tlie press and public. •■ • FiLm transcription of the preem show has been, run several times for Texaco execs,' who may also decide to air that show, on ABC-* TV affiliate stations in the midr west. While future plans are still indefinite, Texaco has decided against attempting a pickup Satur- day afterroons simultaneous with the radio broadcasts. Oil firm re^ portedly feels that would only dis- sipate the available audience for both radio and tele. ^ Television broadcasters may at- tempt to negotiate licensing agree- ments for copyriglited music with individual publishers, instead of .; signing a blanket license with the American Society of Composers, ; Authors and Publishers. That's the general feeling among network of- ficials this week, following indica- tions last week that ASCAP -seems finally ready to negotiate the blanket agreement. ASCAP last Wednesday (1) sent letters to all broadcasters terminat- ing the $l-perryear blanket license for all performing rights on Dec. 31. That blanket agreement has been in effect since 1941. Under Boston, Dec. 7. Recent estimation of about 20,000 video sets in the Hub area were found to be way below the actual number in a survey of distribs in the area. Figure is now set above 37,000 in the range of WBZ-TV and WNAC-TV,, figured roughly in a 50 mile radius of Boston. Actual estimate count of Greater Boston sets is 29,908 installed, plus 3,650 in public places. Others are outside metropolian limit. Sale of home sets conitinues brisk cur- rently, but there's a big decline in I the aSCAP ~ruiing,Tf an agreement the number of sets bought for com- . jg reached with the society within mercial establishments, ' . 1 60 days after Jan. 1, it's to be re- I troactive to that date; If no agree- 1 ment is reached during ■ that tiihej: I that 60 days< service is ; tfti.bi^ f pee -. to broadcasters^ but; 'Wt : rights tO ; ASCAP ;■■ tuneS-\ :-. will ' • ■ teasie ; ;-after ; March 1, ! ['st/ I According': tot jtive-;i^ numerous, dbstaeles renVaih to be ironed out before any ne\y liceiise agreement can be sighed. ; Thiis,, "while the blanket agreement may , cover perfbirning rights to all Songs p'erfdrmed by vocalists,: pbssibilityV exists that a special fee may be re- quired If a song is used to tell « story in Some dramatlc^ pfeaenta- . tion. SeVerjil TV shbWs hav^e spe- build I cialized in such presentation's M boy" cently. Broadcasters believe, com ' sequentiy, that If every slibw- would; require some special I jcense fee; there would be no sense in .signing ■ a blanket ASCAP, argreejnent, 1$. such case, tfee blrdSiiqastersKw^^ . rather nejgotiate ^vith individual publishetSf: ■;■':.':;;'■■■' ' New York Rudy Bretz, production manager of the N. Y. Daily News' WPIX, has resigned to complete work on a book, "The Tools of Television" ... "Doorway to Fame," George Schcck-Lou Dahlman p'ackage erci-t ceed by columnist Danton Walker Monday nights on the DuMont web, signed with Music Corp. of Americav which will agent the show . . . "Widow of Wasdale Head," ghost story penned by Sir Artliur Wing Pinero, set as the "Actors' Studio" presentation Sunday (12) on the ABC-TV web . . . NBC-TV set to air the final session of Ar- turo Toscanini's first series of con- certs Saturday which last week sewed up the daytime television services of Ted Steele: for 10 years by signing tlie singer-pianist to an exclu.sive lO-year pact calling for a total of .$1,500,000, believes it can develop Steele Into another Arthur Godfrey personality. As a result, the food firm will him as an "all-Ameridan character, stressing his family life and the fact that lie operates profitably his own farm, factors which have helped build Godfrey's ratings. Contract, which teed oft Monday : (6), has the usual options but rep- resents only payment to Steele and is exclusive of time charges over WABD- (DuMont, N. Y.). It| involves only Steele's one-man show on DuMont's daytime sched- ule, aired in the 12:30 to 1 p.m. slot across4he-board. ■ ; Show has copped the I top Pulse . ratings of any DuMont segment since WABD launched . its daytime program- ming Nov: 1. Amount of money involved is believed to be the most *Scare'Em Godfrey* They Now Call Him Arthur Godfrey, already; a bugs-? boo to competing radio shows, this ever laid out for a single TV per- | week became the first performer sonality. Contract permits: Steele to do a nighttime video show, for another sponsor at the approval of GM.: As a result, Steele Is now build- ing a half-liour vaudeo show for the DuMont web, which he plans to emcee: Vleanwhile, he con- tinues with his twice-a-day disk jockey chores over WMCA, N. Y., radio indie, , and with: his late aft- ernoon show on DuMont. Hollywood ' Toby -\nguish ProcUictions starts filming a series of television shorts this week witli Jimmy Scribner and Dick llaynos handling the leads as end men in a minstrel show Movie Ncwsreels, lieaded , by ,Ioc Bonica, has set a schedule I of 104, 10-minute shorts for 1949. I (Continued on page 33) to; force ' a : cbnipeting teievisio4 I shbvv to.-seek a' hew time slot jfby 1 fear of what (ioWcey oh TV Would : I do;. to- its ^lauidience. Show, is "Americana," formerly I aired Moriday nights 8;3P:'tp; , I 9 p.rtt.. Which was moved into thiii. , I 9:30 to iO slot the same night efr fectiVe last Monday (6>. ; Official, reason handed but , was that Fire? ■ stone, :the spbhsor, : also bankrolli; the "Vbibe: Of Firestone" bn MBtS* -- AM in the 8:30 to 9 Monday hiigflt:- segmOTt ' :ahd ■ d.ecided ■ it : was un- ' Wise for the TV show to buck the AM airer; : i|l^al: r'-'^'^bn, though, was that "Arthur 'Gbdfi-e.V's Taleht Scouts" preemed on TV, In the same, :slot,' as a simultahebtis , pick'^' lip ■ from the AM?: Sho-iv ■ Mbhday' ■ night. ;, Angle cbhsidered ihb.st rei-aark* able is that NBG^TV.,ahd Pi'restoiie,' debided .to sWitph: "Ahtei^iibania'*; tO . the hew slot eyeh' before;, kscbrtalh* ijig hovv much Gbdfre.V's -cbihp.e- titioh would cut into its audience. "Americana," meanwhile, has con- Spots on "Funny Business," , sistently made the top 10 Hoop- which airs in B lime, sell at $25 ! oratings for TV, placing eighth in each. Price covers photos, slides, i November with a 28.6 Show is art work, copy writing and an- . probably the lowest budgeted aver nounclng. Short-term sponsors ning airer to make the select Jlst, were acceptable at the outset but i being brought In weekly for less 13-week contracts are now being ' than $1,000 in talent and prod««- offereo- I tion costs. . WBKB's Tunny Business^ Bid to Small Retailers Chicago, Dec. 7. Kagerness of small retailers to gel in as tolc advertisers has been I tapped by WBKB via its new five- a-week "Funny Business" series. HaU'-houi' show bowed Xov. 29 Witli; 10 participating sponsors arid; so many on tlic waiting list that it shortly will be expanded to an -hour. Wednesday, December 8,,19^ LEGITERS EYE TV XREAM TIME' Sports' Aversion to TV Mj^ Force T. of C to Buy Ban Qubs, Athletes Increasing reluctance ot sports- promoters and ball clubs to permit various athletic events to be tele- vised is seen as forcing Tourna- ment of Champions into ownership of various , clubs and: athletes at a faster pace than: that which it had originally intended. Since video's aid to the boxoffice is still a debat- able issue among club owners, fight promotersi etc., T. of G. is seeking to acquire sufficient properties in ?the way of ball-club franchises, fighters, tennis players, hockey clubs, etc, so that they will never be at the mercy of independent sports entrepreneurs and rfeljuctant baseball Magnates. , Tliis point has been made clearer to T. of G. execs; since thi.'? r week's • meeting of major league i ball club owners in Minneapolis, which condemned televising of night baseball. Race track owners . are also against videocasting of races because of possible inroads on the gate. Many individual fight and wrestling promoters are also against televising of the events. Acquisition of athletic proper- ties will also give T. of C. a su- perior bargaining position when : approac hing theatres full-screen projection of events, suclv as used at 'the Paramount theatre, N. Y. Prelimlnai-y talks have already been held with Paramount execs, but no deal has been set yet. Other circuits' have also been approached, but few have. equipment to project^ various sports events. .: Meanwhile, T. of C. has pacted Den Let Broadcasting System prcxy Lewis Allen Weiss Is en* Radio Executive wlio MtHl- miles TV's Onslaiiglit: in on exam- ination of the fact fiiot . Radio Is Here to Stay on informative feature in 43d Anniversfiry Number Due Soon mm SNARL NBC Sets Special Dept. to Plot WNBT Programming Despite Audience Poser Theatre Guild Yields to Philco in Drama Tiff Battle ot the legiters on tele- vision has come to an end, with Philco emerging as the uncon- tested winner over General Foods and the Theatre Guild. In a joint annount^ent issued today (Wed.) by GF and the Guildi it was revealed that plans Ballantine's Beer and Ale to spon- i to air a series of hour-long legiters sor the Ray Robinson-Steve Bel- ' loise fight at the Jersey City Ar- mory tomorrow (9). Ballantine un- der its agreement with T. of C, has first call on television- rights: on the NBC-TV web, which have been in the works for several months, have been suspended for the present. Official reasons of- fered were the "unanticipated With dramatic shows gradually j assuming ; a top position in the ' television spotlight, the entire legit field is eyeing NBC tele's trouble in finding a new time slot i for the new "Phil Silvers Arrow Show." Original 8:30 to 9 Wed- nesday night logging on the pro- > gram has been nixed through the | Shuberts' refusal, to delay the cur-r t tain, on Silvers' current ''High \ Button Shoes" legiter. Unless NBC-TV can find a way out of its , difficulties, it means tiiat any actor i now working in. a legit shoW.,.wiH i be able to do a TV show oiilly: onf an off-night, such as Sunday. ' " ] Shubert nix came after the first ' week. Show was then moved into ? the 7:30 to 7:50 slot Wednesday | nights. Neither Silvers nor Cluett ; Peabody,- the bankrollers, liked that time, however. Studio audi- ence last Wednesday (11 was ex- tremely small, making it difficult for Silvers to work. Program will hold the same time tonight (Wed.), tiowever, until the web can find a way out of, its difficulties. NBC is now mulling two an- swers, to its ;problem. One would be the revolutionary step of pre- recording the show on film.. Process would' be similar to - that with which ABG now transcribes the. Bing Crosby radio airer and would incorporate the same ad- vantages. Show could thereby -be aired at any time selected, regard- less of Silvers' commitments for legit plays. Other alternative would be to slot the show in an^ other time. Web is now contem- Morris L. Ernst '.'discusses- TV in Relation To the Public Interest - . 'an •ditoriai feqture In ..the- 43d Anniversary Number of ■ '.. Out Soon ' . Bootlegging Fear Raised on Philly Barroom Tax Idea . ; : Philadelphia, Dec; 7. Hotneowners of television sets may take up bootlegging, saloon- keepers here warned city officials, if tiie proposed clamping ot an amusement tax on barroom; video goes through. , . , | fill in the 6 to 7 hour. The contention was made by of- | Currently scheduled ficers of the Philadelphia Liquor ■! Dealers Assn: in a conference with I NBC television has formed a separate programming depart-* ment to handle the local operation, of WNBT, its key N. Y. flagship, in the 6; to 7:30 p.m..;across-'the-board time... Operation is. to parallel that of WNBC, the web's N. Y. AM out-*: let, in that all programming dviring. that time will . be slanted -directly-' at viewers in the' N. Y. metropoli-i tan area and not grooved tor tli*!. network. Move is part of the integration recently established of WNBT with WNBC under the general super-: vision of Tom MacFadden, station nianager for both, John H. Reber lias been moved down from the; net's TV programming /department to handle the local operation. Since its entire operation is to be logged- during the usual 'dinner . hours, WNBT faces the same problem of lack of audience confronting Du-" Mont with' its daytime program- ming. ; It's , decided, nonetheless,^ to concentrate : on shows witli visual qualities, instead of defer-: ring to program formats that could: be just as easily enjoyed through sound only. Station has already closed the 7 to 7:30 segment with "Easy Does It," an informal musicale starring: harpist Adele Girard and singer-^ pianist Johnny Andrews. Philip Morris has bought a series of I spots ; on the show and WNBT is I now seeking other participating sponsors. Series of other shows, meanwhile, are to be showcased during the next several weeks to is "Fea- tured This Week," newsreel with empha.sis on the metropolitan fh™l"Hi?f3T s^vitcl, involving , Receiver of Taxes Frank Marshall I locale.'to be aired Fridays at 6 p.m. J;,f thl cfiT. . yesterday. City solons have been | wNBC announcer Fred Heywood T. of C. formally announced the I costs and related problems," and new setup last week. Outfit repre- s known that the latter category sents a corporation made up of ■ refers to Philco's persistent ob.iec- CBS, Music Corp. of America, Al- 1 [^'^^ }o having the Guild shows lied Syndicate and George Kletz, I broadcast on the same web only who was in on the original Tourna- h""'" Preceding its "Television nient of Champions. Dave Charnay, | "'^yflP^^^v head of Allied . Syndicate, was named secretary of: the outfit put the Silvers' offering finally in the Thursday night 8 to 8-30 spot. : Union. Angrles Loom Interest of. all legit actors in the problem lies in tlie fact that only one-hour nightly of wliat is gen- erally considered cream time, from' toying with the idea of extending to handle the narration. Also the 10% amusement tax to the , ^lated for a permanent spot is I "Tabletpp Natural History," for the - Other officers are Klets!, :pr,esident; Lawrence Lowman, CBS, veepee; and Charles Miller, MCA, treas- urer. COLGATE DRAMATIC Philco show: IS Sired in" thfe Suin- day night 9-to-lO .slot. ; GF now controls the preeediiig : hour : On the NBC-TV , web, bankrolling "Author Meets the Critics" from 8 to 8:30, and "Mept the Press" from 8:30 to 9. Food outfit wanted to i)ut the Guild sferieis in that' slot, but met will) prompt objection from Philco, wliich didn't go for Til OrnirO mn wnr ^^^^ °^ having a similar IV bERIES FOR NBl dramatic, scries slotted back-to- . ^ , , „ , ! back. Pliilco. through the Hutcli- Colgate-Palmolive-Peet makes its , ins ad agency, threatened to pull tele debut Jan. 3 with "The Col- , out of NBC-TV completely, bclore gate Theatre" dramatic series oit ' irr,nHr>,,.