VOL. 213 No. 10 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1959 80 PAGES / FILMS FACE CRISIS Mas Fade on Casino Circuit His Rest of Caribe Betting on Itself -Th gambling idonej that pre- Viously. went into the casinos in Havana Is expected to be spread around the Caribbean area. Clif¬ ford Jones, operator of the Tliun-, derbird. Las Vegas, who is now partnered with Jake Xqzloff (ex- New Frontier in Vegas operator), now has a full-scale operation in Port-au-iPrince, Haiti. He is open¬ ing another (Netherlands Antil¬ les) casino in Aruba, and has also t one'into Condado Beach, Puerto ico.- Other casinos are contem¬ plated. Jones had been a major partner in the Havana. Hilton When the Nevada; 'State Gaming Comission decreed that all Las Vegasites with gamblMg' interests in Cuba make a choice. Jones subsequently sold odtr but is using that coin to es¬ tablish other casinos in the area. v'The Haiti operation, which has been open since Dec. 26, is using a combination of native and name talent. They have had Corinne Calvet. .and are now negotiating for LIlo, Jacqueline Francoise, Es- telita, and othefh They have ai surrounding native show, so that they can get both tourist and local patronage. As a summer adjunct to the International Casino in Port- au-Princb, they are planning an¬ other gaming salon in Kenscoff, (Continued on page 70). Unwelcome Import From California: Wife Gets 50% of Ex-Husband Poll Tax Rings *Bell’ Houston, Feh. 3:*' Poll tax receipts were .worth their weight in theatre^tfckets Thursday (29) when the Metro¬ politan Theatre offered free admission to any woman show¬ ing a poll tax receipt at the boxoffice Window. The offer was good daring the matinee and was with¬ drawn at 5 p.m. The offers was made to see “Bell, Book /and Candle" (Col) by the Interstate Theatre Circuit to stimulate interes t in the payment of .poll taxes. "1 BBC’s Strong U.S. 20th’sLeopokl-LQeb Pic - Seen Riling Authorities At Scene of Old Grime Though it plans to open Richard Zanuck’s “Compulsion" in New York and some other keys during JEaster Week, 20th-Fox for the mo- saent has no intention of returning the “scene of the crime,” he. •Chicago. /“We may open npar Chicago," Charles Einfeld, 20th ad-pub v.p., said. He gave no direct explanation, though reference was made by SSanuck himself of some “complica¬ tions.” v 1 One of. the reasons why 20tn doesn’t have any intention of springing “Compulsion" on Chi¬ cago just yet is that the State’s At¬ torney’s, office doesn't come out too well in the film, which is based on the Meyer Levin novel and deals with the* Leopold-Loeb “thrill" murder -of a-little-hoy in the twen¬ ties. There’s a. feeling that, what with Chicago’s police censor still in the saddle, “Compulsion" would stand - a ’ godd chance of being tagged with a “pink" slip,,which would deprive it of’ potential audi¬ ence, ♦ • - Also, some at 20th wonder just how much interest there is in the ease in Chicago, which has prob¬ ably .heard more about this whole question than any other city in the (Continued on page 18) London, Feh. 8. •The Songwriters* Guild of (Treat Britain is hotting up its “hate cam¬ paign” against the BBC because of its alleged pro-American bias In the handling of pop music. The Guild’s general secretary, Vic Knight, In¬ sists: “We say that the BBC’s Di¬ rector-General should tell fete-offi¬ cials to make the BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation—or give up their jobs.” ~ Countering the BBC’s claim that there is a persistent demand for American pop" music, the Guild claims that this is a direct conse¬ quence of the persistent plugging which the BBC has given it. The latest Bulletin of the Guild hacks up its accusations with facts and figures, which sneer at the (Continued on page 20) - HARLAN’S hom*o PIC, ‘3DSEX/INN.Y.B0W “The Third Sex,” a German film revolving around the theme of hom*osexuality, has, been booked into' the .Plaza .Theatre, N. Y., to follow “Black Orchid.” Picture probably will open in March. “Third‘^Sex," directed by Veit [ (“Jew-Suess’’) Harlan* is being re¬ leased . by Have Bfcetz, who ac¬ quired it for $87,000 on a flat deal from a group headed by Ilya Lo- pert. Latter reportedly bought the picture for $35,000 but had to sell it when-he became a United Art¬ ists employee, Dietz said last” week he planned to release the Harlan film in both SubtitteJ. and dubbed versions. Pic¬ ture deals with a boy—a potential hom*osexual—who Is pushed into a (Continued on page 22) Fighting desperately for its own survival as a mass entertainment medium, the American motion pic¬ ture ^industry- is turning .out fea¬ tures' dealing with subject matter distasteful to the censoriously in¬ clined. • One foreseeable result of the marked increase in “Adult" product and dare-to-say-it plots may be the greatest battle in film! history between the producers and the bluenoses. Indeed it is argued that this colli- sion-in-the-making may be the first true battle, since Hollywood has previously hedged and trimmed to appease the native censoring men-; tality. However there was, until recent seasons, no doubt .of the film, as such, dominating pop en¬ tertainment. Today the constant presence of television (more and more also a film-fed medium) to¬ gether with an inflationary econ¬ omy puts producers on a spot never before known—the stark survival need for more and differ¬ ent avenues of appeal to ticket- buyers. ' In the immediate past (1950- 1958) censorship has usually hit— and sometimes has' exclusively meant—the foreign film, French or Italian. For this-reason the Ameri- (Continued on page 70) See TV Exports At 50% in 5 Years Hollywood, Feb. 3. An optimistic Appraisal of the potential of the foreign television market coupled with a warning that a far greater degree of pro¬ gramming exchange is necessary liighlighted the first forum on. glo¬ bal television here last week Academy of Television -Arts & Sciences sponsored the event, with such execs as Screen Gems’ Ralph Cohn, Warner Bros.* Rod' Erick¬ son, NBC International’s Al Stern,. Cuba’s Goar Mestre and Japan’s Michio Ito participating. Both Stern and Cohn warned that the U.S. must devote more of its airtime to foreign product in the future if U.S. syndicators ex¬ pect to continue reaping rewards from'the foreign market. Cohn added the observation that more : foreign production would also help, stating however that the tat ent now producing telefilms aboard are responsible far the lack of success of such series.; ‘ **The key to programs being made outside the U.S.,” Cohn sald> “is not necessarily where they’re being made but by whom they are made. When ihqy are made by professionals and by showmen who knew the market for which they are being made, as was (Continued on page 541 Osterman’s Nifty Mickey Rooney’s “The Last Mile” .reminds show biz vets of the classic crack made about the play, when it first hit ' Broadway, by the late Jackie - Osterman, Milton B e r 1 e * s young vaude rival, in a guest column in Variety: - “At the end all the charac-^ ters are dead and the ushers take all the bows.” Senate to Tee Off OnJukeboxProbe; 0.0. of Key Cities Washington, Feb. 3 The Senate Rackets Committee, after a two-month delay, opens a full-scale probe of alleged under¬ world influences in the jukebox in¬ dustry this Friday (6). Hearings are slated to. start with an overall look at the national picture and general methods used by labor hoodlums in getting a slice of the jukebox coin. After that, the com¬ mittee will focus attention on op¬ erations in particular cities,, start¬ ing with New York on Tuesday and followed by Chicago, Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles. In a brief curtain-raiser last December, the rackets group heard Fifth Amendment claims from Michigan hoodlum Frank Camraa- (Continued on page 15) AGVA,AFM‘RIG SHOW’ FOR HAWAII STATEHOOD Honolulu, Feh. 3. The American Guild of Variety Artists and the American Federa¬ tion of Musicians will push state¬ hood for Hawaii in a February or March stageshow for Congressmen in Constitution Hall, Washington, D. C. Lorrin P. Thurston, chairman of the Hawaii Statehood Commission, says Jackie Bright, AGVA national administrative secretary, is plan¬ ning a “gigantic” show to help spur action on Hawaii’s bid to become the 50th state. “We shall never rest until Ha¬ waii becomes the 50th state,” Bright wrote in a letter to Thurs¬ ton. “AGVA feels Hawaii deserves statehood, not because we have pur members of ottr mtioa who live in Hawaii* but because the Hawaiian' has proved bjfrtsefcf to be a great [credit and a great .citizen of tit United States.” The unlde 2s Itamg up mass statehood- petitions through its £raneh Office s . V- The New York Supreme Court, In a precedent-making decision, has upheld California’s community property law In a divorce .action taken in New York State. Ruling is seen of considerable importance to showfolk. Baling, by Justiee Irving Saypol, held that Marion Lane, In obtain¬ ing a divorce from composer Bur¬ ton Lane, retained a right to 50% of their joint funds which they brought to N. Y. when, they moved here from California in 1955. Mrs. Lane also is entitled to half of the . “ineome. earnings, gains, ASCAP payments, license -fCes, royalties, profits” etc. accruing to Lape on any of his compositions written while the Lanes still lived in Cali¬ fornia. This is separate and apart from alimony to which Mrs. Lane Is en¬ titled under the divorce decision. Lane has written the music for such properties as “Finian’s Rain¬ bow," “Babes on Broadway,” “Du- barry Was a Lady," “Artists and Models” and has collaborated with lyricists such as Ira Gershwin, Alan Jay Lerner, Frank Loesser, E. V. Harburg, etc. If a film is finally made of “Finian,” for instance, Mrs. Lane would participate in the proceeds to Lane inasmuch as the (Continued-on page 22) Mpls. Catholic Yo&b For More Discrimination Id Pops; Pain N.Y. Teener Minneapolis, Feb. 3. The $250 prize by the local Catholic Youth Center, sparked by Rev. Joseph L. Baglio, to 14-year- old lyricist Jane Elizabeth Kling- man, of New York, for her song, “The Bells," is part of a national campaign to emphasize “discrim¬ inate" selection of disks, pop songs, singers and disk jockeys. Pro songsmith Sidney Lippman set the tune to Miss Klingman’s lyric which Contract, a Catholic Action movement of high school students here, is publishing. Bing Crosby was the judge in the con¬ test. Hildegarde, whose hometown is Minneapolis, introduced the song at a communion brunch at the local Hotel Raddisson, attended by some 3,000 teenagers. Miss Klingman is a freshman at the Immaculate Conception branch of * Cathedral High School, New York. Marylyn Steele, Minneapolis, $3$0; Mary Kay Dontbugh, St. Paul, $75; Fran Rusctaoo, Minne¬ apolis, $50; Edward Bourn, Flush¬ ing, N. Y. r $25, were the runners- Vp In the "discriminating" national song competition. The amateur songsmithing con¬ tort is part of the campaign to fetake teenagers aware of “proper” pop song material and their In¬ terpreters and promoters. 2 MISCELLANY Wednesday, -February 4, 1959 : Stockholders Back Company Setup London, Feb. 3. After a week of intense activity* which collared frontpage headlines daily in the national press* the annual stockholders meeting of the Granada Group and a subsequent extraordinary session to approve special resolutions turned out a great fizzle. The threatened ma¬ jor rumpus over the company’s finai yfo* agreement with another tv programming company didn’t develop. And its proposals to is¬ sue a number of shares at par to executive directors and executives were accepted at a crowded stock¬ holders meeting last Friday (30) with an overwhelming vote in sup¬ port of the board. Affairs of the Granada Group began to receive- prominence in the press when the prelim financial statement was published late in- December. A one-line reference- in Sidney L, Bernstein’s statement to stockholders that a programming arrangement with another- com¬ pany was terminable in 1960 was widely picked up by financial col¬ umnists who assumed that this ex¬ plained away the reason for Gran¬ ada’s -profits of under $3,000,000 for its entire group (including the tv network, a chain of theatres and stores) while other tv companies: were making as much as $15,000,-. 000 a year. _ The sequel to that publicity came last week, when a number of important developments took place. One was the decision by some MP’s to raise the question in the House of Commons as an al¬ leged breach of the Television Act. (Continued on page 22) SERIESOFTRUSTS UNDER DEMHIE WILL Los Angeles, Feb. 3. Cecilia DeMille Harper, daugh¬ ter of Cecil B. DeMille, was left one-half of all late producer’s se¬ curities and all real estate except a ranch, under terms of the DeMille will filed for ^ probate last week, Although estate will run into many m illion s, the petition merely stated in legal double-talk that real prop¬ erty was in excess of $10,000, and personal property in excess of same amount. DeMille left nothing to his widow,. Mrs. Constance DeMille, saying she had been amply pro¬ vided for, but the will noted her "devotions loyalty and cooperation” and tiie "great material contribu¬ tion she has made to our success.’’ Daughter and her husband, Joseph Harper, of the book publishing family, were named as executors of will, which made 17 individual bequests totaling $40,000, largest of which was $10,000 bequeathed to Julia ihy, who has.appeared in all producer^ pix. Balance of estate was divided into four trusts. One was set up for DeMille’s three adopted children, Katherine DeMille .Quinn, and John and Bichard DeMille. Other 'three for his grandchildren* For $125,000 Nitery Bow Hollywood, Feb. 3. George Bums has been offered $125,000 to star at the Sahara Ho¬ tel in Las Vegas for four weeks in June. It would he his cafe debut Comedian has long nixed such bids, but is seriously considering the Vegas offer. He would appear solo, sans the services of Grade Allen, his wife and partner who retired last year. 2 Songbirds of Different Feathers Bock Together Washington, Feb. 3. Hostess Perle Mesta, whose so¬ cial-diplomatic activities were once set to music by Irving Berlin ("Call Me'Madam”), opened her Washington mansion two days in* a row to honor such diverse musical personsdlties as Maria CaHas and Johnnie Ray. ' Mine. Callas (who confessed she’s getting sensitive - about. publicity I on her temperament) was here to- sing “H Pirata” Thursday (29) at a Constitution Hall sellout under Pa¬ trick Hayes sponsorship, in her sec¬ ond Washington appearance for him this season. Bay was in town as headliner at Lee Zelger’s Casino Royal nitery. Mrs, Mesta, who’s home-based here when not travelling the world, gave an elegant dinner (pheasant en plumage, etc.) for the Italian ambassador and other VIP’s be¬ fore the Callas performance. Afterward, she, Elsa Maxwell and other Callas enthusiasts were guests, along with the diva herself, at a post-performance party given (Continued on gage 70) BELAFONTE FOUNDATION HELPS SNUBBED TEXAN' Austin, Feb. 3. Barbara "Smith, Negro songstress who emerged from race-conscious East Texas to become recognized fpr vocal ability at U. of Texas, left campus lari; week to' pursue her career in New York with aid of Harry Belafonte Foundation funds. Miri Smith, a dramatic soprapo from Pittsburg, ,Texas, a timber town, was in news nationally two' years ago when she was booted from lead role of Dido in Univer¬ sity opera, "Dido and Aeneas,” after East Texan legislators com¬ plained to University officials.lBela- folite sent a wire, of sympathy to her at-that time, saying there were people "in the comer.” Shying from publicity, Miss Smith went on to -become candi¬ date last Week for bachelor of mu- (Continued on page 20) i 2/4 Subscription, Order Form Enclosed find check for $ □ One Year Please send VARIETY for □ Two Years P Three Years To (Please Print Name) Street City...... . Zone.... State... Remoter Subscription Rotes One Year—$15.00 Two Years—$28.00 Three Years—$39.00 Canada and Foreign—$1 Additional Per Year 154 West 46th Street New York 36. N. Y. BETTY MADIGAN Now on DAVE GARROWAY TV "TODAY” Show Alsb Currently Four Weeks COFACABANA New York Starts Feb. 10th Five Weeks, COTILLION ROOM : HOTEL PIERS® Evansville, Feb; 3. * : Drama and Pageantry are bustin' out all Over but' in the - Lincoln country as - the 150th anniversary of his birth is approached, Feb. 12. In Evansville, Ind.