>.A r,a,ia n-n NBC's eastern video network, Mon- 1 (C ontinued on page 3 2) day.s, 9-9:30 p.m. Originating In,. New York, show will be fed i D" r;!^ initially to six other NBC-TV east- 1 Ding S riUIl inSeU ern affiliates and later may expand ■ via kine.scope recording. : i Colgate has not yet decided on ! tlve product to be plugged on the i show. ■■ Wm. l Esty agency handles the account. bars running tele shows. The taproom operators have steadily contended that such a move would endanger their busi- ness. The "bootlegging" angle was of several advanced by the 7-30 to 8:30, is now open to them. , ^ . ,j As far as NBC-TV is concerned, , "iealers as to why the tax should however, most of that time is al- levied. ready sold, which cuts still fur- ther into the TV opportunities for j legit thesps^ Pre-recording system I would thus seem to be the best 1 bet, since it would allow the show By forcing video out of the sa loon and into the home, the law would pave the way tor "speak- easies," the taproom people ar- Wednesday 6 to 6:30 slot. Show starts today ( WedJi featuring . Ivan Sanderson, 'zoologist and natural iiistorian, who has an ayem show on WNBC. Among the experimental tryouts scheduled are "The Monaghans," a half-hour Mr. and Mrs. show with : the emphasis on dressing up the 'home. It's pencilled in for the Tuesday 6;30' to: 7 segment; VHere's' gued. The homeowner "would be- How," a teenage show featuring to be staged anytime during the i g'u by inviting his friends in for i WNBC announcer Ed Herlihy, will day for transmission some time in 1 the video, and the next step would ' be tried out-ue&.lQ at 6:45. "Hob- the evening. But the numerous i find them paying for the refresh- \ union angles involved would first ■ ments. I have to be ironed oflt. | The city feels it has the author- i Broadcasters have already! 'ty to impose the tax, because of 1 stumbled on trouble in attempting an opinion handed down last | i to convince unions that kinescope ' month by the Pennsylvania su- ; recordings, made while a show is i preme court, which classified tele- on the air and used later on net- i vision shows as a "motion picture." work affiliate stations, represent j Tax officials liere have figured the only "delayed broadcasts" and i collections from video might run For Philco's Tele 'Xmas CaroF Show hence should not be subject to any as higii as $1,000,000 a year. More additional union fees. Prc-record- ', *an 2,000 taprooms in Philadel- by Shop," featuring Walter Law, who runs a stamp collector's club show on WNBC, will get its show- casing next Tuesday (14) in the 6:30 to 6:45 slot. WDSU-TV'S PRE-SALE OF DU MONT SHOWS ■'. .. '.' ;-,■■■!:•■ Hollywood, Dec; 7. No green, hand at cafteras^ Biti!?; Crosby took his first look intcf tele- vision leiises : singing; "Silent Night" with Mitchell Boys Choir C i C C L «»nii/irB I for an insert in Philco TV Play- let tor oat. on Wllltl ^ouse telecast of "Christmas Musical spot ' was Memphis Video Preem Memphis. Dec. 7. Pla?is are being stirred up here for Memphis', pi'eem video program when WMCT tees off with its regu- lar scheduled list of shows Sat- urday (It). G. M, Henry Slavick told Vahiety that show? will roach the Memphis and. midrsouth audi- ences from 7 to 10 p.m., .daily ex- cept Thursday. , , , Tlie programs will include music, xomedy, films, talks by top person- alities and other shows to give Dixie its actual: first all-out tele- ea,sting. In. step with its inaugural show, WMCT, which Is o. and o. by The Commercial Appeal, Scripps-How- ard daily ayem here, reports that reception on Its daily test pattern is received as far as 120 miles from downtown Memphis. : Ed Frazee, Jr., WMCT's engineer, is in charge of the technical layout of Memphis' only video outlet. WMC and WMCF. the station's AM and FM facilities, are affiliated with NBC. I Carol" Dec. 19 j kinescoped and flown east. . Yule ' show is for home sets here night ! after Christmas. I Foi- its radio series with Cro.sby, j Philco has bought time on KMPC ; to supplement KECA's coverages in the Los Angeles area, Program now airs on 260 ABC outlets and I 115 indie stations. ■[;.;.:':;:.::: ^^-w-^^-.^^ 'Who Said That' on TV NBC newscaster Bob Trout's "Who Said That," aired by NBC- I AM Sunday nights at 11:30, makes , it television bow tomorrow (Thurs- day) night on the NBC-TV web in the 10 to 10:30 segment. I Tele program will follow the same format as the radio show, using w.k. guests to identify 'quotes of famous people, with ."Trout as moderator^ Elsa Max- wellt H. V. Kaltenborn and George Allen, one of President Truman^s advisers, guest on . the preem ' ShOW'. .: ' . . '''.".■■' — -recor_ .. ing a show on film would iinmedi- ■ P'"^" are now equipped witli tele ately increase the union tangles. I vi-sion sets. NBC-TV execs this week are hud- > I dling with American Federation of |» . ^ „. n i f ■Musicians' prez .Tames C Pclrillo rnCe 1 219 Oil I .HlfV (1^ ■ Once his okay is obtained, the web * "^^ ^"'^J' will go on to the other unions in- i volved. Pre-recording would call \ for the show to be staged exactiv i as it Is during an actual airing, with a studio audience, etc As for the switch in time. NBC 1949 Tele Rights Will TV IS novv contemplating moving cincy Reds, is wailing until after Motorola s Nature o I l hings"pi-o- the major leagues' meetings in gram from the Thursday 8.15 to rh,o«on a «..*plr h^n^a h,>t'«,-n n„K 8.30 slot into the 8 30 to 8 4,3 seg- ment Monday nights. \a(,ile48 This is Tiie Columbia *XRI Ratings Report Ootobe>- ir-tS, 19i8. fNHI Total Aiidienc* Raiiiwu- *Oi!te trio of legit pro- ! staged "Close Quarters," a h - its viewers are bound to be kids, I lo^-aU debate «nd time lan out , ^^^^^.^ pointed out that the theatre I hour comedy penned by Cathei necessitating re-slants in content i as the merits, aemeiits. ejc ^een "dying" for the past 200 McDonald. A student at the U lined up as "supporting cast" adds P'CK '"A^^^l^ .lOKE SHOP up more or less to "stage waits." , With Betty White, 'Tod Cook. Jack For the major emphasis is on the, C«l>n- Walter Craig head man. whether he's tossing off Producer: Dick Haynes , one of those casual, humor-slanted , Director: Joe Landis integrated commercials or merely i Writer: Joe Lowe doins! an Intro for the next act ui5. 1 30 Mins., Thurs^ 8:00 p.ni. Wisely, producer Irving Mans- ' GRAND RANGES fic'nmnahip« «nrf rivl? thpi>h i"5 °^y> * neat, JOb aS the young Paula Watson, riding the crest of | ^^"w evident In the u''s. Brown i ^ij^li f^.S!^SlJ^^t^^ capable videocast "together without the aid Of strong emcee and a little comedy relief to break the music, Owen Davis,' Jr. Story of tlie tribulations of a young GI couple in a trailer camp on a college campus, the play emerged as an acceptable offering. Parts of it were reminiscent' ot other legiters and films, but the basic Story Jdea vvas good and Miss McDonald handled her dialog well. She's definitely a comer. What made the tele version elide, tlmugh, : was the top acting job turned in: by tile cast. Barry Nelson,, currently in the concession to video by conceallttg i of Pft repeated gags. .Betty, White - • ■ • - ' and Tod Cook, supporting Haynes ^er Supreme platter "A Little Bird | *'nMrrPd"thP dVsnis > Joe Lowe has%et up a tight for lU lUl.miS. TIU|liLj,nat for program but lapsed into : Hollywood. Dec, 7 .Ipoor gag material. Director Joe Stuart Erwin and his wife, June , Landis managed liis lens well but CoUyer, have been inked bv Hal ■ was caught short by badly focused Roacli, Jr., to make a series oi man ■ cameras. Commercials ai;e simply and wife television films for his d<>ne and could be effective with Federated Television Films, | ^^^^^ ^ ° Free Pix ■wilt be half-hour comedy | subjects revolving- about Erwin, beatsi driiihs and piano simultane- ously, gave the show what little response it did muster. Miss Wat- son throws all her weight and per- Spriality , into "Birdj" "Sunny Side, of tiie. Street" and three- additional tuties. All registered :stironglyi , -r , , , „ „ , Brankerrplayed. "Cow-Cow Boogie'' who plays secretary to Haynes, a„ original "That's What I proyesacutely videogenic. Stronger I ,j,j,oygl,t you Said" both of which patter witli gho.st voice ot Walter heavily. Branker's third tune, Craig would help in building show. .'Begin the Beguine" is strongly reminiscent of Eddie Qeywood, Mills Bros, went through three sbngs. and Crothers four. Mills' in'- terpretation of "Gloria" stacked up with their etching of tune. They stiffered some poor camera play throughput.i CrOthprs caine in f oir fbur songs blanketing a 15-minute I Gateson were fine as the in-laws. good. Murray later redeemed him- Rewarding for its comeback op- missed many possible camera self in a hilarious "Sea Wolf" skit portunity, this minstrelsy offering , angles and shots which could have i^vilh Berle and Janet Blair, which rates high in entertainment value. ! strengthened show. varieties combined parts of manv w.k. vaude: The pattern is a natural for video | suffered acutely from poor mike • • ■ and the station has come through I nandling. tree. with top talent; ' So much so that worked his emcee chore very ] rowed most of Berie's delivery and poorly, failing to set a pace lor pro- mannerisms. And where one Berle appeared very nervous on the show is terrific, the original and fliglitly before lens. Lutlier pj^^ g ^oad company edition wasn't Newby's dull camera direction I ponrl Mnrrav l!,tPr r»rto»T«o,l i,ir«. lately been incorporating more new and imaginative production techniques than any show on the air. Trick camera effects worked out by McCann-Erickson producer Lee Cooley and director Tom Hutchinson are novel and eye- pleasing. But the reason for it all still adds lip to aimaor ripley. Show now represents only another, form of vaudeo presentation with suf-» flcient rhyme but . no reason, and nothing but the camera chicanery to tie the acts together. Format of show last Thursday (2) night had Ross and a, girl-friend stepping out to a lush nitery. which would have formed a tiatural back- ground for the vaude acts. . But thrush Eileen Batten sang "Lost (Continued' on page 32) sketches Miss Blair, : featured ■ vocalist | with the late Hal Kemp's orch be- 1 the weekly programs might well be ; \SD BOX ' ^'^^^ entry into films, pleased I extended to a full hour. , wuy, ' vvilliam Whalen Slanlpv ' , * couple of songs, demon- 1 Selections of the end men were j "!^^„;;"^',X WnnrtwU strating she hasn't lost the know how of. tune-'selling. She looked! heaiiteous ,. brt : tiie kiheseopfe, , fclut.1 GO Mins., Wed.. Dec. 1. R d m. S^^^L t5°«?/J^ifehlyv.,^uriflatt0^^^^ Sustaining W PIX. N. Y. , , ., , -^^ 1 r-i^- Wciler, Earlc Wooditerry a ten-slrike. Joe Dunlevy, a Ci.i- , producer: Prof. .Albert M. Green- cinnatian, trouped with burnt-cork ^pj^ (NYU) "'vvm opries as far back as 1904 <•■■■ (Continued on page 32) Bob closeups which never do justice to an\one? Berle, of course, got into The N Y t; eolleenns were )^it , ^ct too and the two of them ing on an am^bitf^iL'Su" tvl^^'n ' ''IL'iBVM'i'.^?!^.^ Nonchalants (8); better- eo-year-old "classic" with 'music" by ' h^oorihffr n.^tpM,.'"""^ F^' Sir Arthur Sullivan. W S. Gilbert's 1 ah v witli snm.F'i'i^S ' " 1 sidekicit, and a libretto bv F. C. f'„^„ri 'V'^^^^ Burnard On the whole they did a t '"^^^lot'i^njS&elt-t-clo^sfng'lia „ , Who's! g .Her Now" number and! , , , . , , , accompanying cakewalk Berle The undergraduate east acted togged as a bustv old woman ! and sang well and managed to chimed in on the second chorus to I catch t>oine ot the period flavor so wind the show on a much brighter I essential to "Cox and Box," a note than Us starter i I rather creaky farce. William I I Whalcn was very good as Cox, the ; "ChsuppI i hatter. Stanlev Weiler was assiivpH ' „Psyfliologieal meller as Box berry V\'a,> ouTin„^^^^ would appeal much more to the hi now-stand^d "T wLS^^^^ t^ele*'vfe^?e^'"' -'-^^ ' kL,1°^^ He"'">?ow^' 'T,?!!';.'' FREDDIE LIGHTNER NOW Apiii>»rlii|c In "THE BABE RUTH STORY" DIrtcNon: LOU IRWIN '^H» Just a nobody 'til his manager dlKOvered liow inucb he liked Wlteati«f.'i er. Stanley Weilef was assured co-starrine R ■ h r ,.1 3ox. the printer, Earle Wood- < Bramwe^^ FW^L.H'f •y was adequate in the role of fusiZsi Uwitw f ' ^ -^""^ crafty L o n d o n landlord, ■ minutes o" ^^ ^ '^^' -"^ ' Bouncer, who rents the same room Piav^ ouse" in,,,!^,^ f?, Television I to a night worker and a dayworker, , u e nbC-TV wel? au, the aforementioned C. ahd B., with^ "i ow^ iitinLi wL ^"''1? '^^ out the knowledge of either, , the Vnal'Si„:t^ou^^viriii^ High points of the video version, Chatterton's phonv lauEli and th^ ' as in the theatre, are the famous axe routine, in which she steniipri . patter songs. In between there completely out of character to tnrn were times when the traditionally , the scene almost into a burlesaue hectic farce pace dragged notice- ; Cast, for the most part, was very ' ably. It might have been wiser for , good, under tte usual canable di- ■ tele purposes to have cut the orig- 1 rection of Fred Coe, Mss Chatte,- ' inal drastically; 1 ton, with the exception of that SAVEw»^KiER 8 X 10 GLOSSY PHOTOS $7 SOD— $30 lOOO^SSS 100, ,~>% niSCOU.NT tor rnsli with orilrr. Guunint<«"mv york U, N. Y. Wednesday, December 8, 1948 TELEVISION SI Hooper Hypos Video Ratii^s In line with video's- rapid growth, C. E. Hooper yesterday (Tues.) announced: an expanded television rating service to begin operations in January in nine cities where TV is currently re- ceiving the greatest play. At a later date, Hooper will extend the ratings to eight other cities. Initial group of video Hooperatlngs, for which subscribers have to shell out extra coin if they want It, will In- clude New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Cleveland, Petroit; Chicago, St. Louis and Los Angeles. Making a sales pitch for his outfit's services befoi'e about 200 ad agency execs at the Hotel Bilt- morCj N. Y.,, Hooper declared his twice-yearly national projectable ratings for AM programs were suf- ficient for radio's current needs. Taking his usual swipe at the A. C. Nielsen sei'vice^ Hooper asserted his diary technique for checking national listening . habits . had a greater - accuracy . because it was distributed over a.wider geographi- cal area. ~ ■ . ■: ■ Hooper's TV service will hence- forth also include regular rating checks on the general overall pull- ing power of video as compared' with AM radio. Currentlyj . the national picture reveals that AM accounts for over 98% of all home listening with ; the remainder ; di- vided between FM and video, irooper declared, however, that this disproportion between video jmd AM will soon be transformed into video predominance. He ad- . vised agency , execs to hold sub- stantial budgets