—the city nearest to Abe’s boyhood’home—a full-scale musical drama is being readied for a three-day, five-per¬ formance run. Theme of the musi¬ cal is Young Abe’s life around 1825. Called "Sunday’s Child,” it is an Original 'offering by two Evans¬ ville women, Mrs. Zayne Hauck, who wrote the book, and Mrs. Joanne Slater Levi, the lyrics and music. . Casting Is complete and rehearsals held nightly in the noW- dark Majestic Theatre, a Loew’s house now active only during holi¬ days and for special road-show films. Boxoffice prices - for "Child” are scaled to $3.65. The musical recounts Lincoln’s courtin' days and follows the mi¬ gration of tiie Lincoln family from their native Kentucky, through In¬ diana and into Illinois. The entire score of .show-music, from ballads to ballet, is steeped in a rural folk* flavor. Minas Christian, conductor of Evansville Philharmonic, will baton in the Majestic pit . Mrs. Levi,, a- native New-Yorker* is a Barnard College and' Julliard' alumna and the daughter of film publicist. Bill Slater. ^ ALament For The Bellylaff Legit Musieals Too ‘literate* — r Where Are THe Funny Comics and Dames of Yore? By NAT DORFMAN " Fun has generally, gone out of the musical comedy ^theatre. -The golden era of the clown has been displaced by humorous austerity.. A snicker, or at most a gentle guffaw, is- being parcelled out in place of the outrageous bellylaugh. To judg$ by the output, about the last thing the modem impresario gives thought to is the comic. Nor, following the managerial pattern, is comedy- the concern of the li¬ brettist. At any rate, he shuns it Fop May Be Out Front; MomU Be id Hie Wings Washington, Feb. 3. ... A Congressional son, age 12, is turning show biz pro. Bruce Thompson, son* of Wyo¬ ming Republican Bep. and Mrs. Keith Thompson, will play the boy’s'role;'in the Emlyn Williams adaptation of: Iyan* TurgenevV"A Month in the Country,” when it is produced by the .Arena Stage here for four weeks starting Feb. 10. It’ll mark Bruce's first legit per¬ formance, although, he has previ¬ ously »been on - local television shows.. Of Maria Callas’ Opera fey Robert j. landby I t was Maria Callas & Co. (her own conductor, tenor and bass from Italy) when an opera from :the long-ago, Vincenzo* Bellini’s "H Pirata,” was presented concert- style by the American Opera So¬ ciety at Carnegie Hall, N.Y. The occasion last Tuesday (27) had a special excitement because it was the Greek-American soprano’s only Manhattan appearance since she was fired from the Met Opera by Rudolf Bing. Mostly tiie event drew audience cheers and reasonably good, if somewbat reluctant, critiques. This could be said about Callas in “Pirata” as about Callas in the same composer’s “Norma” when she first debuted at the Met: The build-up and the advance sale al¬ most had to make the actual per- tContinued on page 70) London, Feb. 3. James. Mason has jnriruefed his London lawyer to issue writs claiming damages for alleged libel against, jthe Daily Sketch, Beaver- brook Newspapers and the East Anglian daily Times. The actions arise oiit of publication of* State¬ ments which have already .lieen the subject of proceedings, in America, where the actor is claim¬ ing more than $3,300,000 for defa¬ mation of character. . David * Jacobs, Mason’s London legal rep, states that the writs al¬ ready have been issued and served. The actor js [due here shortly for two film commitments.' * v Award to Durante : -. <.§tfston, 'Feb.'* 3. Jimmy Durante nabs the first an¬ nual Humanitarian Citation of Bos¬ ton Cinema Lodge, B’nai B’nth, at a luncheon at the Bradford Hotel Feb. .16. Durante will be in for a. return date at Blinstrub’s, South Boston nitery. Nat Lewis Store Folding Nat Lewis, .probably the oldest and best known Broadway theatri¬ cal haberdashery, ’is going out of business. There wiH be a liquida¬ tion'sale first. Decision is a reluctant; one by Mollie Lewis, widow of the foun¬ der. Store was literally a land¬ mark of the show biz scene for 40 years and its passing will be a wrench to. nostalgia-. Newspaper strike crimped Christmas: trade and landlord wanted a rent .in¬ crease. COMEDIE FRANCAISE REPERTORY FILMING France’s Comedie’ Francaise will make one film a year taken from the plays in. Its repertoire. It’s al¬ ready done "Le Bourgeois Gentil- homme”**ahd has started work on a second classic, "Le Manage del Figaro” by Beaumarchais. j . It’s figured these films will enjqy j a %gf .audience in U.S. colleges. In his publifr Works. JWto nfidriff, which laughter Is'supposed to vio^ fently shake, has been stilled by so-called "literate” plots, mild sa¬ tiric - thrusts, meaningful ballets and gorgeous trappings. Hollow, however, is the echo of the am¬ phitheatre to paroxysms of yofcs. Verboten, we must assume, is any¬ thing that induces unrestrained. ... mirth, the kind* that brings joyous - ; tears to the eyes. Happily, it was not always so. *.; The producers of yesteryear’s ex¬ travaganzas never got.started un- less they had a comic in harness. - Neither would they contemplate a production that didn’t fairly bristle ; with gags and funny situations.. This was their ace-in-the-hole and unless you coqld guarantee laughs.,, in *a musical comedy (and ah op- / eretta, to - some extent as welD ‘ you were risking audiences’ dis¬ pleasure and bpxoffice apathy. ;; ; No doubt of it, the comic was • the real star and the big money ; earner. And while it is patently. ; true that a good deal of'the com- edy. was corny in those halcyon, days, a. lot of .it was hilariously ;; f unny , indeed. Emblazoning the ' marquees - of yesterday’s' theatre - were such inimitables as Willie . Collier, Raymond Hitchco*ck, Sant . Bernard; W. C. Fields, Louis Mann, Willie Howard, Jack Pearl, George p LeMaire Jimmy Hussey, the Marx Bros. Leon Errol, WiH Rogers, Bert Williams, Fannie Brice, Eddie Foy, Frank Tinney, Clark & McCul¬ lough, Eddie Cantor, Frank Fay, Lou Holtz, Montgomery & Stone, • to name a scant few. They were the giants, the .theatre (Continued on page 221 ' 1ST ANffl UNVEILING AT MANIE SACKS GRAVE Philadelphia, Feb. 3. Ceremonies marking the first An- . niversary of the death of former NBC vice president Manie Sacks . ; were held Sunday (Feb. 1) at the* Roosevelt Memorial Park. One of the outstanding figures in the en¬ tertainment world. Sacks was f the friend of hundreds of Stars. <- Tire unveiling of his tombstone- Sunday was attended by members of the immediate family and Gen- > era! David Sarnoff, Publisher Wal* ter Annenberg and other personal t friends. The Congregation Beth Israel,'of which Sacks was a former pre&vv dent, will hold special service* . Friday evening (6) at the Green*- briar Club, temporary quarters of .= the synagog. John B. (Jack) Kelly will dedicate a bronze memorial tablet, which will later become a permanent memorial in the chapel_ of the Temple. The Philadelphia Inquirer,, in its..;, syndicated Sunday. magazine "To-l day,” ran a page tribute to Sacks , '-called "Legacy of Affection.” " Trade Mark B^pstered Founded i»y by sime^silverman* Puwiihed weekly by variety/ inc. '*■ * '• Syd SBVermin, President . 15* West *6th St., New York 36, N. Y, JUdson 2-2700. Hollywood 21 - - 6404 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood 94141 * * Washington 4 1202 National Press Building, STerling 3-5445 v Chicago-11 . - - . — : ■* 612 No. Michigan Ave.. DEgaware 7-4964 * < - . London WC2 ' 8 St. Martin’s PI., Trafalgar COVent Garden 0135 £ * SUBSCRIPTION Annual, $1& Foreign, $16; Single Copies, 35 Cents * ABEL GBEEN, Editor Volume 213 ^> 12 * Number 10 INDEX Bills . .. 70 Night Club Reviews___ 67 Casting News _ .;^2 Obituaries .. T9 Chatter .. .. 78 Pictures ... 3 Film Reviews ......... .. 6 Radio ... 27 Inside Music ...;. ..-61 Radio Reviews ........... Inside Radio-TV. TneiriA. Pfnturpc 52 Record' Reviews ’.;.. §6 77 international . ..12 Television ... Television Reviews ... 27 46 Legitimate . .. •• ?1 TV Films .. 30 Literati *... . 77 Unit Rpview . 69 Music ......__. .. 56 Vaudeville . 65 New Actg .. .. 69 U.HM.in, 1 l.l ■——— m DAILY VARIETY (Published In Hollywood, by Daily Variety. LtdJ , 815 a year. $20 Foreign. Wednesday, February 4, 1959- ttijSiETT PICTURES STARS LOOK DOWN ON FLOPS By $6,000,000 Washington, Feb. 3. Cash dividends paid by film com¬ panies during 1953 fell almost $6,000,000 below 1957 total, pre¬ liminary figures disclosed by Com¬ merce Dept. Sunday (1) disclosed. Last year, publicly reported cash dividends added -up to $21,424,000, according to preliminary figures. Revised and final ’57 total was $27,350,000. - During month of December, div¬ idends came to $3,354,000, com¬ pared to $4,123,000 dhring same month a year earlier. December dividends for both years, with the ’58 amount first and the ’57 listed second, are as follows: Allied Artists Picture Corp., $12,000 and $14,000; Amer¬ ican Broadcasting-Paramount Thea¬ tres, $1,118,000 and $1,123,000; Consolidated Amusem*nt Co., Ltd., of Hawaii, $104,000 and $140,000; Official Films, Inc., none and $133,000; Paramount Pictures Corp., $900,000 and $986,000; 20th Century-Fox, $1,047,000 and $1,- 058,000; United Artists Corp., $168,000 and $147,000; United Art¬ ists Theatre Circuit, $5,000 and $5,000; and Universal Pictures Co., none and $517,000. Unadorned Eyed By Seal, duch*ess Ava Stretches Conch & MPAA Code United Artists and the Adver¬ tising Code came to a parting of the ways—again—this week over the ads for “The Naked Maja” which show Goya’s portrait of the duch*ess of Alba reclining in the nude. In the picture, the duch*ess is played by Ava Gardner. Although the painting appears in the film itself, the Code in N.Y. said it had no place in the ads. Another objection involved an il- lustra,tiqn :i §ho#ing Anthony Fran- ciosa and Miss Gardner In a clinch on a couch. After considerable discussion, UA told Ad Code administrator Gordon White, Monday (2), that it would- go ahead with the ads as planned, whether or not this meant refusal of the Code seal. Theoret¬ ically;'the withholding of ad ap¬ proval by the MPAA could mean withdrawal also of the bhsic Code seaL Latter already has been given to the UA release. This is the second time within a few months that UA tangled with the Code on ads. In Decem¬ ber, the Code refused to okay some of the language in the “Anna Lu- casta” ads. That problem was straightened out. T&ven if the ad code seal is with¬ hold, UA appears to be fully de¬ termined to go ahead with the reilease of the film, though such action is likely to have serious reverberations among . the other companies, all of whom fight daily, with White over the approval of ad! campaigns. TjORSE’S MOUTH’WOWS 1 ROYAL FILM GALA \ London, Feb, 3. Royal Film Gala attended by Queen Mother and Princess Mar¬ garet hailed “Horses’ Mouth’’ as best “Command” entry ever. Na- tinal dailies' critics endorsed this view with rave notices. Brief stage interlude featured Max Bygraves introducing British, American and Continental stars. Maurice Chevalier was given an ovation after singing “Louise.” Gala netted over $56,000 for in¬ dustry charities. Arthur Krim, Lau-. ren Bacall, Juliette Greco and Sir Alec Guinness were among those presented to Royal party. Valerie Harper, dancer .in the film "Rock, Rock, Rock,” signed for the upcoming Broadway musical, "Dastry Rides Again.” : Brigitte Leads Yank Importers ; But Where ? The foreign film business in the States is finding itself on. the horns of a dilemma. With its eyes firmly on the bright star of Brigitte Bar- dot and the dollar, it has come to a fork in the road and must now decide in which direction to proceed. Being essentially schizophrenic in nature, traditionally confused by the fine line between “art” and “exploitation,” which they theip- selves have drawn, the independent distributors would like to go off in both directions. But killing two flies with one stone isn’t an every day kind of trick. Since the war, the indies have lived, and some have prospered on the “art” film from Europe. The major newspaper' critics have contributed to the popular image of “art” by praising as such many Continental pictures which ap¬ peared offbeat in America; i.e., Hollywood terms. Until fairly re¬ cently, the outlets for such films were limited and the pictures ca¬ pable of “breaking out” constitut¬ ed a small minority. Since the advent of Mile. Bar- dot, and - the drop in the availa¬ bility of the American product, the indies have been able to widen their horizons via the socalled “commercial" pictures . from Eu¬ rope. Dubbing is on tthe rise and the indies now talk of “volume” bookings. The accent is on the sex¬ ploitation film and “art” has be¬ come a byproduct. It’s been clear for some time that the foreign film biz is being split by its desires to (1)^ maintain a certain integrity by importing films with artistic merit, and (£) shoot the works on sensationalism and “volume.” This has irritated the critics, who’re important in that area, and it has raised con¬ siderable questions for both dis¬ tribution and the theatres. * The indies say that reviewers have gotten into a rut, determined¬ ly measuring all imports against the yardstick 'of “art.” Frequently this -results in bitter disappoint¬ ment since these films are designed for commercial purposes. Many houses have been exper¬ imenting with imports of one kind or another. But they’ve been hung up on the difference between New York and the rest of the country. Pictures that do well in Gotham aren’t necessarily 1 -of appeal else¬ where. Out-of-N. Y. theatres need at least 52 pictures a yejar which, if they’re to be consistent, means they have to mix up all types of foreign films. The question is: Will the public go for the mixed diet? “There obviously is room for sex and exploitation films from abroad,” Edward L. .Kingsley of Kingsley-International, who’s been' handling two Bardot pictures, said last week. “At the same time, the public' will stand still for them only so. long. Exhibitors must give the ’good’ films a chance, even if it’s a losing proposition once in a while. Everyone has to suffer losses sometimes, its the nature of this business. But it’s the only way tqi stay in business until that win¬ ner comes along.” Public gets stung many times, Kingsley opined, and in the for¬ eign field it seems willing to be misled more often than with Holly, wood pix. “But the type of exploi¬ tation now connected with Euro¬ pean pictures is bound to take its toll and people are going to catch on to the ’desperation’ ads sooner or later. How long can the ‘cheat¬ ers’ stay alive?” , Problem is that the image of the foreign film in New York differs vastly from its perspective 'else¬ where. Here, partly under the pres¬ sure of the critics, an attempt is made to please the sophisticates who’ll appreciate what Europe tells of itself in its films. Out of New York, the accent is purely on sex. Artistic pictures get about 50% of their revenue from-New York, and sometimes more. Filins like “Gervaise,” “Pather Fanchali,” “Captain von Koepen- ick,” “Porte de Lilas” and others have done impressively at their N. Y. showcase and have failed to draw throughput the country. Occasionally, as with the Swedish “The Seventh Seal,” this procedure may be reversed, but not often. One circuit was in effect formed in smaller cities where the Bardot pictures cleaned up. When it came to booking some of the better im¬ ports, the public stayed away. “There’s no anticipating the mar¬ ket. The only thing we know is that, for the most part, the for¬ eign ‘art* film is limited and it’ll stay that way. But exhibitors would make a terrible mistake to discard it for the sake of exploitation product,” said Kingsley. He. added that, in 1959, the impact of dubbed pictures would, for the first time, be strongly felt. “It’s true that the commercial houses, as a rule, will still book a reissue rather than an import if they need product, but that’s grad¬ ually breaking down. We have a Fernandel picture, ‘Man With a Raincoat,* which we’ve dubbed and on which we’re shooting strictly for volume. Many others have done likewise. Of course, a lot of