in reserve to cover TV survey needs not anticipated now. WORTelePixonUbor Arbitration Are Set For N.Y. Filmhouse Test-run , WOR, N. Y.'s video films on labor arbitration will be test -run for patrons of three New York film houses Dec. 17-20. The films, a half-hour version of Samuel R, Zack's unrehearsed series depict- ing actual labor dispute mediation, will be shown as an addition to the regular bill in theatres in lower, middle and upper class New York neighborhoods. Patrons will be furnished with reaction, cards and asked to fill them in after the showings. Films- were shot by WOR at the 20th-Fox studios in Manhattan. They were originally intended for release over WOR's two, video affiliates no\V under construction, WOIC; Wash- ington, and WOR-TV, N. Y. Sta- tion will also make the series avail- able to other tele stations outside' Washington and New York which have expressed interest in the pro- ject. WOR plans to shobt Up to 104 video films each year, not more than 26 on one subject. They are produced as 30-minute open-enders for video use, but may be trimmed to 20 minutes for theatre release. I Station will also print them on 1 16m film for libraries and indus- trial relations organizations. Nor- I man Livingston, WOR's commer- cial program operations director,; supervised production. Collier's Grid Team In Telepic for Philco Hollywood, Dec, 7. Philco and Star Outfitting Co., Philco distributors, have set a deal with CoUier'i magazine whereby they will use* Collier's pick of Ail- American players for television presentation over KTSL. ; . ; Philco has been running a 20v minute film teevee program over^ KTSL all grid season. Firm pre-: sents highlights in top football games of the week from; footage which they have rolled. This stock will be used in. presenting the final vidshot, a; 45-minute program, of country's top players; in action. UA Video Sets 1st Deal Buys 78 Siiorts Produced by Jules Fields Kansas City— KCMO, ABC out- let :and> 50,000 watter here, has been cited by the network for promotion work in its city population class. The Fifth Annual competition, judges were advertising directors of the sponsors Whose programs are heard on ABC and account execs of the advertising agencies. AMSTERDAM'S TELE PREEMSETF0RDEC.16! Morey Amsterdam television show is scheduled for launching on the CBS-TV web Dec. 16 in the 8 to 8:30 p.m; slot.: Incorporating a vaudeo'comedy format, the show will assume the fictitious nitery setting, the "Golden Goose," of Amsterdam's radio airers but will otherwise have no similarity to the radio show;; : Appearing on the show with Amsterdam: will be singer . Alice Turrel; Bob Carney as a stooge for the comic, and Temple Texas : as a cigaret girl; .' No . sponsor . has yet been tagged. TV B casters On A Yuletide Binge ; Television: broadcasters are lin^ ing up ambitious plans for Christ- mas Day shows, but none will be as expensive as the $25,000 time and talent nut involved in Elgin- American's Thanksgiving presentar lion on the ABC-TV web. CBS-TV and the Wrlgley com- pany are co-sponsoring a mass Christmas party at the 71st Regi- ment Armory, N. Y., from which a remote pickup is to be made from noon to i p.m. More than 1,000 kids . of ivarious faiths will be in- vited, selected by various philan- ithropic institutions. Paul Feigay will produce the show, which is to have a circus parade, vaudeo acts, clowns, rides, etc. No talent commitments have been made yet. NBC-TV plans a pickup of the show to be staged at the :Kings- bridge veterans hospital, N, Y., from 3 to 4 p.m., Christmas Day, with Hamilton Watches sponsoring. Peter Donald has been set as emr cee, with Pearl Bailey and Bert Wheeler definitely booked so far. Agency is BBD&O. Plans for the ABC-TV web and DuMont haven't been set. It's known definitely that Elgin-Amer- ican won't come in for a repeat of the :Thanksgiving show, which drew bad notices despite the all- star lineup of talent involved. Chi's Louis-Conn Scramble Chicago, Dec. 7. All three tele stations here are t>itching hard for the Louis-Conn exhibition bout at the Chf Am- phitheatre, Fri. (10), but no deal has been . pacted so far.; Louis, who gets a percentage of TV rights, and Frankie Harmon, promoter, are holding off, both to build up the bids,; and to protect the gate from inroads via advance plugging of video. :> Stations complain the holdoff makes it rough from the standpoint of snagging sponsors. WBN-TV, however, is reported to have signed a bankroller and made a bid of $5,000 for the bout. WBKB feels that, given the go-ahead, it can turn up a ' sponsor and match WGN-TV's bid. PIH'S WDTV SET FOR JAN. 12 COMl BOW WDTV, DuMont web's owned- and-operated station in Pittsburgh, has scheduled Its commercial tee- off for Jan. 12i the day: the coaxial cable link from : Philadelphia through Pittsburgh to Cleveland will be put into operation to link, the east and midwest networks.. Pitt outlet will depend almost en- tirely at the start on shows- origir' nating from WABD, DuMont's N. Y. flagship, for its program- ming. Donald A. Stewart, former man- ager of the northern division of DuMont Labs, ; has been named WDTV : station manager. Station has been transmitting a test pat- tern fir the last couple of weeks, preparatory to its official launchr ing. It will be the web's third o.&o. outlet, joining WABD and WTTG, Washington. DuMont's applications for two other stations, in Cleveland and Cincinnati, are .now pending hefore the FCC until the Commis- sion decides on the amount of con- trol Paramount holds over the web. United Artists' video subsid, aiming to begin sales and distri- bution of TV product by Jan. 1, closed a deal Monday (6) with Jules Fields for 78 half-hour shorts. Fields is former publicity director of 20th Century-Fox. Pact calls for three series of 28 each, with options. Series are labeled "Sports Sidelights." "Fash- ions on the Go" and "Supersti-s tions." Along with a considerable quantity of other product which John Mitchell, UA's TV topper, has lined up, these are expected to give the company "a rounded library" for the start of selling after the New Year. UA estab- lished the department two months ago. Distrib will collect a 321/2 % fee for handling Fields' video product. It contracts to attempt to sell the shorts to four types of users: video stations, video networks, commer- cial sponsors and advertising agen- cies. Company also retains first re* fusal rights on distribution of the pix to theatres if any are suited to that medium, :' / Fields is guaranteed no finan- cial return by UA. However, if, after delivery of the first one of each series, the company cannot- assure him of sales which will re- turn to him 60% of the cost of production plus the distribution fee, he has the option of dropping the deal. Films, which actually run 27 min- utes, allowing open ends for three . minutes of commercial, station identification, etc., will cost about $5,000 each. With 22 video situa- tions (market areas), UA figures It can easily meet the $4,000 mini- mum it must guarantee Fields to keep him under contract. That would amount to an average of lest than $200 per situation. UA'ff contracts with producers gives : It rights to the product for five years. In lining up his films, Mitchell has been attempting to avoid stock library stuff in favor of newly-shot material. "what're you doing Saturday, handsome? ff MORE IMPORTANT to advertisers — what are OXHER people doing Saturday afternoon? Well, sir/\vould you believe it, they're listening to their radios; listening to WOR! Saturday turns out to be a fertile field day for advertisers. Golden nuggets are moping around just waiting to be mopped up. !■ More PEOPLE listen Saturday afternoons (1 : 30 to 5:00) than during the week. And we're NOT talking about the sports season. We mean from December through March. 2b 170% more MEN listen Saturday afternoons (J^rd of the audience is full-grown and male) . 3« As many WOMEN listen Saturdays as do during weekday afternoons (52% of the Saturday afternoon audience is female) . / WHAT A DAY to advertise a family product on WOR ! WHAT A DAY to pay low WOR daytime rates for what is practically a night-time audience! —heard by the most people where the most people are WOR Z2 RADIO Wedneaclay, December 8, 1948 Television Reviews Contlitued from VW 30 ■ Bentley, a veteran general business man of the stage and radio, fills his new part capably. A standout sort shoe dancer in his prime, Dun- levy SUU contributes a deligiitful hoofing routine. Interlocutor Bill Thall, on the okay side, also ap- pears in minstrel costume. The band boys and male singers wear dinner jackets. Vocalists, without exception, are on the quality side. Bob Shreve, tenor, and Ann Byan, pop, being standouts. , Adds up to solid all-faraily fare and fits snugly into the station's Sunday night three-hour buildup, including TV playhouse. KoH. SANTA GLAUS With ?aul Hodges, others Writers'. Hodges and Tom Ford Producer-Director: Ford 80 Mtns.: Moh.-thru-Sat., 6:30 p.m. WEWS-TV, Cleveland WEWS ushered in the Christ- mas season with a neatly-prepared half-hour format featuring Paul ■Hodges as the gent with the whiskers. Script was prepared around station calling in Santa at the North Pole with a clown at the dial and chart flashing signals to and from Cleveland to the Pole. It was a nice intro gimmick. At the Pole was Santa with his helpers in combination workshop- playshop. Santa also served as narrator in story Illustrated by Slides. It sums up nicely, but half -hour performance came up with several ■flaws* With all tlie rich Xmas stories, available program need not have turned to "Alice in Wonder- land" or "Ivanhoe" for narration- slides: "Ivanhoe" is a seventh- grade story for 12-year-olds, who may be a bit too sophisticated for Santa's charm. Also, Hodges' grammar left Santa vulnerable. The "Good Fairy" doing ballet was clever, but with, many good chforful Xmas tunes available, Why select a hymn? Mark. unfolding a tale of B'rer Babbitt and B'rer Fox to an attentive juve audience. Simplicity of the show and wholehoartedness with which Scribner works- his way into It, makes telecast a powerful vehicle. ,Don Hine,.. camera director, on the show, moves in effectively with TV lens, Hine follows the story accurately . with his cameras add' ing strength to the mood created by Scribner's yarn. Sets also aid in creating a mood. Free. CBS Unhappy Continued' from ikage ti ; repercussions from the Lever front. Not with the kind of Lever bill- ings and programs that Columbia enjoys. They 're not even going to press the point. So the present pattern calls for Harris & Faye to continue on NBC, even though it's reported that Har- ris would he agreeable to moving into CBS at 8. But that's where "Sam SpMe" comes in again. ::As for Bergen; he'll continue on jNBC at least into February-, for he's not making a move until he's certain of Ihc D.C. nod on his Coca-Cola capital gains deal, CBS is confident that eventually everything will crystallize into the pattern that's been designed. But the present sidetracking isn't invit- ing any handsprings. I'STOPMUSinilNE STIRS LEGAL WRANGLE [ Hollywood; Dec, 7. I 'Louis G. Cowan agency, pack- I agers of ABC's prize Hooperating I audience participation show "Stop the Music," threatened George Simon, publisher of song "Stop the Music," with an injunction suit if he doesn't withdraw the tune. ' Simon reported that Babe Bussin I and Jack Hoffman wrote the tune two months ago. Publisher took it over and sent a test platter to the agency in N. y.i figuring they might want to use it as a theme, song for the: airer. He said: they advised him later other pub- lishers had the same, idea, and that they had boiled the candidates^ down to a pair, including his. They picked the other one. Simon said he would go ahead and publish his version .anyway;. Agency, then threatened to enjoin him from usr mg it, he said yesterday. Folsom Continued from page 22 SLEEPY JOE With Jimmy Scribner Director: Don Hine - IS .JUins.i Mon. thru Frl., 7 p.m. Sustaining KT.SL-Don Lee, L.A. Fi ve times weeklj videocast star* rin'- .Timiny Scribner should prove socko driiw with juve Set* Telecast tuiiod to tot trade will also draw its siiiare of adult audience. Simple format relies entirely on Scribner -who: carries his 22 voices into kid tales. KTSL has outfitted Scribner in blackface and baggy clollies and seated: him on the front porcli of a ram.shackle house where action centers. Initialer finds Scribner it's understood, preferred to re- main DTI top of the broadcasting picture. Thus the NBC top shelf status remains unchanged, with Trammell continuing at the helm and Charles R. Denny as exec veepee. The RCA prexy berth remained unfilled ever since firig. Gen. David Sarnoff moved into the board chairmanship, in 1947 upon retirement of the late Gen. James G. Harbord, although nominally he held down both posts. Sarnoff, it's been disclosed, will remain chief executive officer of RCA as well as chairman of the board of NBC and RCA Communications, Inc. M-G-M— "On an Island with You" 'jiiK cvMi:!, snow r.viTy l'iran.r >'lte. 9:30 E.S.X. Mgt.: LOU CLAYTON Adams to NBC David G, Adams, vlce-prexy and general counsel for RCA Communi- qations, has resigned that post to become assistant to Charles R. Denny, exec v.p. of NBC. The switch becomes effective Dec. 31. Adams, former FCC counsel, joined RCA Communications in July of this year after serving as general assistant counsel for NBC for several years. CBS to Limit SSSS Continued from page 23: js tion by Fitts, of the CBS veepee, on the fifth day of the hearings. Previ- ously, the network had presented testimony by officers Of several- large affiliates to show, that tlie stations prefer to have CBS handle their national spot representation and .did not sign up under pressure. When the hearings resume Jan. 3 it is expected that another week; will be required to wind up the pro- ceedings, inasmuch as the spot sale operations of NBC and ABC are still to be taken up. Mutual, ^hich does not own any stations; and Du Mont Television Co. are also parties to the proceeding. Earlier in the week's hearings,; Gertrude Scanlon, who handles the Wiidroot account for Batten, Bar- ton;- Durstine & Osborn, testified that the, Sam Spade show which the (Shampoo firm sponsors, costs from I $5,000 to $8,000 a week for live tal- lent in addition to the network charge of $600,000 annually. A good network half-hour-a-week show comparable to Spade would cost close to $1,000,000 a year for radio advertising- alone . on CBS or NBC and less on ABC, she said. Miss Scanlon said that the fac- tors determining an advertiser's de- ci.sion to choose between spot and: national coverage are (1) money,; ( 2 I area of distribution, (3 ) kind of product and possible seasonal or geographical appeal, and (4) de- I sire to supplement- network with I spot programs by ; buying time on inon-network stations for local ad- vei tising. ■■. I Under questioning, Miss Scanlon said that most agencies, accordmgi j to hearsay, make only Z^'o profit ion their 15% commissions. BASE'S PHILLY CHECKUP Philadelphia, Dec: 7. .John Babb, who moved his pack- age radio and television firm here from New York recently, is a pa- tient in Graduate Hospital for a checkup. He's expected to return i to Work this: week. He has deals pending with agen- cies for sponsored network radio show and a commercial TV series to originate front here. Radio Reviews S Continued f iom VMfeU j MESSSL with the limited material Joan Air lison played Sheila Marsh, a lady novelist whose book about wolves was turned down by a publisher because she'd obviously never met a wolf. John Ha rvoy. permanent male lead for the series, portrayed a shy guy who protended to be wolfish to help tlie lady write a more authentic novel: I: Miss Allison unfortunately was I burdened with dialog which made it hard to believe she: could have written: a grocery, list, let alone a 1 novel. m me GO FOR THE HOUSE Tele Followup i Continued from pBce $0 j in a Fog" against a streetcorner backdrop, with simulated fog whisping past her face. Paul Haakon danced his "Champagne Ballet", ostensibly in a tank of champagne, with bubbles floating- up between him and the cameras, As mentioned, Cooley deserves credit for his creative experimen- tation with a new medium but, besides the trick: effects being overdone, they impressed as too unnatural. Other acts, while presented more mundanely^ came off better. Drum* mer Bobby Haggert and bass-: thumper Terry Snyder beat out "Big Noise from Winnetka" with all stops pulled and pianist-con- ductor Harry Simeone , virtuosoed. a flashy arrangement - of "Danse Macabre." Miss Barton pleased with "Just One of Those Things" and Ross did his usual capable tenoring on "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" and "For You." Jack Parker ran - through:: a couple of juggling: routines 'neatly. Swift plug was confined to a midway home economy lesson by Martha. Logan, a regular on the show, but the commercial, rou- tined among the vaudeo acts, only broke up the format unnecessarily. "Actors' Studio" adaptation of its V second James Thurber story* "The Night The Ghost Got In," on ABC-TV Sunday night (5) was an attempt at whimsy that didn't quite come off. Losing in transla- tion Thurber's quality of mad but methodical wit, the dramatization was more hectic than clever and more scatterbrained than zany. What story .there was involved some ghostly burglars who invaded a -New York household with noisy and complicate results. The flaws in this half-hour, however, arose out of the script and not the pro- duction, which rendered the ma- terial in competent fashion.: Nydia Westman, as a high. will have Edith Atwater starring in "Parlor Story," while the following week will see a televersion of Charles Dipkens' "Christmas Carol," in which a film clip of Bing Crosby singing "Silent Night" will be integrated. Dennis King has been set for the "Scrooge" role in "Carol." Next in the series is to be J. M. Barrie's "The Lady Shows Her MedaU." Zasu Pitts will follow in "Ramshackle Inn," w itli the follow- ing week seeing Jose Ferrer star- ring in "Cyrano de Bergerac." After that will come Mady Chris- tians starred in "Papa Is AH" and then "Pride and Prejudice," which hasn't been cast. CBS Builds Up SS Continued from page 23 Be Ignorant." CBS frapkly con- fessed nobody; was interested. Within two weeks, however, the whole picture has changed. Wrig- ley, which is. . moving Gene Autry out of the Sunday at 7 slot to make way for: Jack Benny, is :schedule» pietely furnished house and lot! Master of ceremonies John Reed King selects couples from the eager auaience . . .leads them through a series of preUmini^y questipna thatwin them furnishings . , .then on to the flijali susr penseful^ jaekpot query . With housing everyonf bi§^* ache, tills show is a natural for terrific intjW^t evffy< where! For details, ask your ABC representaAve or ; 1 1 ABC PROGRAM DEPARTMENT 30 Robkefeller Plazs- Circle 7-5700 I W l AM, Cleveland ' At last. WTAM has removed the bushel hiding one of its prize pack- ages, to permit local audience to hear the Clevelandaires, the 18- piece studio orchestra under the: direction of Walberg Brown The mu.sicians have been playing oil the network from Cleveland, five mornings a week, but not heard locally. In its opening show, the Cleve- landaires were as.sisted bv Ken Ward, staff tenor, and "Gloria Busse, mezzo soprano. It is planned to have a new female vocalist each, week augmenting the oi-cliestra- Ward payoff. Opening show was tops music- ally, with the orchestra's handling of Paul Beresford's arrangement of "Valse Bluette" socko. Ward did a neat "Cool Water" and Miss Busse clicked -with "In the Still of the Night." Afarfc. Documentaries 5s; Continued from jage Z!S ^ Among the new flock of doeu- mcptanans, only Robert Saudek, ABC vice-prexy in charge of public affaira programming,; has, thit^ far attaint'd a reputation comparable to those enjoyed by the oldtimcrs, Saudek has been assisted by such scripters as Erik Barnouw ahd Morton Wishengrad in several of/ his top documentaries; » At CBS, Werner Michel has Ih- herited the mantle dropped by Hel-: Ici". Michel, working under CBS vice-prexy Davidson Taylor, col- laborates vMlh Phil Eisenberg and Sam Abelow on his stafl'. A.t NBC the documentary staff is headed by Wade Ai-nold and James Harvey: With the advent of television aired documentaries are turning towards the use of films and are drawing upon fiilm craftsmen! ABC winch i„ putting on the first televised documentary early in 1949, is utilizing .Tulian Bryan, ot the International Film Foundation, i?P;,'^'*"?'-'t "i?^'l"al in Europe iol "The Marshall Plan" program WDSU broidcisH 5000 vim-. Ihr^ .from the. French Quarter CO . the Gulf and South Louisiana listencrt..'^ From daily assoclatton with time-honortnl .: Sew OyUtiin iiisntntions WDbU hat; developed a high quality of integrity; ■ WDSU devotes progMfit .Innr rtgutarif : .»nd cxclu..»ivcly. to the.St. Louis CathcdraJ^ the International House, Moisant Inters: . nition-jl Airport; TuJanc Unrvcrsity, ; Union Station, the Municipal Atiditoriutn^ . iiphonics and Operas. WDSU's dominate Hoop. .. crating provc^ :.|hat 'hoh- . oring local ifis!:itu.ti()nii creates high tistenct ' loyalty. NEW ORLEANS 1280 kc WDSU ABC AHiliQl* 5000 Wntli . "niHtiiirtij- nbore tlif. nveniee in Hii dlvlnloii." — t'oiirlrr KiritrpHS, Buffalo.. ''WHAT MAKES voir TICK?" ABC Mi>ndoy Thru Friday 1 1 .-45 to 1 2:00 fpr PROCTER and .CAMBIE ; CBS, Monday thru Friday, 3:45-3 P.M. ■ ■:■ With JOHN K. M. McCAFFERY . Written and Diraettd bf ADDISON SMITH Wednetdny, DcMnilicr S, 194B TilLBVISION - RAMO S9 biidde Stuff-Rafio New York radio's "Two Pair of Pants" bonanza, coined from heavy advertising by the men's clothing companies, is pegged at over $1,000,000 annually- This figure includes expenditures made by such, outfits as Crawford's, Bond's and Howard's, who were excluded from Variety's lineup last week because they were not "made" by radio plugging, as In the case of those listed. Barney's, incidentally, spends about $150,000 annually on the local stations and bankrolls several programs In addi- tion to its familiar spots. Other clothing bankrollers on the local air- waves are .Buddy Lee, Simon Ackerman and Billy Taub. Indie stations sharing most of the gravy are WNEW, WMGM, WMCA, WINS and WOV. Judge Aubrey L. Ashby, pensioned former general counsel of NBC, was brought forcibly back into national attention by Milton Mayer's Biticle in last week's issue of The Nation. Ashby' is now unsalaried president of Olivet College in the Michigan town of the same name of Which he is an alumnus. The Mayer piece charges Ashby with firing a faculty member without charges or hearing on "prejudice," the alleged booting taking place the first day Ashby was on the job and while the prqf was on leave. Mayer does not give Ashby's side of the case. CBS has apparently called a halt to further firings of stenographers, clerks and other '.'small fry" following strong protests from the office workers' union chapter at 485 Madison ; in Manhattan. Management and union alike are reticent on the numbers let out during 1948, but . estimates of two main waves of about 50 each and some sporadic :in- betweeners are heard. From accounts CBS and the union kissed and made up and CBS' handed out some raises for those remaining as a sweeter-upper gesture. Two Unite of Indie Pic Co. Now Shooting in Gotham America's Best Television Pro- ductions, indie package 'agency producing special video shows on film, will open an office in Holly- wood early next year to take care of expanding schedules. Coast branch will give the organization a chance to utilize CIRCLIIIG THE KILOCYCLES locales and personalities in its pix according to ABT general manager Ira H. Simmons. Two separate production units, meanwhile, are currently shooting in N. Y. First, costarring Nancy Donovan and Michael O'Duffy, is working on a series of 13 "Album of Songs." Second unit, "The Music Wheel," costars Penny Ed- wards and Keith Andes. Detroit »— Frank Pettay, disk jockey on WJR, is now doing a one-hour show seven days a wejek for Chrysler CorpV ' It's a' record irxii,„.,„^ j show, on the air 1-2 a.m„ called Hollywood , ^,,e "Hour of Entertainment." . Tele Now in Kentucky State Tax Orbit Via Sets Admish Charges ; Television tucky state Louisville,, Dec. T. is now in the Ken- tax orbit, now that Glevland— -Al Shambergeri for nine years WHK traffic manager, has been named assistant program director along with his trafl^ic chores. Don Yarnell named cout tinuity director at the station and Coddy Christiensen takes over,] publicity post. Paul Bairstrow . moves into station's sales staff; while William E. Sprague becomes ' -promotion manager. I Toledo, has joined .WCAE produc- tion department as music librarian. She succeeds Terry Malerba, who r e s i g n e d . . . Stephanie Diamond, has a new show, the Radio Be.-: porter, on KDKA every Monday evening at 6:15. It's a chitchat program about 'shows on station, both . network and local, and the personalities on them and : each week she interviews a w.k. KDKA artist. New Orleans-^Joe F. Hushton has applied to the FCC for a new standard radio station at Shreve- port. Odessa, Tex.— ^Ted Walters has joined the commercial staff here Of KKCK as an account exec. Austin —^ Jo Anne Whiimire, : member of the faculty - of Radio | Hous'e, of the University of Texas, here, has been appointed general conference chairman for. the next vision station, is on the air. Opera- 1 gj.^ nab Los Angeles Newspaper Publishers agreement against restoring radio columns fell apart at the seams when three signatory members yielded to the pressure of readers and the radio-tele daily spread in the new i tors of places providing TV amuse tabloid Mirror. First to kick over the traces was Daily News, which j ment for patrons and charging for installed Walter Taliaferro as ed. Hearst afternoon sheet, Herald- 1 the service were placed under the Express, hasn't gone all out but is using INS column and some local' .news. Examiner, other Hearstling, sent for Nick Kenny, who's laying out the page, and will pick a radio man to run it., L. A; 'J'imes is the, last holdout, but desk men say it's only a matter of days. Agreement had been in effect since 1937. \v\^Tv TV Tr„«t,.„ir.,'„ «„J I annual conference of the 13th Dis- WAVE-TV, Kentucky s first tele-i^rjgt ^g^^ „f Vforaen Broadcast- Tele Chatter ConUimed from page 26 { Firm has already . filmed a series of musical briefs at a cost of $1,500 per short which are being peddled to teevee outlets ... KTTV, CBS- 'Ximes station, hopes to get sched- uled test pattern on the lir by the jnd of this week . , KSFO's tele- vision station, KplX, will make its febut in mid-December, in San rancisco. . .Hal Roach, Sr., tees off his television film- program on Dec, 10 with series of taniily situa- tion comedies tagged' "The Brown Family," which Harve f'oster will .direct. Subjects each will run 3.0- mlnutesf, witji gQach bgvisg writ- If It' « a Feature Production" It's Especially Designed to Suit the Ad- vertiser's Needs. PRODUCERS OF HINT HUNT LADIES BE SEATID SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT BRAND NEW BRIDES MAN ON THE FARM AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP SHOOT THE MOON LET'S CLEAN UP K-l-D-S CARNIVAL PUT 'N TAKE PRODUCTIONS 228 N. LaSalle St., Chicago State 3156 4- state>'s amusement tax law by a state revenue dept. regulation Sat- urday, • ( 4 ) . Director of division of excises, who issued the order, said that places offering television and levying admission or. minimum charges are providing entertain- rment as v^'pure and simple" as night clubs, dance halls and the- atres. They should be taxed ac- cordingly, he added. . Spots: already paying the state amusement • tax' will not be taxed additionally if they have television facilities, said David K. Walker, the tax official. The director said he had re- ceived several reports from district ten first himself. . .Frank Woodruff has joined KTTV as staff director. Woodruff is currently in N. Y. for two week CBS-TV training course ; Marshall Grant-Realm, Produc- tions has completed "Necklace," ''Sir Maletroit's Door" , and "The J of f ices about places in Covington, Invisible Wound" as first three I Newport and Louisville charging telepix in series for American To- patrons primarily because of tele- baoco . . : CBS is renovating: one of its standard broadcast studios for KTTVs TV usage . . Ann Archer is producing and directing "Modern Women" series for Sentinel Pro- ductions. . .Rita Glover has joined KTTV as scenic director. . ."Prime Ribbing'' video show over KTSL, has been dropped by L. K. Ward following 13-week pact. Chicago Vernon Brooks, ohief of WGN- TV, oft this week for the A. T. & T. allocation meet in N. Y. . . . Novel by Chi author now going the rotinaS of publishers does for tele- vision what Frederic Wakeman'a 'The Hucksters" did for radio . . . Don Faust checking out as veepee of Television Advertismg Produc- tions to .loin WLW. TAP mean- casts. Nate Lord, ' v.p. and general manager of WAVE-TV, only TV sta- tion now operating in Louisville, said he knew of no places in the Louisville area that would come un- der Walker's regulations; • As of Dec. 1, '48, Lord said, WAVE-TV had a list of 2,338 TV owners in the Louisville area. Only 227 of the sets were in public places, mostly taverns and bars charging no admission' or minimum prices. Kansas City— ^Fourth station was added to list of Arthur Capper rar dio properties when KCKN-FM: took to the air here Nov.. 29t Ben Ludy, Capper's general manager, said the new FM outlet will go in heavily: for sports, with Larry Ray, KCKN sportscaster;- duplicating all KCKN sports events !