good films are going to be ruined that way, being dubbed just to get wider bookings.” Indies are complaining that it’s tougher now than ever to find a “good” foreign film. In part, this is due to Europe’s own conscious¬ ness of “limited” art vs. the com¬ mercial potential of exploitation product But the taste differences are highly unpredictable. v “He Who Must Die,” a pronounced success at the Beekman Theatre in N. Y. right now, died in France and was rated zero for the U. S. On the other hand, many pictures suc¬ cessful on the Continent failed to make a dent in the States. This inconsistency has brought gray hairs to the indies who have to decide whether to plunk down high guarantees to French producers who, in turn, have been stung in the past by selling for peanuts films which, eventually, turned into high grossers in the States. Denver Post Forgets Free Distribution Periodical Via Screen Audiences The most recent effort to start a special publication, devoted com¬ pletely to films, for distribution free in the nation’s theatres ap¬ pears to have stalled. The Denver Post, which had hoped to enter the field, has notified Robert W. Selig, head of the Fox Inter-Mountain Theatres, that “softness iti the-na- tional advertising field” has forced it to abandon the project for the time being. First revelation of the project, to be known as Movie Parade, was made at Theatre Owners of Amer¬ ica convention in Miami Beach last October and was received by . ex¬ hibitors with considerable fanfare. It immediately won the endorse¬ ment of the convention^ Halt of the Denver Post plan marks the third abortive effort during 1958 to commence a publi¬ cation for gratis distribution in film houses. Two other groups had visions of publishing programs for film, theatres similar to the legit theatre’s Playbill One was known as Showbill and the other as Screenbill, but neither got off the groqpd. Meet Fidel Castro A threereel color subject on Cu¬ ba’s Fidel Castro, made by Cuba- cclor, the Cuban newsreel com¬ pany, has been acquired for U. S. release by Bruce Balaban. Balaban, Who owns all but the Haiti and Cuban rights to-the foot¬ age, said last week he planned to edit it down to one or two reels, depending on local theatre needs. Maria Schell in N.Y. to do tv. ‘Volume’ of Overseas Rentals Called Illusory; Real Key Must Be Trofits Stocks’ Total Value Amusem*nt ^tocks as of the end of January had a total trading value of $116,829,528 on the New York Stock Ex¬ change. The group was ahead of such other industries as the building trade, leather and its products, office equipment, real estate and textiles in terms of the market value. [Cuba Stops Coin For Time Being . Revolutionary government in Cuba has put a stop to remittances of dollar earnings of imported mo¬ tion pictures, according to a letter sent by Antonio Garcia, Allied Artists’ rep in Havana, to the home- office. He added he was confident remittances would be resumed after the new regime has had the opportunity to check on foreign- origin money accounts. Garcia’s letter, datqd Jan. 17, also related that the new govern¬ ment set Jan. 29. as the date for the beginning of a duties import on* imported pictures. Heretofore they’ve been duty free. . John Sturges off to Burma, Thai¬ land and Cej’lon to prepare for the location filming of Metro’s “Never So Few” with Frank Sinatra. By FRED HIFT Ate the American film com¬ panies abroad putting too great an emphasis on volume and gross rather than on net receipts and remittances? Some executives says this is so, and they blame a number of sup¬ posedly short-sighted industry poli¬ cies overseas on this very fact What’s more, they say, the accent on volume has tended to obscure some of the more unpleasant facts of the foreign market where ris¬ ing costs have reached the point where a re-evaluaton of the entire overseas operation is in order. “We’re so busy running up bill¬ ings abroad that it’s literally a case of not seeing the woods for the trees,” ' commented one foreign exec in *N. Y. last week. “When you do a volume business, and billings are high, it looks good and you seem to justify your existence. Ac¬ tually, our net figures don’t look so good and more small films lose monev than arv of the companies are willing to admit.” Argument ties in with the Euro¬ pean conterition that the U. S. dis¬ tributors are shipp 5 ng in films which, by the very nature of the changing market, can’t make out On the books, these pictures do, of course, help pile up volume and billings. It’s only when all the costs are assessed and added up that the losses become apparent. By this time, however, the local of- j fice has made a good showing, j Aded to this is the odd fact that,. in some territories, the Yank out-1 fits actually get more licenses than they can profitably cover. That’s in | turn due to the shrinking produc¬ tion volume. However, the com-' (Continued on page 18) ‘INSURE 1 A FILM By GENE ARNEEL While resentment among the employers (producers and the stu¬ dios) against the hired .help (ac¬ tors) has grown markedly In past year because of top demand tal¬ ent’s soaring remuneration ideas, the key question that has come to the fore in Hollywood is, "Hpw much is a name performer really worth?*’ The answer is elusive—indeed, probably impossible. But some provocative if inconclusive clue* as to the boxofflce value of some of the top thesps can be found in matching the casts of pictures of a relatively recent period against the b.o. tally. . Among the conclusions (and con¬ flicts) that can be recognized are these: The “good” picture is bol¬ stered commercially by name lures rather than unknowns but the pro¬ duction commonly regarded as sec¬ ond-rate hardly is more likely to click because of the same names, instead could lose more money for the producer because of out- of-pocket costs of those names. Names usually help big ones are not a requisite for blockbuster revenue. Consider these contradictory- seeming cases: (1) The star power in Walt Dis¬ ney’s “Old Yeller” was limited to Dorothy McGuire, Tess Parkrer (in a small part) and yet this ap¬ parently minor-league entry will wind up with over $5,000,000, and probably closer to $6,000,- 000, in domestic distribution in¬ come—meaning strictly blue-chip profit for producer Disney. (2) Tony Curtis and Burt Lan¬ caster were In the leads but this was not enough to lift “Sweet Smell of Success” out of the red¬ ink. (3) Columbia’s “Seventh Voyage of Sinbad,” starrinn Kathy Grant, is currently a blockbuster at the b.o. (4) Universal's “Time to Love and Time to Die.” It was regarded by the company's exec echelon, at the outset, as fine drama and wham money-maker but the disappoint¬ ment is now ascribed to absence of qames. (5) “Merry Andrew” had the popular Danny Kaye as top banana and yet the domestic gross for the Metro feature was only $1,350,000. (6) John Wayne, a name to be reckoned with in anybody’s popu¬ larity poll for many years, lacked sufficient star null to bring the period spectacle, ‘The Barbarian and The Geisha,” out of the defi¬ cit class. (7) A disappointment to United Artists was “Run Silent, Run Deep,” though Lancaster and Clark Gable were teamed. These are but a few pictures in relation to the totrl number which had the aforementioned and many pther top salaried actors on the marquee and i which nonetheless missed the boat to profitsville. It’s a matter of common sense that the star sells some tickets and in numerous cases, with the aid of hangup exploitation cam¬ paigns, hypoes a feature which is generally rated good but not out¬ standing. But the list of flops makes It clear that the luminaries out Hol¬ lywood way are not miracle mak¬ ers. Yet, some independent produ¬ cers, in quest of financing, have found the banks turning a deaf ear on them unless they have a good star or two in the package. Samuel Goldwyn recently ac¬ cused certain segment? of the in¬ dustry of committing economic hari-kari, namely the stars (and their agents) who want to hit a jackpot with every picture they make, and the management exec* who accede to the “insane” de¬ mands. Italian producer Dino DeLau- rentlis, in