(nd originate ing sQime broadcasts especially for KCKN-FM. Forth Worth— Latest addition to ; the staff of WBAP is Bill McAn- , drews who joins the announcing i staff. College Station, Tex;-^Frank J; Sosolik, chiqS engineer for WTAW since' 1943, has been named station .manager. Omaha— -KBON made its FM bow Sunday . (5). Plan at present is to run identical programs with KBON's. AM station. This makes the second FM station ;in town, KOAD being the first. Minneapolis— Stillwaterj suburb of St. Paul, expects to have radio station in operation by March 1. It will be the first offering voice to a suburb. Victor J. Tedesco; secretary of St. Croix Broadcast- ing Co., said construction will start soon after Christmas, with trans- mitter on a site near Stillwater. , New Tele Business Cincinnati-^Now devoting full time to direction of' newscasts and public relations, John E. Murphy's publicit.v chores on WCKY have been taken over by Essie Rupp, continuity staffer; Station has three newcomers; Leo Underhill, announcer, from WZIP, Covington, Ky., opposite Cincy; Rex Dale, an- nouncer and disk: jockey, from WMBD, Peoria, 111, and Don Davis, from KSOK, Arkansas City, Kan., assisting Nelson King on jockey programs. Albany-— Jack Healey, who for sometime did a conservation- pro- gram over WGFN in Schenectady, has started a hunting and fishing stint on WROW in Albany. Swank, Inc.. makers of men's jewelry, signetl for a serieis, 'tii spots on: two: stations each in New while ftghtening its belt . . . WBKB York, Philadolpliia, Baltimore and lensing the G YO boxing Journey Vineland, N. .I.-T^Fred Wood has bee n a p pointed genera 1 m an a ger of WWBZ, Vineland. He was loinierly connected Avith WIP and WFIL in Philadelphia. Cincinnati — First Cincy news- caster to u.se the teleplione "beep',' recorder and auto-telephone, Tom McCarlhy is scoring beats witli them for WKRC, His "beep" bow was a scoop interview with a wom- an outside , the courtroom where she had just been acquitted of poi- Memphis — Mrs. Pat McGee was upped to post of WHHM oftice managex' by station director Pat McDonald here; this week. She also doubles in brass and serves as the : station's auditor. Washington during :D e c e m b e r Yhurs" (9) '. . . "U. S "Treasury Agency is Kudncr. falute," aired by ABC on AM and Three new clients bought 13 V Mon. lO), \\as the fir.st smnil- v\eeks of spots on WTMJ-TV, Mil- cast to hit the midwest tele net ... waukee Journal station. They in- Pending tiein between the . Chi | elude Consolidated Apparel, placed Siln-TilHes and WBKB includes a 1 by the Giistav Marx agency; P. , . . spot for XJlmer Turner, Sun- 1 ,i. Kaufman Co., Milwaukee Stude- 1 soning her daughter; a sensational Times newscaster and former i baker denier, and Pioneer Sci- case locally. McCarthy followed radio ed , . . Joe Louis guested entific Corp. Agency for the lat- with an on-the-scene repoit ol the "Kup's Show-Up" Fri. (3) . . . ter is Canton. spectacular .$60,000 K o"f C Hall Reinald Werrcnrath, Jr., field op- Barbasol Co, signed taiemenx is- x| - „ since 1938. sued by WBKB says: "WBKB is not "on, stalling Dec. 10, Review" ne'wsl'eel I ^"d a mobile account of a Xmas I show over'\he CBS-TV ucb, to be ! 'hopping tniftii- jam in the down- • - - . - . - - . town section. interested in becoming a slave sta: tion to a network: Nor is it happy to see other stations plug in to shows that are .produced in other ^ cities. Tlie station is proud to be I a local operation." Toni Tightens AM Purse To Finance TV Chicago, Dec. 7 Spot sales on WGN-TV, Chicago, include 26 . one-minute film an- nouncements for Pioneer Scientific Corp. iPolaroid Lens), 13 one- minute film p a r t i c i p a: ti o n by DuMont Laboratories, Inc., in "Ghicagoland , New.sroel;" and a weekly one-minute film announce Glen Falls, N. Y. — Appointment of Riohard P. Weld as l^rogram director, ot WWSC has been an- nounced' by Caii-W. Mattison, gcn- ei-al manager. Columbus— rEdwin Randall, for- inent for Gibby's Restaurant, 52 i mer radio director of Christian Entry' weeks. Starting Dec, 14. I : Taylor Manufacturing (Wright rijbber tile) bankrolling the :10- ';:minute "Let'S: Look at the News" „,.„,,„. , , . three nights weekly, ,starting Dec. Tom Co. bankrolling of the last jq^ Via WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee. Sale quaitei--bour of "Ladles Be-Seated" was direct. Rural Overseas Program (CROP) has joined staff of WRFD, rural station here, as director of com- munity service. i vvill be cut from five to tliree ' limes weekly, starting Dec. 27. I llairwavcr is '.hifting funds from Mis radio budget to finance entry . into TV. I In cutting down to Mon., Wed., and Fri , Toni reverts to the part- l lime sponsorship used when it fir.st i pinned its label on "Ladies" in I March, 1947. Company began five New '^pot biz on WBKB, Chicago, Pes Moines — Kingslev II, Mur- phy, president of KSO, Dcs "Let fflc go wbere «r I iwill, I hear t tky- born music still." That vai Eaierion.. RalphWaldo. In New York, for that tLy- born music, he would have to go onlj as far as WQXR and WQXR.FM oa his radio dial, li'or thcre, as half a million New York families know, he. would find sky-born music alwaya.These families lune to these stations constantly .. . so constantly.ao other station can reach.' th^ffl to effectively. They, love good things as they love good music . , and can afford to buy them, too, That's why advertisers make them preferred choice itt this biggest a^d richest- of all markets. May we make you better 'aC(]u,ainted with them? Art Manufacturing Co, Philip Morris .sked calls for live spots u eekly for 26 weeks. KWRN, Reno, as program director. I HonstonT^Giis Si va^e has beeti :nanTed progi-ara director of KLEE Jt „,.^ „...„„ a-week bankrolling of the ABC here succeeding Ken Bagwell. Bag- nightly at 11 O.'j for one of the local Pittsburgh — Anolhcr of Paul, Long's newscasts on KDKA has! just been renewed for 52 'weeks, i the lO-minule airing he hasl show four months later is the agency F. C. &B. well has been appointed program beer companies. Mi's. Betly An- , director of KLEE-TV. ■ derson, formerly with WTOL in i , AND y/QXB-FM RADIO STATIONS OF THE NEW YORK TIMES S4 ORCaiKSTIMi-MVSIC Wednesday, December 8, 1948 Unlimited, Free Kinescoping Asked By Video (or Use of ASCAP Music Jocks, Jukes and Disks — By Bernie Woods ' . Music publishers are being iasked by all four television networlcs — NBC, CBS, DuMont and ABC— to okay free kinescoping licenses for their music, which would be o£ wniimited duration/ cancellable by from 60 to 90 days' notice. Letters to publishers requesting such free iisc ol then music went to publish ei^) lale lasi week over tlie signa ture of Ilarrv Fox, publishers' a)?ent and trustee, who has been dealing with Bob Myers (NBC), chairman of a committee repre- senting the above tele outfits in the matter. Originally, NBC alone had asked pubjiishers late last summer for fiee kinescoping privileges, and they were fully granted up until Dec 31 Okays gave NBC the light to film ASCAP music used on commercial and sustaining shows, foi rebroadcast on tele out- lets in other parts of the country vilhin 30 days of the original air- ing It's not expected that the inten- tion of the American Society ot. CompoSersV Authors and Publish- ers to set up licensing scales .for live performances of its music will have any eKect on the sought-after kinescoping rights. Such. angles of tele use of music will remain the pioperty nght of the publishers Albert Stillinau jbares O' borirona' beef .from., the . . ■■ - /enghair nursery: for^Variery'>'.'.43«f vAnntvenqry . in . very fre< Jafflbic- pentamctari ,■■ ■ ^captioiitdt' ■ , Where Is My Wander- ing Boy Soprano Tonight? * * * an editorial featitr* . In P^fHETY '« 43d Anniversary Edition Due S»on . Victor Inks Hawthorne Ifollywood, Dec. 7. Jim Hawthorne, ABC. disk jock, J has been signed to a three-year i: contract by RCA-'Victor. Deal j 1 guarantees Hawthorne minimum i release of six sides yearly. I , "Victor will not etch any faces | Many dusk jockeys seem to find , two-sided, it's actually two sepq- I until wax ban is abolished, because i a-^^x delight in biting the hand rate performances Initial side is plattery plans to use Ike Carpen- ^\\at feeds them. At vaiious times ' the more desirable; it brings up ' tei's band as backstop lor the dee- ^ the past it has been noted that > Miss Bailey making with a good l]d\'s antics Only past plattciing smait-aleck jocks who set them- 1 blues tune in excellent form, with Hawthorne has done was single selves up as critics of music-mak- 1 Sinatra doling out sideline cora- b." IMC a f.cld tliat many know little ments Second reverses the pro- about had been sharply spanking , cedure; S>natra toting .the; yoCa^ new releases for deserved, shght taik*smg stylfe^ and ^ Miss ^ B^^^ or iinagihcd shortcorriings. And. pouring it on from the chalkliije, hpv seem to be increasing their j Both are solidly bacitgroijnded by comments lately and making it : a rhythm, conibinatjon-r clear to listeners that the di.sk ban piece. Fair •fqi!' jukes; WqUires IS responsible for comparatively close listening.- -.^■^ '^.■:ui:i„-'y::: I nnn,. efforts ' Peggy Lee VHold Me Wanna side for Capitol, "Serutan Yob,' Retroactive Coin Key to Speculation In AFM Disk Ban Lack of 18G Royalty Coin Frees Mel Torme From Musicraft Pact There's been some speculation material, uui mej e s i /JJirtl v^^done with disk jockeys, whose, listener :rat- .s^^^ w«n ings depend on how interesting Xfrnght up the jo.^ during the past weelc about certain , their programs ^^an be to coii> , ^^^^^^^^^ aspects of the settlement plan , pound tlie poor artistic qualil.v oi „nusuallv fast aoDroach to a made between recording manufac- a laige amount of current produc- i an unusually last approacn lo a turpis and the Ameiican Fedeia-jtion bv guping to audiences tion of Musicians, in the event no Many jocks apparently feel that woid IS received from Attorney they must make excuses. By doing General Tom Clark and the disk , so they only call attention to short- _ ban is allowed to stand until the i comings that might not have been , gQ„^g{^i„j,g j^^y^j gales-wise Taft-Maitley law IS repealed or re-' noticed otherwise One ot tlie, Gordon MacRae "Do "Sfou Ever vised Question being asked is most tlagrant violators is Martin Think of Me"-"Ramona" (Capitol). Block, New York, who weekly re- ^his pairing is just about the best views new releases. ; Block has al- 1 jj^acj^ag v has whipped tip since lyric which doesn't pause : enough,. to build up appeal. It's fitted with a spanking jazz background and fill-in though that rings a bell of its own and could, make of the sido whereby lie \v!a's to tieeeiye .a niini- mum ot $18;000 in royalt in the future be deeper discussion six months ending Dec 1 When Hollywood, Dec. 7. Mel Tonne last week secured ..r a.3iv^u his release from Musicraft Records 'this m the event nothing is done contiad Toinie has been digging about the ban until or if the T-H for the escape hatch for the past law is upset, does the AFM's can- 1 15 months Singer was under ex- celiation of the disputed retroac- . , elusive waxing pact on a deal | twe royalty coin still stand' I ways been hypercritical; in normal I joining Capitol and it figures to times that's often objectionable, be spun 4izzy by jocks, particularly .the "Think of Me'! side, though it in the current period. when most diiskeries - cannot help them- | iVash't the same standard appeat selves, he and others like him are ■>=• "B.i,nr,rio " wiih ov^oiionf mn- visions m the T-H act make it uii- luirting themselves as well as lam necessary for the settlement plan : basting a business ■ out -of which However there will at some time mum ol .$'l8,000 in royalties for the I ^^'^ figured that if repeal or re- s,eives, he and others like him are ' as "Ramona " With excellent mu between pubs and tele men over -the coin didn't arrive on date spe- r.r""ir""'""''i. "'l ""i- "T";r"""~""- 'r-Vj' i "»i>""6 ^v^w-^". . kinescoping Tele broadcasters cfied, Torme's manager, cJos^t^lP''}!i''l''T''\^^'f'^''''^?\^^''y.''^'''' call such usages "delayed broad- Gaitcl, told Jack Myerson, Musi- 1 "° "f f J""! f/^"^^^^^^ ' i, casts," feeling they are akin to "re-, craft prez, that he had to have the | °" * J" ' Block, and many others ihrough- peat bioadeasts" of AM radio ' cash on the barrelhead immediate- shows, though the tele versions aie ly or admit that Torme -was freed repeated days later Music pubs fiom the contract, Myerson cut the seem to feel that the filming pf strings. .shou^ come under the heading ol ^ y^g, ^g^, ^orme tried to break b\ncliioni7,ition lights similar to y,g pgpt, when his last-half-year those rights siven Hollywood. lojalty payment was late, but the active royalties covering the period ' out the country, go through all frorn Jan. 1 to Sept. 30. Diskers ! sorts of unnecessary routines, from 7 ARRAIGNED IN 300G STOCK FRAUD RAP I wdxery hurriedly paid off It is , i etroactive cmn doesn't liave to be i understood that there was some ! pai(j j Inction over the $18,000 payment, ' ] Musicraft holding that Torme's sales did not earn that figure, ; while Ga.stel contended thaT the label's spotty distribution crippled the chanter s commercial pos.sibiIi- ■ ties.!,''':'. •'. '■■ .'-I'y ■' , ' ' ' Since the singer signed with ; outfit nearly three years ago, Mu- sici aft has been through seveial Harrv W. Bank, former presi- deiU and director of the defutfct C osino Records, Inc and six othci liulivuluals were indicted in New Yoik last week by the Federal CJi'aiid Jury, which . charged the group w ith violations of the anti- hnancial reorganizations. fiaud piovisions ot the Securities A(.t ot 19 i3 It's alleged that at- IJ„„„ r p r- tiiough Cosmo \\as insolvent and iiarry rox E^yes curope vjs losmg money in June 1946, the Hariy Fox, geneial managci of i,'>\cn individuals neveitheless at the Music Publishers Piolective that time Induced, the pubhc to Assn., is planning a trip oversea.s inv.