New York last week, said amen to this but added, the actors may ask us for excessive money “but they don't carry guns.” ■ nrcxtrar :.. ..: ■ rt Reeyes, Ityist Stgi: I hfaence on (mama; }sQSii&£& _ _ _ m _ . Its registration of "The Hue- Story-Telling’ Fibns Stnnolated _ ment, it’s understood project Recent activity In the stock ■ -t . involves a comparatively in-• Cinerama Inc., which hit a new Pi i expensive Mexican production, high of 616 and was one of most ac- jtOCK flulACl liOlcS : Shenandoah, headed by pro- tively traded stocks on American __J ducer Stuart Millar and scrip- Stock Exchange last week, was at- ter James Poe, is readying a tributed to report that Hazard Zenith board voted a tbree-for-. high-hudget' roadshow film, prexy of Cinerama Inc. and one stock split, subject to stock- while Arthur Freed projects Soundsraft Corp., is or- Voider approval. This second split the Metro undertaking as a- a group for the produc- wfthina year had been anticipated musicaL Alan Jay Lerner and } exhibition of Cinerama caused unusual interest in the Burton Lane have * already . Reeves is free to do. so , New stock-option setup Written the score, le Stanley Warner’s exclu- ^ or Earner execs comes up for a jssms=s=s=ss=s=s=s^^ as ended. Under a ruling vote t<M ja y (Wed.) at the company’s _ — A T7 Dept, of Justice, SW was meeting in Wilmington . . . ¥ A TvC C A i A V Vaav o dispose of all its holdings & Co.-thinks Eastman Ho- IA IOlJ u6lS J" I 02u amalnc.^ dak is priced too high but likes v m, vm veek Stanley sold its final Polaroid as an attractive long-term .... . ^ v# r of 329,000 Cinerama Inc. investment... United Artists now |1_ _■ II/IaL VkiiliAn o the Wall Street firm of has 819,388 common shares listed . |jPrf| Vf {[[I i ifUOItlS Peabody & Co. for $2:50 0 n the'big board, having added yv ' lU 111,41 UlUUIVU re, These shares were suh- 333 . . , . Film stocks on the. big ^ «v , [y acquired at a slightly -board jumped 1.8% in value-last ?■ - - Hollywood, Feb. 3. rice by Reeves and his syn- month, cempared- with gains of A 21c per hour salary nse and New acquisition gives p.4% in December and 9.1% in fn£ge benefits are provided In an Vdfe<^,vMifAary 4,’1959 1 I National Boxoffipe Survey | iBiz JtiU Routing; ‘Mame’ Again^Firtt, -Running* 2d, ‘Furlough’ 3d, W 5th, .‘Seat’ 5th Stock Market Notes Zenith board, voted a tbree-for- Reeves, prexy of Cinerama Inc. and one stock split, subject to stock- Reeves Souncferaft Corp., is or- holder approval. This second split ganizing a group for the produc- yyjthin a year had been anticipated tion and exhibition of Cinerama caused unusual interest In the features. Reeves is free to do. so ^ # New stock-option setup i now since Stanley Warner’s exclu- j or ^yamcr execs comes up for a sivity has ended. Under a ruling vote t0 ^ ay (Wed.) at the company’s of the Dept, of Justice, SW was annn3t i meeting in Wilmington forced to dispose of all its holdings & Co.-thinks Eastman Ko- in Cinerama Inc. ^ dak is priced too high but likes Last week Stanley sold its final Polaroid as an attractive long-term holdings of 329,000 Cinerama Inc. investment... United Artists now shares to the Wall Street firm of has 819,388 common shares listed Kidder, Peabody & Co. for $2.50 on the'big board, having added per share. These shares were suh- 333 . . .. . film stocks on the. big sequently acquired at a slightly -board jumped 1 . 8 % in value-last higher price by Reeves and his syn- month, compared' with gains of dicate. New acquisition gives o.4% in December and 9.1% in Reeves Soundcraft definite Control November. of Cinerama Ine., with holdings of -----^ 4 - . 730,000 shares in add'tion to 100 ,- | /v/f | 1 * nl 000 Reeves owns personally. Alto- lift Alt MIAA NhdfPC getber there are 2,700,000 Cine- Vrllvl I lull vlldlVy . rama Inc. shares outstanding. • i : According to Reeves, he plans to- m | 1* H {• open and operate his own Cine- | a lflftfflg IwljUflUff rama theatres and to nrovide for a 1U lijUw tf ' lfl wflllK continuity of story-telling pix. He . ’ envisions the operation of 59 to 75 1%* f /I I t* • theatres throughout the world HlV I AIT I Alllltini2l which, he feels, can subsist on two A IA 1U1 VVllllIlIJiw new Cinerama films annually. Reeves believes that the full poten- Independent producers with long- agreement on a collective hargahr- ' ing contract , reached last Friday (30) by reps of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Em¬ ployees and major' film producers, tv film producers and film process¬ ing firms. Covering 15,000 industiy workers in 21 local Unions, pact runs for two years and went into effect Jan. .31. The three-week long negptia- Helped fid degfct to^sqpae extern by the new federal tax structure oh admission tickets, .business in key cities covered by Variety is boiling despite the surplus, of long- runs' and holdovers. Neither, the snow nVr severe cold proved much of a handicap at the-b.o., numer¬ ous keys showing up better than they did a week ago. . "Auntie Mame” (WB) is back Ip No. 1 position after being in second -slot a week ago. ’’Some Came-Running,’’ (M-G), champ a week ago, is winding up a big sec¬ ond place winner. “Perfect Furlough" (U) is mov¬ ing up to 'third position by dint of some new, unusually fine engage¬ ments. '“Inn of Sixth Happiness" ( 20 th) A g ai n is finishing in fourth place, same as last week. "South Seas Adventure*!.. (Cine¬ rama), .fifth a^week ago, is landing in same spot* this stanza. "South Pacific" (Magna) is pushing up to sixth'place. VBell,|took; Candle” (Col) will-land in seventh money. "Gigi" (M-G) is showing renewed vigor to > climb to eighth place. "Separate Tables”. (UA) will cap¬ ture ninth "position. while "I Want To Live” (UA) is finishing 10th. "Windjammer" (NT) is winding up . 11th “Anna I.ncasta” (UA) rounds out the Top 12 '/“*' 5 "Horse’s Mouth" (Lopert), "Tonka" .(BV), “Sheriff of Frac¬ tured Jaw” (20th) and "My Un¬ cle* (Coat) . aapg the • ;rupner-up films. : “Rally. Round Flag, Boys”. (20th) is throwing some promise among the newcomers. It is good in Frisco and Pittsburgh, lively in Portland and okay , on longrun in N.Y. “House on Haunted Hill" ?AA), slick in Boston, looms ter¬ rific in Detroit . "Sleeping Beauty" (BV),, due at N.Y. Criterion mid-F e b r u a r y, preemed in L-A. with a hoff first week after breaking several mat¬ inee records. "Doctor’s Dilemma!* (M-G), tall in N.Y„ shapes hefty in Philly. . “Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker" ( 20 th), also new, is. rated nice In Buffalo. “St Louis Bank Robbery" (UA) is secko on preem week in St Louis. ‘■The Trap" (Par) is rated mild in N.Y. ‘.‘Roots of Heaven". (20 th) shapes big in Philly. “Last Blitzkrieg” (Col), fight in N.Y., looms mild ip - Frisco. "Around World Ip 80 Days” (UA) 1$ lnsty in L.A. "Old .Man and Sea” (WB), good in Cincy, shapes trim in Chi and Stout in LA. "Night To 1 -Remem¬ ber” (Rank) still is fine on long- run in N.Y. "Tom Thumb" (M-G) looks hotsy in Chi and hep in Philly. “Spider" ( AAi is okay in Toronto. • (Complete Boxoffice Reports ©* Pages 8-9-10) . * A tions. headed by Richard F. Walsh, new C iirerflm fl - irlnis PUnmliy* TATQl? intPTTiAtinnfl] nrpvv and Reeves believes that the full poten- Independent producers with long- Charles s Boren exec vo*oi Assn tial of Cinerama has yet to be em- term commitments with Columbia ^ Motion Picture Producers.* ployed and he points out that the are being offered shares of stock Parted “the fiSt ^Se tSt majS medium has maintained its success in the Fico Corp., the private hold- k ! y $£3 nroducers and Mm despite the fact that it has yet to mg compa b y which has been pur^ p^ e Soifha V r^^ toSher te come up with a story-line p.cture. basing shares of the film com- All theatres presently operating pany. As of Sepf. 30, 1958, Fico , onnfi . are using equipment pnmded by owned 38,358 shares «f Columbfa's die uuiu: rtj.uipxucuv jjiuyiuuvi. uji owjicu au<uw vi wiiumuio d ._- . , - < .. Cinerama Inc. IWs equipment is common stock, but has since added all owned by Cinerama Inc. and has to these holdings. been provided to the theatres on a rental basis only. On that date, Fico’s stock con- fund and extension of health and welfare benefits.. Health insurance was granted for retired employees WB’s Afiti-Loiiermg Role ffitsEx-EmpkyesAmong l^r^^riSdude'wS: Others ‘Not Authorized’ Foreman, Charles Vidor and Fred I Warners’ homeoffice reception- Kohlmar. As Col makes new jong- istsr (at the new building, 666 5 th &als with highlyrrated m- Avenue, New York) have been im fru it’s.expected that thsy will structed by v.p. Bernard Goodman ^ offered shares in Fica to call. Who goes there? as visitors _ ^oq, formed shortly after the to the premises egress from the ?eath <rf Harry. Cohn, was organ- eleyators. Or in effect, anyway. n ’ s believed, to -protect the b to .put. check on ***■ Is, ^ y ^ ve plaEued Loew - s “ Officers and directors who hold ^3 «iares in Fico indude prexy Abe w Schneider, exec y.p. Abe Montemie, sisted of 8208 shares, with own- Sr AWffliU kAtMrr dlimilAfl emnntf -flG ■ 2IIu il^6 IHSUT&11C8 COV€JT3^6 for ership being divided g - employees increased from $ 1,000 eers and directors of the company ^ as well as closely-connected indie 10 _ producers. "Producers with a stake b ° yS ’ Wh ° ,U “ VP - Le ° 3aBe ’ V - P - *** C6h ” ; seem to loiter. v.p. Paul Lazarus Jr. and directors Order to the receptionists is to]Donald S. Stralem, Alfred Hart, stop everyone to "make sure they} Mendel Silberberg and Leo M. have an appointment with the Blanche. right person and at the proper I_ time. Otherwise, please go away, a 1 o » 3 Goodman’s order is not unique 301 uCDWHFlZ HCQ TTuC among the film companies. (Are ft*, t n* 1 * r 1 they getting nervous?). Trade re- fill BJ imCK 111 iSTECl^ porters, for ode group, who’ve had n I • i* ir* *. an open sesame to many an exec’s rOfegO ASiatlC VlSlt office, are now being held hack m ___ __ * _ , ' order "to be announced.” RKO Theatres prexy Sol A. Sol Schwartz and Wife Hit by Trnck in Israel; Forego Asiatic Visit RKO Theatres prexy Sol A. ■Schwartz and his wife, Marion, had to cut short their scheduled five- DALLAS-MADE FEATURE (result of an automobile accident in r ilium HAD (POna ADA Tel Aviv which fractured a couple tAnrl£ll rim 2ljlHf,UwU Of ribs between them and also noii-.e v-K <9 caused leg cuts to Mrs. Schwartz. Hollywood PtetiS^Corp., hlad- ed by the broadcaster-exhibition t „- ?’ sms sss^tiSssr film, T'he 1 KinS shreS” in fte have teken , them to tile Far East, can Jan. 30 after two weeks’ shoot- Ajl ^ srae ^ m^my truck skidded ing at Lake Dallas, with the wind- into ibe Schwartz’s car, which had up filmed at United National stu- an official government guide with dios here. "Shrews” will be readied Ibem. It was a freak accident on for a June release, with a local a bumpy dirt road, made hazar- premiere possible. Budgeted at dous by ^be ramy season. $300,000, first of two features by 'While the Israeli authorities the new orff was coprodueed by were most solicitous, including Gordon McLendon and Ken Curtis Army hospital treatment, the the- (who doubled in acting roles), with ^tre exec and his wife recuperated Ray Kellogg,* director, and Ben in their Hotel Dan, Tel Aviv, suite Chapman, production manager, for five days until able to catch - Film stars James Best and Ingrid the jet back to New York. Goudp. --—s—— • Second feature, tentatively tit- _ , ‘ • - . tied “The Gila Monster,” starts Dwig bt Spracher of Seattle and shooting at the local studios Feb. Jo ^ Rosenfield of Spokane, spon- 16, with Don Sullivan in lead. Cur- sored a meeting jyesterday (Tues.) - tis . will produce, ; Kellogg direct in the Beattie exchange area to ex* and Chapman is, again production plain the aims and program of'the • manager. . i-American Congress of Exhibitors. : L. A. to N. Y. Portland Allen Barney Balaban Lucille Ball Howard Beck Milton Berle Russell Birdwell Don Boutyette Lester Braun stein . Gower Champion Steve Cochran James Daly Leo Durocher Arthur Freed Paul Gregory Arthur Hornblow Jr. Martha Hyer Rowland V. Lee Alan Jay Lerner Julie London Eugene Lourie Frank Lovejcy Abel Marl Albert McCleery Vincente Minnelli Sally Rand Robert Saudek Dinah Shore Sam Spiegel Leslie Stevens Richard Thorpe Virginia Vincent Joseph .R. Vogel Philip A. Waxman Cara Williams Gig Young _ . Europe to U. S. Luba Atasevic John Bash William Goetz Nikolai Sokoloff . Charles Vidor U. S. to Europe Harald Bromley George Brandt James Dobson Dya Lopert Joel Marston Murray Silyerstone New York to L, A. . Bill Barrett ; Martin Batmi Catol Chanping Robert Englander Russell Johnsod Beverly Livet Marilyn^Maxwell M>e !Newbp m ' .. Bert Grde’ c » < -• .. . - Dick Pack . ■ i Still More Invaluable Memorabilia Added To N.Y. Theatre ArdiiveS By GEORGE FBSSDLEY (Curator, Theatre Collection, N.Y. Public Library) It has been two .years since I’ve -gave her own records and corre- made any report on the important spondence, particularly with Nor- * acquisitions of the Theatre Cofiec- .man Bel Geddes, in whose organ!- - ' tion of the N.Y. Public Library, zation she had played a prominent catalogued, and ready.jfor examina- part, particularly the original ra¬ tion, study and use. .For instance, vival of "Lysistrata" in 1938 and the late Oliver M. Sayler, Elizabeth the subsequent production of 1931> Reynolds Hapgood, Joshua Logan with Raymond Massey in “Hamlet" and Theatre .Arts. Books gave pho- t --i tographs and books to add to the 1- Stars’ Great Collectina _1 recent Stanislavski - Moscow Art Four stars of a later vintage. Theatre exhibition. Lawrence Phil- whose collections have come here lips of USO-Cainp * Shows - gave are Ldcflle Watson,,4he, late -Mar- -r designs, photographs, documentary garet Wycherley, Dorothy Jardon papers and scrapbooks which, in and the late Jane CowL The collec- smaU p^ct were exhibited in the tion of the most famous Juliet of Fifth Avenue Entrance' HalL The her generation was' purchased at . bulk of the material has been cata- the auction of her effects hy logued and made available to the Marjorie Barkenttn, Emellne Roche public, - ■ - and Blanche Yurka, systematized During ’1958, carrying out her by Miss Roche and presented in mother’s bequest Edia Cusack has the name of the'fair Lady* Jab* presented the Aline Bernstein col- as she was often affectionately . lection of theatrical designs which called. span the 40 years of Mrs. Bern- Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanhe stein’s designing for the theatre presented their scrapbooks from from the old Neighborhood Play- which: I gathered valuable pictures house days through Broadway, to for illustration, programs and re- another off-Broadway venture of views to document my Theatre ^ recent past, the highly successful World monograph, "The ' Lunts." J production of ‘The World of Sho- Other actors and playwrights lem- ■♦Aleichem” at the Barbizon- whose scripts and scrapbooks found Plaza. their way here include Harry Philip Moeller, director, play- Ellerbe, Bertha and Herbert Befe wright and co-founder of the The- more, Ruth and Augustus Goetz; atre. Guild, left his annotated Bert Lytoll, Albert Bcin and. Julesr promptbooks of such productions Eckert Goodman, Owen Fawcett ; as Eugene O’Neill’s “Mourning Among producers represented in>.' Becomes Electra,” "Strange Inter- the last two years are CheryjL lude”. and "Ah, Wilderness!” to- Crawford, Gilbert Miller and Markin gether with letters from O’Neill Linder. The stage doorman of thft £ with suggested, changes in the Hanna Theatre in Cleveland. Jqn plays which .are of particular value seph Weseneris collection of auto-, [ t . to biographers and scholars. Han? graphed photographs found thelr, fi nah Moeller, his sister, 111 addition way to US. . m9 . has donated promptbooks of his Hill Doll and Sol Jacobson, the _ own plays such as "Madame Sand," press agents, had moved their of-?