^st close to $300,000 by pur- next spring in lelation to piivate sical support, MacRae . Wraps up '"Thitik" in a very relaxed mood, ddihg; the ;first i Chorps ' in 'ballad speedi • picitittg it Up to bouftcy beat, and slipping agiin doWji for the finish. ; It's fine work. "Ra- mona," splicing MacRae and a ebOrus, Is ^solid listening, ,tO|0, biit it doesn't acliieye the mood of the companion piece. Xavler: CuiEat "Sie5ta"-"In San- tiago, ^ Cliiie" (Columbia). Ciigat hits a nice groove with the "Kiss- ing , -Bandit" song, doing it at a medium Latin tempo, . witli not , 1 . J > ... "j ' '"Vj ' oisiii a fiini trt annHiPi- inrif And SO "uich going instrument- a deal m good faith, and so did j fP'n a dia to anothei io^^^^ PetriUo. and that it the plan ol , ["day anothei jo^^^^^ ^™Pl^^V"<'ham handles the vocal sinooth- which It was a part is obviated by t'l^S ^'J^d on th^^ | ,^ jj,^ ^^,3,^ ,^ repeal or revision of the T-H law, .,Tor^\? t Ta In" merca) 1 1"'"^ m^leual "SanUago" is cute. — will not repudiate the Th^J diothv'; ?iisVdisk sm^^^^ " ' "•■ the start of the disk . ban. . Made who : negotiated the settlement plan that has been reposing on Clark's Washington, D.. C, desk for a month are flatly certain that nothing that • can . happen will dis- turb Petrillo's agreement that the They assert that they made Petrillo. agreement's termsi breaking records m front ot the mike on down to , verbal knifing. It's not smart and it's not good business. Do it often enough and the resentment they mu.st stir among a poution of their listeners must snap back at them-^and the. be.st wav a listener can do that is cha,se of Gosmo common stock. Named m the indictment beside Bjnk ate Hany J Werner, Cosmo d.' Mtoi at that time, Rubin Us- laiulL'.r. treasurer ot Cosmo m 1946: Nat lianiel . Weltchek, . Uslander's brotlier-in-law and another Cosmo cl'icidl, Kugcne F GiUespio, head ol the Wall Street investment hou->e of 1! F Gillespie & Co , Inc , Kenneth McK Smith, tormei ■ ., syndicate' manager Iprj :the. liCtils lespie hniv; l?aul T.- Omer, . Now yiM'K at:t.prnf.:y';' "plus Cosmo -Reci orrts. Inc. and E. K. Gillespie & •■C'0'.,'lnc..".-. Scheduled fai airaignment Mon (61 hofoie Federal Judge .lohn W Clancy, all- defendants with the ex.- eoplion ot Bank appeared. Court . set bail ranging Irom .$500 to $2 000 ponding trial Bank, it's understood, will be .- . arraigned laiei Assistant U S Attorney Roy M Cohn estimated that duiing the Icnuie ot the Cosmo film about ftl 000,000 was invested and lost m the conipany by various stockhold- ei\s ;in,addit;ipn ,tb thc- sum dropped bv the public by vutue ot the 1946 Block ..deal, '-in- its eight-count in- dictmenl the Grand Jury also charged that on the very day that tlie Cosmo common stock deal was being floaled. the company's Long Isljnd pK^ssing plant was closed down <\nd v\,is pioducing no rec- ord.s whatever. ,■ ^ot onl\ did the defendants de- ceive the public, Cohn slated, hv not attdfhing a statement ol Cos- mo .s true financial condition to the .sto, k piospcf'tus, but they, also misled investors by claiming to have recording contracts with top name bands and vocalists These pacts, Cohn noted, actually were ' terminable at the will of the artist .under varying condition.' t The dclendants lace possible jail sentences of 37 years apiece and lines ot $21,000 apiece. and organizational music matters. He has reseived passage on the Queen Elizabeth, sailing May 13. Fox will visit England, France and Italy. ; ■ - • . Spitzer, Connelly In English Pub Deal Henry Spitzer's new music com- pany has made a deal with Reg Connelly s English Cinephonie Mu-: SIC to publish "Cruising Down the River' m England next: sprmg. It's the first arrangement Spitzer has made for. a foreign tune. a rhythmic hit whicli will ; earn spins of Its own. Graham again iMi; siail, 01 uie uit.ii. udii iviimu | _ ( ^, yo-nl ^c'l^ Tafb/^cTo"?^"^^^!;!- 'Cv ■ l^'-,,»^-^;„">«'^ Society';. and; Places" and the Italian adapta- tion. 'Tara-TarLara," are boUi ex- cellent sides tor : locks and jukos, "Far Awav." a new pop that ap- peals well on its way toward hit doin. seems the smoother and more .1 m ^Varl^'Bailey-Fra^k Sinatia "A 1 tempo, spotlighting a Wabash Blues" (CapitoH Liglif- ning i.sn't likely to strike Hunt twice His first release since "12th Street Rag" is: done to a turn, but both sides are straight and carry few oi the corny corners that likable side, but "Ta-Lara" is also I "i?;^ A moving lb nicelv done, and should ?a^^!l eet its share of sDins " ^f nafked by good, solos. : "Wabash'* , , i'^ari BaHey -^^^^^^^^ • Pieviously, howevec, Spit/ei had LUtle Love Is a Dangeious Thing" , Jiombone bit Both are good jock made an agreement miU the (Columbia) Rare combination of I P^'^vide opportunity for Dre>tus inteiests under which the Sinatia and one of the foiemost J-onyersation. After that, wlio can lattei's Englisir setup will handle , femrae singeis, this is a fine disk! songs he publisltcs in the U S that should get wide play Though 10 Best SeDers on Coin-Machioes ^!!l!U;!!: LITTLE BIRD TOLD Mr (3) (Bourne) I PararWalsT ' 1. SLOW BOAT TO CHINA (61 (Melrose) Kay Kyser Colombia 2. BUTTONS AND BOWS (8) (Famousr Dinah Shore Colitmbitt ■,'i'^.;.v-.'.'i.;I)ecbja 4 ,y$u0erhe :: 5. MV D\RLING, M\ DARLING (2) (Morris) \ SlaUord MacRae MY TWO FRONT TELTII (?) (Witmark) Spik" Janes eVANTA' LE GtrSTA' (5) . Cflpriol , Cotwmbio (Pecr-Int) \ Miranda A ndTi>ws :. . ■ : • .■ . I Xam^r Cug at.,: .: Sis TREE IN MEADOW (17) UNTIL (5) (Dorsey) ^ (Siiai.iro-B)V;, ;.'; , .v. . Mi^^'^f '^P-^^m. [ Monica Lcuns Columbia I .. . Capitol . ; .. , Decca Tommy Dorsey Victor MAYBE YOU'LL BE THERE (18) (Triangle) | Gordoji JeTifcnis Decca • ■ I Eddy Hoioord Mfljcsftc 10. HAIR OF GOLD (16) (Robert) YOU WERE ONLY FOOLING (Shapiro-B) BELLA BELLA MARIE (Leeds) Coming L'p j Jack Emerson Meiioione lUafmoniiats U7iiuersal -:^.\\ -^^:ly.yy::^, .~/^. . Jilitp Harron. . ,', ■r.'- ..''.:.\.../''k)r4fe«!s'. Sisters '•'. r''-. : ' ■'.'.■ '■■;(. Bini), CrOsby . . . ; . ....... . . V ; r;'.v .SfrcntcmiVr: SAY SOMETHING SWEET (Mills) i ^"'^ Sjyols ; : GAL WAY BAY (LeedvS) M G Jtl D('C(0 Dec ( a .Londpii, Dc'cfci MONEY SONG (Crawford) I An m \$ha} ion.: ; 'hoiidon ■ lAnctrews SisUns ..S ;' .i:- ■' ■ ■: :- r :\' y- '' -- v'.;:; '/;..^ \;VM^fljti;''-li,CW(s: ■,■::';■ THAT CERTAIN PARTY (Bourne) * Binuiy Stmvg I Maiiin Lewis WHAT DID I DO (BVG) IT'S TOO SOON TO KNOW (Morris) , j . PRETTY BABY (Remick) LIFE GETS TEEJUS (Miller) , , .... . . . , . . I'VE GOT MY LOVE KEEP ME WARM (Berlin) . . ' . ■ SO TIRBD (Glenmore) ♦ [Fujuies IT! parc7ifhcses indicate number o) weeks song has been m the Top 10] ** ^ M t M t M t M M t -^.^^^.^.^.tttttHMMtlU, f Helen Forrest . ; . l Dinah Shore I Orioles lW(tMtzg is dust inguishablc: Not fill ol the eight sides are outstand;*: ingj but tlicv move on a solid heat and Shaw's coloitul ciarinbt, iMcked by . clean Workmanship. I tines involved are "Donkey Soi-- enade,' Mv lle.iit Stood Still," Lovoi Come Back To Me," "Ros- Dc'cca tialie" 'T'^e Atan I Love," "Vilia /if,euniM and ' Caiioca I Guy ijomb.irdo's latest DecCa ♦>>t l : (Continued on page 40) WfdneBday, Deeember 8, 1948 P^RIETY ORCHESTRAS-MVSIC 8S See ASCAP Matching $8,1 Of '47 in This Year's Sweet Melon American Society of Composers,4' Avthors and Publisliers hopes to be able to produce a . distributable melon for the past year that will match the approximate $8,000,000 total of 1947. ASCAP's account- ants currently are trying to esti- j mate December's Income so as to declare a fourth-quarter flgure, ' and if the amount is reasonably close to $2,000,000 there isn't much Gillespie's Bongo Player Killed in Harlem Quarrel > Channy Peso, bongo drummer I with Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra, 1 and widely known among. jazz mu- sicians, was killed last Thursday (2) evening in New York. Poso, whose real name was - Luciano doubt that the $8,000,000 will be < Gonzales, a Cuban, had his bongos J. G. Wilson Heads Victor Recording Victor recording division of RCA came under, the supervision of John G. Wilson last week, when Frank M. Folsom was upped to 'presidency of RCA, in place of David Sarnoif^ who became chair- man of the board last year. Wil- son had been assistant to Folsom in controlling RCA's recording, tube^making and 'instrument divi- sions. He's a v.p. Wilson's spot as as^stant to the office he now. holds has not yet been filled. reached, and possibly surpassed. Initial three quarters of this year each surpassed $2,000,000, the first going to around $2,025,000, the second to $2,100,000 and the third to $2,075,000. The second produced a record "$5,200 split to •'AA" writers, which means their full-year melon is approximately $20,000 each. There are currently 2;005 writer members of the So- ciety and 330-odd. publisher mem- bers. •While ASCAP's income from motion picture performance rights has been reduced by legal de- cisions against it, rising income from radio and other licensees has made up the amounts. Radio, for example, had - already returned $6,250,000 to ASCAP for the initial 10 months of, the; . year, some $700;000 above, the medium's- payr ments to the Society for the same periAd of 1947. Piuggers, Pubs Tackle Payola bi Pact Talks Initial meeting between / the Music Publishers . Contact -'Em- ployees and the Music Publishers Protective Assn. last week over a new contract covering contact men tackled the payola problem. It was brought about by the terms of ; the: new deal -proffered by the ]MPCE« among . which is the sugges- tion that the MPCE be given the power to eliminate from per- formance logging sheets the pro- grams of any broadcasting artist who demands, payment for: plugs. iThere also was discussion about eliminating the MPCE's $1,000 pen- alty rule for publishers taught pay- ing for plugs. , Elimination of . both - rules ■ brought considerable pro and con discussion from publishei's. No conclusions were reached, and an- other meeting today (Wed.) in New York will continue the arguments. Bo far,: the terms of the new pact, calling for the establishment of a pension fund for contactmen, have not been I'eached. stolen during recent southern ■ dates I with Gillespie, and the leader told him to return to N. Y.: and get a new set preparatory to the band's- opening at the Strand theatre, N, Y., Friday (10). -Meanwhile, Gil- lespie continued without him. Poso was in a Harlem, bar when a man he Icnew from Cuba and with whom he had had arguments there, ; walked in and started a quarrel. Poso turned to leave and was shot in the back seven times. Cops grabbed the gunman leaving the bar. See Steeper As NextAFMTreas. Harry Steeper, an assistant to ! American Federation of Musicians president James C. Petrillo, will probably become the AFM's next treasurer. Current holder of that office, Tom Gamble, a. former as- 1 sistant to the president's office, is i in his 80's and will-, retire, at least [ as treasurer. Whether he will] break all connections with AFM activities is unlikely, since he- 'is perhaps the union's foremost ex-^ pert on its rtiles and regulations. Steeper has been spending con- siderable time in Boston, the site of the AFM's treasury for many years. He has been getting into the mechanics of the po-st, apparently I at PetriUo's suggestion,, and when I next year's union: convention con- 1 venes he will likely be pushed for > the post. ' I Office, of AFM treasurer- is not] an appointment, unless a replace- | ment is required in the midst of a | term. Candidates must face the j annual , AFM. convention. I ASCAP GENERAL MEETING ^^^^^ 1^ General; membership meeting pf 1 the American Society of Com- posers, Authors aij4; TPublishers, which should have beert scheduled ... ..^v,.,u for October in New York) has been 1 Current pact between the groups I ^et for Dec. 14 at the W a 1 d o r f | hotel. So much ha.s been happen- ■ dng with ASGAP-^the ITOA court ' case, etc.— it jiat t-h« meeting was I delayed. • ' ! ■ ASCAP held a board meeting^ yesterday (Tues.) for considera-; tioh of amendments to bylaWs;'.This| must he held within ^Jglit days be- f fore the big meeting. i expires Dec. 31, and if n new deal Is not agreed upon by then it will be extended yntil it is. BMI GETS BRUSHOFF FROM AMUS. PARKS Chicago, Dec. 7. American Society of Compo.sers and Authors and Publishers,: with i the aid of officers of the Midwest! Ballroom Operators of America, pulled several coups at the con- vention last week of the National i Assn. of Amusement Parks, Pools I and Beaches. , While MBOA toppers made spe- cial effort to hush oppo.sition to continuing the present rate struc- ' lure 'of ASCAP, which foLind sev-l -cral, park members mti tiering, they . I outlined what they had done in ! regard to BMI efrorts to invade the ' dancchall field. BMI has been try-; Ing to >'ot an industry contract i With MBO.A, but action has been 1 postponed for several years, with - suggestion that each operator nego- ' tiato individually. Following this explanation, NAAPPB decided to ; go along the same route, : - . . : BMI a^^so was nipped, on its. pro* i posal for fairground licensing on ' wire-music ■ service for carousels and other rides and attractions at flat fee. Heretofore, BMt has not made any conceited effort in thisj direction. Here again the mu.sic, committee passed the buck with ; recommendation each park pact its i own contracts. It's believed that ' BMI will pass the sufificlion, as contacting the individual park and , ride would be prohibitive in cost. As Isi many of the delegates came] Reg Connelly, head of British I pub firm Campbell-Connelly, cur-i rently o o'ing Hollywood before , joining his family in Nassau fol ■ Christmas. Crosby, Como Do First Recordings Since Ban by AFM Perry Como and Bing Crosby both recorded last week for - the first time since the beginning of the American.. Federation of Mu- sicians disk, ban 11 months ago, and Frank Sinatra is said -to be mulling cutting his first new. sides since the edict. The action of Como and Crosby gives some in- dication of the confidence of the recording companies they work for (Victor and Decca, ■ respec- tively) to reach an early settle- ment of the ban. Crosby made: two sides— "Far. Away Places" and "Tara-Talara- Ta»tiar"^and Como cut a novelty titled "Pussy Cat Song." " Neither used musicians; ; Crosby cutting with the Ken Darby Choir, and Como with the Fontaine Sisters, who. work with, him: on <»n his, Ches- terfields broadcasts,': plus : several male . voices. ■ . Como's recording-, won't be released until Jan. 3, since the publisher of "Pussy Cat," Leeds, has placed a restriction on releases until that date. Crosby's recording will be released imme* diately. It was made in Holly- wood, while Como waxed in N. Y. last Thursday (2). The - "why" of the cutting by Como • and Crosby is obvious; Neither has had a substantial hit in some timei Crosby had- refused to make ■ any . fresh material: : So did Como until a short time ago, but when he began ehanging his mind, Victor was against any ideas. This left the pop: vocal field open to singers who continued record- ing with voices and pseudo'lnstru'; ments.: Dick Haymes, particularly, capitalized- on the situation, mak- ing good strides, -while Como and Crosby were being pushed out of sight momentarilyi except for standards and albums on the mar- ket. Unquestionably, the situation led to their decision; to record fresh material, ban or no fcan. • Victor, which consistently has refused to try- skirting the edge of the . AFM . ban; took an . unusual stance last week on- a recording of "Tenement Symphony;" made by Tony Martin in England la.st sum- mer. David Sarnoff , RCA board chairman, refused to allow the re- lease of the di.sk, made with Brit- ish: musicians before the BMU: banned the making of musical disks for U.; S. consumption. Vic- tor has made vocal records with vocal backgrounds, with Eve Young: Jack Lathrop and Jane Pickens, but has allowed, nothing else to be attempted: Many Votes Oiallenged, Ask Recount In Hotly Contested Local 892 Election; Unbn Re-elects McCann President •♦■ Comparatively quiet preceding I the bi-annual election last Thurs- day (2), New York Local 802 of the Court Rules AFRA Must Ref CavallarO-Foster Row American Federation of Musicians A ;breach-of-contract dispute be- tween bandleader Carmen Caval- laro and his ex-vocalist, Jimmy Foster, must .be submitted to the became a pdst-ballpting time bpinb later in the week and over the weekend. Firstly, because the elec- tion was so closely contested, with the Blues coming out on top by a scant margin. The losing Unity- Coalition party has requested a re- count. In addition, a flock nt' actu- court granted Cavallaro a slay of nations have been made. Whether Roster's $16,000 damage American Federation of ^ Radio Art* ists for arbitration, N, Y. supreme court Justice Bernard Botein rul- ed last w^ek At the same time the suit on motion of the batoneer's, attorney. . Although: he entered into a one- year pact with Cavallaro on May 22, 1948, Foster claims, he was sacked on June 18. Inasmuch as the singer is an AFRA member and ■ the agreement stipulated that any dispute was t6 go to arbitration, or no are grounds for them, whether they are sour grapes, one knows yet. Blue ticket, which has retained its hold on 802 affairs for seven straight bi-annual elections, had all its incumbents swept back into office. Only loser was Robert Sterne, who had been a Blue candi- date 'for a place on the executive board held the past two years by Herman "Tubby" Tivin, a Unity- Coalition man. ; Richard McCann, Blue president, got back into office by 80-odd votes, and the victory of other Blue men slimmed down to where one mar- gin was only 16, For this reason,' the Unity-Coalition group has asked a recount and at the same time threw charges that th6 Blues had violated 802's bylaws ,by allow- (Continucd on pa^e 38) Musicraft Goes Into Chapter 11 Claiming inability to pay their debts as obligations mature, Musi- craft Records, Inc., and Musicraft Manufacturing Co. of N. Y., Inc.. filed a petition of arrangement in N. Y. Federal court Friday (3) under Chapter XI of the Chandler Act. The move, according to a spokesman f or Musieraft's legalites, Tucker & Shea, was made after a "couple of impatient creditors''; in:', dicated they would ask for judg- ments and turn their claims over for sheriff's sales. Asked to identify the fidgety creditors, the Musicraft rep de- clined,, stating he couldn't recall offhand. However oth^ sources chappell Music, through attorney hnnHlnTdpri ^? th^ w^vt^^^Pn^ ^Wney Wattenberg, lasf week ap' bondholdeiTi of the wax firm Com- ipj, judgment in the anti- pany's petition lists liabilities of r_,,,^. „,ji; .„,i^\Tf ^iii. CTisq 7411 and asspti of SI RfiQ ISO . . „ ""'"2"' agamst the V.ia,/4» ana assets ot *i,abM^^u American Society of Composers, for the narent oreanization while Authors and Publishers by the In- Chappell Appeals ITOA Verdict In ASCAP Trust Suit for the parent organization while Musicraft Manufacturing, a wholly owned subsidiary, has $586,277 liabilities and $389,598 in assets. Most of the manufacturing sub- (Continued on page 40) LAINE'S CLEANUP 16G ON CANADA l-NFFERS Toronto. Dec. 7. Frankie Laine cleaned up a cool $16,245 as his end of six days of one-nighters through the south- eastern part of Canada ending Fri- day (3). Working one-hour a night sought to be named such dependent Theatre Owners Assn; Appeal was filed Thursday f2). in U. S. circuit court, following a sim- ilar appeal by attorney John Shul- man in behalf of songwriter Milton Ager. Ager had asked to intervene in' the ITOA-ASCAP case as a means of protecting the rights of song- writers in regard to tho ownor.ship of theatre-performance rights, which N. Y Federal Court Judge Vincent L. Leibell had decided first should be relurned by ASCAP to the copyright owner. Writers That whiie bands supplied by local pre moters whipped up dance; music, Laine took more coin out of this territory than he did on a similar series last year. Laine worked London (Ontario) Arena a week ago Monday i29), then went through Montreal, Ottawa, etc., winding up in Toronto before 6.215 people who paid a total of $11,200. All seats for the latter date were sold out several days in advance of the date. move brought Chappell into the , case as an inervenor to "protecL the publisher.?/ rights. I, When Judge'Leibell signed the i judgment against ASCAP,; the lat- ; ter appealed, followed by Schul- I man for Ager and Chappell for the ^puhs. ^ NLRB REFUSES TO CALL AFM BAN A 'STRIKE , Kcrmit A. Walker, formerly with ,,KTalf^,^oP^ fn''!^ n ^r^«v» 1 Call Fischer and Booscy & ^"^^ *«» ^ """^^ Hawkes, has joined Bourne, as educational director. Inc OUT SOON I The 43rd Anniversary Number OF Fonns closing shortly Usnnl Advertising rales prevail Special exploitation advantages Copy ond space reservations may be sent to any Variety office NEW YORK 19 154 W, 4itii St. HQUrWOOD 28 6311 Yucca St, CHrCAGO 1 360 ;N. Michigan . Ave. LONDON, W. C, 2 8 St. Martin'i Place Trofokiar Square . against the American Federation of Musicians disk ban,; on com- ! plaints filed by Standard Tran- scriptions, Los Angeles, and Lang- Worth Programs, New York. ; Two firms had charged that the AFM's recording ban was a direct viola- tion of the Taft-Hartley law and had sought a ruling from the I NLRB that the ban is actually a I "strike," a term that the union "has avoided using. In its an.swer to Stantlaid and I Lang-Worth, the NLRB opined that there wasn't .sufficient evitlcncc to : support the conclu-sion that the ban is unlawful in view of the T-H terms. Result was announced 'through the ollice of Charles T. Douds, director of the N. Y. second ; di.strict labor relations board, as of Fi^day (3). MUSSE SHIFTS TO GIASEE Chicago, Dee. T. ; ; Jofi; MussCi f ormr-rly. in, charge of',: i?irrull ,uiiJts''>fpr thv 'local ,Fr(,'(lcrick Bro'--. agency, has moved over to 'Joe Glaser's Associated Booking branch here. He'll continue the .small units chore. . Switchover was effective Monday '(6). If •KtMBSimAS-MPSiC Wcdneflday, Deeemli«r 8, 1948 s 14 axiM— "»siiiv »of II ♦ ffA\H— ''^""s ma 0 :S VAM— ^»HeK »»1 u Rich- mond aaiAV— uospnH JtiAjeH a > 13 JH — sill}] 13 J Ava HQHAl— noi'ti'lO i ' a At- 1 lanta | IXbAV— «»P»3 lOH ,■ r ei Biajtt— s)i»noH in«a Xa.tt— »a)s<19iVV 1"»H S.S £ = MAXH— ?'»«II!0 l^a u| Mem- KHHAi-rUOpJOO lHa ■• J! lOM— sqj'ic'O n'a » aKBAV— sja »o J Hdira ■ ..■ ■:>■'■■ o z' nsciu— »in*a M!>!a ^ , <■ ■J aA\j«— «»s«v lua v QNIAi— ""^"""H «".r 1 NewYorlc XVVAA — jauaaja I"** S SB ft 43 ' a m ,-■ Si 'p K B t c ■■fm AS' OS' JS W 0^ iSl' 111 ft< pq o 'S , . w O 3 'Si- c ■I . K: pa. E, c ■ft - H »-< fi H X cn 9 05 a o>' ^ n o> to re p., s: a: ..iS o . (* I ns: ■o 0,' :< B M l >i R o o JS . ■Jut <■ » 0 C "S! ft, oe 00 toe 00: e-! i<». N: ej cj ffv CO « « c4 -I •J M ■■> s\ ft ft B W! few, o ft ■s A' e O or: S u o ^' M rt M e; ■4) ■ B •a rS .v> 3 O (It CL, »^ fi The Money Song— Crawford &5 By the Way— V'When My Baby Smiles At Me"— BVC 93 One Sunday Afternoon — -Remiek 9i Maybe You'lk Be There— Triangle 89 What Did I Do— i"When My Baby Smiles At Me"— Triangle 89 White Christmas — Berlm , 88 One Has My Name — Southern - 78 Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart — Mills,., 73 Beyond the Purple Hills — Goldmine , 7l Ah But It Happens — Bourne . v-; .i ; . i .» 68 Again — 1 "Road House'.'r— Robbins . . . . ; . ; . ., . , . i ... ... . ; . . . 6.? For You — Witmark 6;) Bouquet of Roses— Hill and Range ^ 63 It's Magic— .t"Bomanee on High Seas"— Witm^irk 63 Night Thousand Eyes — 1 "Night Thousand Eyes"— Paramount ... 63 That Certain Party— Bourne 63 You Call Everybody Darlin — Mayfair 60 Far Away Places— Laurel 59 A Bluebird Singing in: My Heart — Advanced. . , . . . ; . . , . . ; ; ■■: 57 Down Among the Sheltering Palms — Miller. . . . .... .\ . . .. 57 Everyday I Love You — i"Two Guys From Texas" — Harms >. 56 Powder Your Fac« With Sunshine- Lombardo 54 Lillette — Jefferson ,,,, 54 This Is the Moment— t"Lady in Ermine"— Miller 53 You Started Something — BMI 50 Bella Bella Marie — Leeds 49 I Love You So Much It Hurts — Melody Lane .-. 44 Pussycat Song — Leeds 42 Hold Me — Bobbins 41 In My Dreams — Murray Wuell 39 You, You, You At e the One— Catnpbeli . ; ... ... ..... . . . . , . . , . . ; 39 Rambling Rose — Laurel 38 A Tre« in the Meadow — Shapiro , . . 38 Galway Bay — Leeds , , , 38 I Got Lucky in the Rain— i- 'As the Girls Go '— Sam Foe 37 Lonesome — Republic 36 It's Too Soon to Know — Meliose , 3(? Winter Wonderland— BVC , 35 Why Does It Rain on Sunday — Duchess 33 : Chick Floyd band opened Satur- day (4) for extended stay at Mural Koom, Baker hotel, Dallas.; - Tommy Dorsey band Into Strand theatre, N. Y., Dec. 24, necessitat- ing two days of doubling from Pennsylvania hotel, N. Y. to secure work tor musicians with- in 802'g jurisdiction. - ' Executive board members elected, the last three of which .are new mens are Jerome Alexan- der, Jack Downey; Jacob Fidel- man, Joseph .Lindwurm, Herman Tivin, Nicholas Vitalo, Al Knopf, James Palladino, Trial board mem- bers elected are Herman Jaffe, William Powei-s, Joseph Campiglia, Edgar Daly, Louis Grupp, Frank Lambertl, Charles Sollinger, Tiny Walters, Samuel Raderman. Higgint Back in N.Y. Joe Higgins resumed duties at Columbia Records Corp'g New York headquarters Monday (6). Higgins, who switched back to New York by choice from his post as head of CRC'« Hollywood branch, got Into N. Y. with hlj wife Satur- day (4). Ben Selvin, who fcwitclied fiom N. Y. to flu tllggins' spot in Holly- wood, had arrived on the Coast be- fore Higgins' departure. I Satchmo Explores I Canada for $4,500 1 Louii Armstrong goes into tar- west Canada for the first time ne\l month. He's due at the Palomar Supper Club, Vancouver, Jan. 31 for two weeks. Satchmo's six-pleces; ineliidmg Jack Teagarden, Earl Uincs, Barney Bigard, etc., are draw iiig .f4,500 weekly. OMBBTICSERyicTX, -Ihe cIbbb of service desired : r-mee this message nillbt tss * fullrate telegram 1 FULL RATE SERIAL 1 TELEGRAM roAV C NIGHT *\LEnER LETTER r WESTERN UNION uar JOSBI*H k. KVAN. fRKSIDCNT .CCT69 NL PD»NEWYORK NY J- BEN BART, ON I VERBAL ATTRACT fONS INC« '347 MADISON AVE NYK« CONGRATULATIONS: THE JUKE BOX OPERATORS OF AMERICA HAVE STELECTED THE RAVENS THE BEST MALE VOCAL COMBINATION OF 1948 IN THE THIRD ANNUAL MUSIC POLL OF THE AUTOMATIC MUSIC INDUSTRY. SPONSORED AND CONDUCTED BY THE CASH BOX** Wednesday; December 8, IfMB S9 From the Publisher of the Song of the Year KANSAS C!TY,MO ALL MATERIAL AVAILABLE BLASCO MUSICJNC. LOUIS BLASCO Pres 40 ORC1IESTI|A.MIJ$IC Wednesday, December 8f 1948 Canadian Ednbs OK 18;; Boost in CAPAC Fees, Ink 2-Yr. Deal Toronto, Dec. 1. : Ending months of squabbling, but witb directors of Quebec Al- , lied Tlieatres still sole dissenters and threatening : resistance in court action, other trans -Canada iiliTi exhibitors have accepted an 18.% increase in overall music fees levied by the Composers, Au-; thors and Publishers Assn. of Can- ada, affiliate of ASCAP and the British; Performing Rights Society. Effective for two years, as of Jan. 1 next,^ the majority approval of Ca- nadian exhibitors ends their fight against the original CAPAC 23% suggested till. The new annual rates to film houses will be; 1,600 seats and over, 20c; 800 to 1,599 seats, 15c; ■600 to 799 seats^ 12c; anything un- der, 10c. Previous CAPAC tariff was; 1,600 seats and over, 15c; 801 to 1,399, 12c; 800 and under, 10c. Determination of - exhibitors and CAPAC throughout their often heated debates to protect the "lit- tle fellow" is evident in the 1949 tariff; and concurred in by Wil- liam Low, CAP AC'S general man- ager. "This per seat arrangement is not the best solution/' Low reveals.^ "The individual seat maS^ be oc- cupied once, or five times, in 'a theatreToperating tlay; and we hope to negotiate a solution to this problem~even if it takes years-^ but we will do this amiably and in keejnng with fundamental princi- ples of decently-conducted nego-/ tiations." Low's contention is that the only equitable arrangement would be a percentage of boxoffice receipts . but he understands that this plan might be difficult to administer because exhibitors manifestly do :not like to divulge their income. RETAIL SHEET BEST SELLERS Survey of retail sheet mttsio sales, ba.'sed on repor tcci can iiMt Hw felltfwing lMtrM> mcntc ]'BO)IBONI: - ACCORDIO' - XRIBI- PKT - STKINO B.USS - S.VXO- niONK - OUIT.4B - I'LITK . PIAXO - OBOE DItUAIS > HARP K.\-GI or BSO BxmrMmce FrMterred Box 7201, VARIETY 154 W. 46th St.. N. Y. 19 Bands at Hotel B.O.'s SAY SOMETH SWEET TO YOUR SWEETHEART jyy Store CojJw t-zBtjgL- i MH tl CtM MILLS MUSIC. INC. — Continued from page 33 sid's liabilities are owed the parent company, the petition states. Un- der tlie voluntary: proceeding both firms propose to .pay off some 235 unsecured creditors with 10% cash immediately with the balance pay- able in three annual installments starting Oct. 1, 1949. A majoi-ity of the coin is due artists, music publishers, etc. According to pa- pers filed, tlie sum of $1,160,618 of Musicraft's listed assets represents debts due the firm on open ac- counts.. ■ ■. ■■. ■ - In another voluntary proceeding under Chapter ;XI -of the Chandler Act, Musicraft Distributors, Inc., ! and Olympic "Records. Inc., on I Mon. (6) filed petitions for arTi rangement in N. Y. federal court. Both are Musicraft Records' sub- sids. Distributing firm lists liabil- ities of $127,242 and assets of $103,891, while Olympic has liabili- ties of $452,277 and assets of $270,- 959. Parent company is the largest creditor with MDI owing it, $106,- 261 plus $3,56,332 due from Olym- pic. Latter sum is secured by a mortgage on a Los, Angeles plant. Claims would be settled in full, payable in: 10% cash and balance m three equal annual installments. ! Music ^publishers are not hold^ I ing a very heavy bag as a result of ' the petition by Musicraft Records I to enter reorganization plans ui#l der Chapter H of the Chandler i Aet. AU told, Musicraft owes less i than $5,000 to publishers who col* | lect mechanical royalties through Harry Fox, agent and trustee. Fox does not represent Warner Rl'os.' music firms and a few otliers who may be Musicraft. debtorsi. Blind Eddy Duchin* Gardner Benedict Guy Lombardo . Tommy Dorsey . . : \ :'Xotat ■ ,.: Weeks ■ Past / Coven llo|i>l : .. . .. rinyed Week On Date . Waldorf (400; $2) 9 2,350 24,475 . New Yorker (400; $1-$L50). . . . 0 1800 9,225 . . Roosevelt (400; $1.50-$2) 10 2,525 25,425 ..Pennsylvania (450; $l.S0-:$2>. . . 9 1,800 16,900 * WaHorf, Margaret Bhelan, Mc Carthy tc Farrell, t 3 days. Chicago Bemie Cummins (Walnut Room, Bismarck, 300; $2.50 min.*$l cover). Convention trade helped to nice 2,000. Del Courtney (Marine Room, Edgewater, 700; $1.20 cover). Same 2,500. SItiteh Henderson (College Inn, Sherman, 500; $2.50-$3 .50 min.). Fine week at 4,000. Dick LaSalle (Mayfair Room, Blackstone, 330; $3.50 min.-$l cover). New show with Larry Storch opened Fri. (3). Frankie Masters (Boulevard Room, Stevens, 650; $3<50 min.-$l cover). Sensational 4,100. Grift Williams (Empire Room, Palmer House, 300; $2.50 min.-$l cover). Upped to 3,200. Los Angeles Florence Desmond, Freddy Martin (Ambassador, 900; $1.50-$2). Strong 3,400. Jan Garber (Biltmore, 900; $1-$1.50). Steady 3,250. Kay Thompson, Williams Bros., Hal Sandack (Beverly Wilstiire, 400; $1 cover, plus $4 minimum). Good 2,600. Location Jobs, Not in Hotels (Chicago) Cee Davidson (Chez Paree, 500; $3.50 min.). Gracie Barrie, Harvey Stone and Vagabonds. Nice 4,000. Sherman Hayes (Blackhavvk. 500; $2.,'>0 min ). Three large cdnveh- tions hiked take to 3,000. Teddy Phillips (Aragon; $1-$1.15 adm.). Same fair 10,500. Orrin Tucker (Trianon, $1-$1.15 adm.). Dip to moderate 11,500. Tops of the Tops Retail Disk Seller ' "Buttons and -Bows" Retail Sheet Music Seller "Buttons and 'Bows" :•■ "Most Requested" Disk "On a Slow Boat to China" Seller, on Coin Machines . "On a Slow Boat to China" British Best Seller "Buttons and Bows" A DREAM OF A LULLABY I TARRA TA-LAR OXFORD MUSIC CORP. Ul» Iroadway Now Ynk i ■ Los Angeles Harry lames (Palladium 's., Hollywood; 1st wk.). Okay 10,500. Ted Weems (Aragon B., Santa Monica). Good 6,800. Jocks, Juices, Disks Contimied from page 34^^ album is a collectioh of hit tunes from liit musicals of the past few years. The idea of placing the best melodies from "Allegro," "High Butlon Shoos," "Inside U.S.A.," "Make Mine Manhattan." and "Brigadoon," as performed straight by Lombardo, makes the book more than a potential candidate lor top sales ranking. It's almost a natural. To comment on how they're done is to waste writing and reading time. Tliey're Lom- bardo. Titles are "A Fellow Needs a Girl," "So Far," "I Still Get Jealous," "Papa Won't You Dance With Me," "Haunted Heart." "Saturday Night in Central Park," "Almost Like Being in Love." Platter Pointers Decca reissued Russ Moreran''s "So Tired" with a cliangcd back- ing, a great arrangement of "I Hear Music" . . . Capitol reissued King Cole's "I Love You for Sen- timental Reasons" and "1 Can't See For Lookin* " . . . Fine vocal ability - of Rosemary . Clooney shows again on her ducting with Tony Pastor of "It's Like Taking Candy From a Baby," a fine side . . , Louis Prima's "Mean To Me" (Victor) is good stuff for jocks . . . Another Decca reissue is Guy Lombardo's "Thou Swell" and "My Heart Stood Still" . . . Diray Gil- lespie isn't the bop-kid of "today on Columbia's release of his 'i Can't Get Started" and "Good Bait," fair sides . . . Bill Harris' followers can get their fill of his tromboning on Woody Herman's "Eyeiywhere" side (Columbia), 'the melody by Harris himself; it's backed by a hopped-up arrange- meV of "The Goof and I" . . . Recommended country, hillbilly, western and race: "Rockin' the Pl"es Away," Busier Bennett (Columbia); "It's Never Too Late" and "Double Dealin' Darlin' " Tex Ritter (Capitol); "Walking With the Blues," Dr. Clayton's Sunny- l?"^. S"™ (Victor); "Nobody's Fault But Mine," Sister Rosetta 7JS^^'P% <5ecca); "U I Knew Then, What I Know Now," Curley Wil- liams (Columbia). Our Current Number One Song "STOP THE MUSK " By Babe Riiiiin and Jack Hoffman The Varsity Record Will B» Avallabltt On or About: Deecfflber 75th GEORGE SIMON. INC. 1619 B'way. New York 19. N. Y. It's a Dilly! LAVENDER BLUE (Dilly Dilly) Sanfiy-Jey, Inc. 1419 Iroailwar. N«w Yaric DOWN AMONG THE SHELTERING PALMS MILLER MUSIC CORPORATION Exclusive Managemenf ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORPORATION JOE OLASER. Pres. Now York i Chicago Beverly Hills 745 5th Ave. P<. '•46001 203 No Waba.h V..::, Fi Bev.WH, hof. Wedneflday, I>eeenilN!« 8, 1948 OBCllBSiTnA^llfUSIC 41 f^meti'm^ cavalcade! ^^♦♦♦ ♦ ♦» (Mttsical-jBlistorical Revietvs 1800-1948) ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Compiled for p^^^iETY By JULIUS MATTFELD . .. (Copyright, Varitty, Inc. All Right* : RMervtd) . ml iMmt hatit huAgnund Infotmatim, alfmdanr .re th* compi/dllon •nrf prmnroh'oD, appaortrf in thc .Oct. tf, IMS, iuw* wh*n >ft« Voricly Seiig Covofcocf* Mtail»A puMicofien Mriaf/y, : ft ii «ugg«retf . thai tfi«M inifol/mMI* b« c/tppwl and f/kd for fulur* nf*r«nn, AtMnrion h hanby colM to Iht. fact that Ihit moforial it copyright and may net ke roprediicod oithor wholly or In part. (Continued from lad Wowk) 1859 II Bacio — knovm as: The Kiss Waltz. Italian words, Aldighieri. .m., Luigi Arditl, Op. 97 (composed, for Maria . Piccolomini, . famous Italian operatic soprano singer). [London; Cramer, . Beale & : Co., 1859 or 60?]; Milan: Tito dl G. Ricordi [186-?]; Philadelphia: W. It. Smith,' cop. 1864, as a piano iolo, arr. by R. Wittig. .In the Louisiana Lowlands, w., \ anonymous. Boston: Oliver. itson & Co., cop. 1859. The potato beetle was recognized as a new agricultural pest. Oregon was . admitted to : the Union, and gold was discovered in the state. Colonel Edward L: Drake drilled the first American oil well at Titusville, Pa, John Brown, at Harper's Ferry, Va.,^tried to start a slave insur- rectioui but was - captured and hanged. Adelina Fatti made, her operatic debut at the; Academy of Music, N. Y.. (as a child star she had ap- peared at Niblo's Gardens, N. Y., In 1851). Young ladies went about with beaver hats trimmed with ostrich feathers. 1860 Annie Lisle. ■ w., m., H. S. Thompson. Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co., cop. 1860. Dixie's Land. w,, m., Daniel Decatur Emmett; arr. by W. S. MUSIC PUBLISHERS THEATRICAL AGENTS SPACE FOR RENT Largo Stcend Fleer Unit 6 OFFICES • 2 MUSIC ROOMS • LARGE RE- CEPTION SPACE • AMPLE STOCK ROOM bceptleiial Advortltlnq Value . ' ' Olbor tpace 'AvaitaM*: AfPVf ROOM SOS 1650 Broadway Cor, 51tt St. - ;■ ■•■New. York'" OK MCLVIN BROWN & CO., INC. PE A-0011 Hobbs. ■ Firth, Pdnd & Co., cop. 1860. ■ • Janet's Choice; w., m., Claribel [pseud, of Mrs.; Charles C. Barnard, nee Charlotte Alington]. London: Boosey & Sons 1,1860]; Philadel- phia: Lee & Walker [,1871]. Old Black Joe. w., m.,; Stephen Collins Foster. Firth, Pond & Co., cop. 1860. Rock Me To Sleep/ Mother, w.,: Florence Percy, ra., Ernest Leslie, Boston: Russell it Pate, cop, 1860. Sweet Spirit, Hear My Prayer (Lurline). w., Edward Fitzball. m., William Vincent; Wallace. ■ Wm. Hall & Son, cop. 1860. 'Tis But a Little Faded Flower, w., , Frederick Enoch: m.j; John Rogers Thomas. Wm. A Pond & Co., cop. 1860. When the Com is Waving^, Annie Dear, w., m., Charles Blamphin. Boston: G. D. Russell & Co.; Cin^ cinnati: John Church Go.; Cleve- land: -S.Brainard & Sons; . New York: Wra. A. Pond & Co.; Robert M. DeWitt, cop. 1870; De Marsan's . . . Singer's Journal [,1871], p. 308; Philadelphia: Lee & Walker; and others. (Published by Metzler & Co., London, 1874-75.) federacy, elected Jefferson Davis president, fired on Fort Sumter, and the War began. . Abraham Lincoln was ; inaugu-^' rated president, called for . volun- teei's, and after the bloody battle of Bull Run, gave McClelland com- mand of the UnioiQ Army. Kansas was adinitted to the Union. There were now 31,799 miles of railroad in the U. S., and the Erie and New York Central began to rival the Erie canal in freight ton- nage. Vassar College was founded. Gatling. invented the' forerunner of the machine gun. The thirteenth : tr. S. depression since 1790 now set in. It lasted a year before war prosperity; evapo- rated it. BLUE XMAS DOYE O'DELL XxcUuilre l$31'--4v JESSE ROGERS Vlrtor iiO— !)24S RILEY SHEPARD Urgent »003 CHOICE MUSIC, INC. . Onrct Konivro, I'rof. Mgr. B109 Siiniiet RIvil. 1576 BrodilWHy Unlb'wromnanip<! Millor tn at Universal-International. Deal ^^!r^,?5L„„ J!^,"! i!,L GAC Grabs Exclusive As Vancouver Operator Buys 50G Worth of Talent Hollywood, Dec. 7. Sandy DeSantis, operator of the Palomar Supper Club, Vancouver, Can:,: breezed into town yesterday and bought about $50,000 worth of talent for his nitery. Henry Miller, GAC booker, has secured from De- Santis an exclusive booking ar' rangement. While most df the tal- ent bought is GAC's, several are handled by^ Joe Glascr, who will split commissions with Miller. Bought in a block for the Palo- mar are Louis Jordan combo, for two weeks at $4,900 ■ per frame, opening Jan. 17; Louis Armstrong sextet, Jan, 81, two weeks at $4,500 per; Billie Holiday, Feb. 1, two stanzas, : $3,500 per; Arthur Lee Simpkins, Feb. 28, two weeks, $1,- 500 per. • There's a gap in March. Kay Starr will get a : two- week date if she can clear with her ABC .sus- taining weekly program. . :) - Franlcie Laine opens^ a two^week stand on April 4 at flat $5,000 weekly;'. The Ink Spots follow for a fortnight, at $4,500 weekly, but deal was set some time; back, not by Miller. DeSantis, before returning to Vancouver, plans to fill out. his Bouche Takes .Over LQ., Miami, on 3-Yr. Lease Miami Beach, Dec. 7. Albert "Papa" Bouche, former owner of the Villa iVenlce, Chicago/ last week signed « three-year lease for the Latin Quarter^ at an aggre- gate $100;000 . rental' Deal wa9l made by E. M. Loew, owner of the site and partner with Lou Walters in the operation of the Latin Quar- ter, N, Y. Loew, operator of New England chain of theatres as well, declined to participate in the current talent war among Miami Beach bonifaces. Ft Worth Floats 500,000 for Fair that's being worked out is regard- ed as unusual, inasmuch as serv- ices of Ike Williams, Negro light- weight, is involved. Palumbo, whos' in on the man- agement of Williams, may have the fighter do a benefit bout for the Lou Costello, Jr. Memorial Foun- dation, if the comics play the Phil- ly spot. Abbott & Costello recently had to call off dates at the Latin Quar- ters, N. Y., and Miami Beach, ber cause of the picture assignment. ICE FOLLIES' HEFTY $96,000, NEW HAVEN New Haven, Dec. 7. "Ice Follies" walked off with an- other liefty gross in its annual stand at the Arena. In for nine Las Vegas to ogle acts playing there, with a view to possibly sign- ing them for the Palomar. , Ft. Worth, Dec. 7. Ft. Worth Is planning to cele- brate its 100th anniversary next year on:' a small-scale model of the spectacle Billy Rose staged for this municipality in 1936-37. Plans are ' being drawn for the permanent restoration of the Casa Manana to cost $500,000. Fulfill- ment of the plans will depend on whether the $500,000 bond issue, authorized by the city council in 1945, will be sold. Casa Manana plans include', a permanent stages space Sot . 2;000 diners and 4,000 general . admission seats. The Chamber of Commerce Centennial Committee hopes to be ready in time to offer shows next summer. It's not yet known whether the committee would stage any -shows. There's the pos- sibility that the structure will book road companies of Broadway musical and dramatic hits. Committee realizes: that ^t will have to angle its displays so that they won't suffer in comparison with shows put on by Rose and will be hefty enough to compete with the siimmer operettas put on in Dallas. VHCS to Get $1400,000 Motment To Continne Shows in Vet Hospitals Joe Smith and Charles Dale (lit CtHaboitithn with Amen fithnmn) In excerpli from their forthcoming memolri of SO years with the Avon Comedy Feurr recall why and how They Laughed at Us a neitalgie feature In 43d Anniver$ary Number Due Soon Dutch Film Houses, In Red With Vaude,Orchs, Trying to Ease Situash Washington, Dec. 7. The larger film houses in Am- sterdam, Rotterdam and ; The Hague, in the NetherlaB(dSi ; ape trying to work out an arrahgemeht which will liot l^ave theft for^^ to dirop vaude aiid orchestras at the end of this year. Report by Nathan D- Golden, chief of the motion picture-photo- graphic branch of the U, S. Dept. of Cbmnlerce, : shows that the live entertainineiit has been operating in the ired and that ; thje theatres want to get out from under Unless the governnient will permit them to charge a little more. Principally affected are thriee- theatres each in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and one in The Hague. Dutch government allows houses with an orch and . vaude to nick the customers an extra one-quarter of a guilder above regular admis- sions. However, attendance has nielrinff Railin ^linur falling off and the govem- UlMiUig AdUlV JUUW ment gouges a tax out of the over- ■ 11 n T ride. Hence the theatres want to Allows UOWney to go on a straight grind policy, m f I in, , claiming this will be more profit- Flay London Iheatre.fWe for them, even though, they ' „ ■ „ I lose the extra one-quarter guilder. Hollywood, Dec. 7. 1 it is estimated that about 240 en- Transcribed airshow will give I tertainers and musicians in ,Amr sterdam alone would be affected by such a move. , .'' Veterans Hospital Camp Shows will be allotted $1,400,000 during the next year to entertain the long- term patients in Army, Navy and :. Veterans Administration hospitals :- throughout the country. The funds will come from United Service Or*, ganizations' $6,650,000 campaign which is now being organized throughout the country through the various Community Chest cam* paigns. Strategy of the New York cam- ] paign was outlined Thursday (3) at a- luncheon at Toots Shor's where Gen. Francis R. Kerr, head of VA special services, emphasized the need of continued showbusiness support in the rehabilitation of v hospitalized veterans. In paying tribute to VHCS, Gen. Kerr declared that VHCS could be counted upon for regularity in en- tertaining the wounded — an im^ portant facet because of regularity in appearances: hospitalized vets are assured- that the folks back ■ home are thinking of them. Gen. Kerr also declared that VHCS have been therapeutically helpful because the various units have given the vets a