-., which he wrote for Minnie Mad- fices so the Theatre Collection';, dem -Fiske and "Moliere,” whief fcehefitted with a vast deal of press ^ was produced with Henry Miller material. The N.Y. Morning Tele* 2 and Blanche Bates in the cast, graph deeded its valuable photo^* together with important letters, graphic morgue, 1900-1930, to photographs and other memora- benefit, - bilia. The library walls are bulging The Theatre Guild celebrated its into Bryant Park and there is a 40th anniversary year of producing backlog of photographic and other itt- the American theatre by pre- material awaiting processing, but senting hundreds of promptbooks, there is always room for one more typescripts, scrapbooks, photo- collection if it is important enough graphs and posters. From an to theatrical history. i! - earlier period of production came -- the Annie Russell Collection of the - . n . n fe e end of the last century and he- Ma rfiT $ Brtff ginning of the - present one. The _ • ' ' Daniel Frohman star is liberally Michael Jusko, Paramount sales- represented by photographs, scrap- man • in: Buffalo sinee 1953, and books, letters, scripts etc. The previous to this r associated with_ donor, Dorothy Lockhart, long Republic in the same city, has been associated with Miss Russell in named. Par’s Buffalo, branch man- her last r yeate'dud'-sin^'Uiefi-ihi ager.-- 1 r ^ ^ the operation of the Annie Russell • He replaces Hugh Maguire^ who - - . Theatre in Winter-Park, Florida, has left the company, - - PICTURES 5 Wednes day^ February 4, 1959 ' mefr > The Role of Criticism Much has been said and written in the film - industry regarding critics and criticism, Bernard P. Gallagher who publishes a news¬ letter in the magazine field has commented on the psychology which often lurks in this discussion area. He is not talking about amusem*nt trade journals but tradepapers generally in the follow¬ ing arresting language: “Publishers give way to advertiser and agency pressure. At \' least one top editor recently resigned, directly as a result of this. Top brass insisted that big advertisers get editorial break. Other examples are hidden beneath the surface. Pressure^ also coming from p.r. agencies that are subsidiaries of ad- agencies. Word is that some of these p.r. outfits are openly suggesting trade of edi¬ torial space for advertising. Dangerous development. Should be checked by publishers* “Watering down of editorial product is a blight of magazine publishing today . The middle position too often means no position. Lack of editorial vigor is especially evident among trade maga¬ zines. Fear of criticism is sfifUng. One publishing company has a clear cut policy of “no negative reporting ” A.strong industry has strong critics. It is self-defeating to silence critics. It is slow death for any publication to back away from hard-hitting issues.” •9 Admires His Media-to-Media Parlays Walt Disney still has Wall Street running a temperature. Downtown¬ ers’ affection is inspired by the way the producer plays one amusem*nt medium to complement the other, with beaucoup profits results. Deemed impressive is the Disney modus operand! which sees almost every one of his properties yield¬ ing! money. Range is from theatri¬ cal motion pictures, television, the Disneyland -amusem*nt park, mu¬ sic, publishing and fictional char¬ acter merchandising. | The newest maneuver of fiscal importance is via the financing and distribution of outside product. Not only does Disney have an owner¬ ship stake In these theatrical films he also is providing added material to keep his releasing subsidiary, Buena Vista, going at full throttle. To get back to Wall Street: Last week the Disney issue on the New York Stock Exchange hit another new high, rising to $49.50 per share, topping all film companies in terms of per-share market value, ; Total of 18,200 shares were traded during the' i week ended Friday'T30)r the gain was $1.87Vfc per share, and the high compares with a low of $14. Clearly, an investment in Disney has meant get-rich-quick returns. On the theatrical front, Disney this year will have productions go¬ ing at advanced admission prices. First, due shortly, is “Sleeping Beauty” which is to play on a grind policy but at roadscale scales despite the running time of only 75 minutes. Upped prices are war¬ ranted because the all-cartoon fea¬ ture was plenty expensive to bring in, the negative cost being $6,000,- 000. And, states a Disney rep, the public will pay for quality whereas quantity doesn’t matter. Second, which probably' will be at hand next fall, is “The Big Fish- . ermanan “outside” entry mad6 by veteran film-maker Roland V. Lee. This, allegedly representing a negative investment o£$4,000,000, wiM be strictly roadsh6w, i.e., two a day. a liisney gross income was up in airareas of operation in the last fis¬ cal year, with’ theatrical film rentals being the biggest source of revenue. It amounted to $19,167,- 47^ compared with $15,574,260 the yea? previous. Television brought a gross of $9,949,730, Disneyland $1§396,186 and the combination of publications music, records and character merchandising $5,963,- 875, for a total of $48,577,262. The total for 1957 was $35,788,242. Many-Sided Splendor Disney’s is the multi-faceted ap¬ proach. As one branch of the. com¬ pany'marks gainsbrushes off on the other. At least, this is his thought. “Beauty” is an example. The fairy tale, provided a full hour of programming last Friday (3d) on the producer’s ABC network alter. This provided exposure for-the soups, the characters and,, of course,-added up to a long,, long- trailer for the theatrical feature. Whether the latter. was a plus is open to some question, for the big-' screen and stereophonic sound yad* (Continued on page 221 J Disney Cross-Plugs Walt Disney’s deal with the ABC network allows for plenty of cross-plugging but only so far as Disney’s own'theatrical product is concerned. That is, Disney is free to'trailerize.his features on the tv airers but is restrained from doing this with productions which he finances and distributes (via the Buena Vista subsidiary) but which are produced by others. Such is the case with BV’s upcoming release of Roland V. Lee’s production of “Big Fish¬ erman.” This can’t get a men¬ tion on “Walt Disney Presents” or “Mickey Mouse Club.” But Disney will buy local tv time coinciding with the airing of his own programs for “Fisher¬ man” blurbs. Cues Par Bunching Four From Loren Today’s casting problems influ¬ enced Paramount to line up four productions in a row with Sophia Loren as femme lead. Although there’s been a traditional'aversion to having the same player in a number of features; Par’s thought was to avail itself of Miss Loren 1 while she was in a state of avail¬ ability. Also, story projects were at hand for which she Was suitable; production postponements 'might have meant the loss of Miss Lo¬ ren’s services or missing out on the stories. Casting obstacles have multi¬ plied greatly in recent years, along with the rivalry among'the-various lots for desirable scripts. They feel that now it’s imperative to make quick decisions anent available casting and selection of stories for the simple reason that the star who’s at liberty to work today may well be tied up for months begin¬ ning tomorrow. The uncertainties led to the Loren situation at Par. This Italian player is now on view with Cary Grant in “Houseboat.” Film com¬ pany has “Black Orchid” going intb release shortly, with this to be followed by “That Kind of Woman,” also completed. And “Heller With a Gun” went into pro¬ duction last .week. Miss Loren has the femme lead in all four. Further reflecting the casting problem is “Heller.” The produc¬ tion w&s-in the schedule for some time.but it was only a week before the actual, .shooting that Tony Quinn was lassoed for the male lead... .- - * Aldo Tonti, Italian cameraman, hired ; bjr Stanley-! Kramer for “On the Beach” in Australia: J. WalterThompson Savant: More Well-to-Do Cue More Ad Funds ■ - , - :-♦ Entering what is described as a period of “economic adjustment,” 20th-Fox this week was again giv¬ ing thought to an executive salary cut. Plan mulled would ask execs making over $1,000 a week to take a 50% reduction pending an im¬ provement of “conditions.” Same measure was resorted to by 20th six years hack; when everyone making over $500 a week was asked to take a 25% cut. Lat¬ ter was restored when income re¬ turned to a given high level. . Whether 20th prexy Spyros' P. Skouras decides to ask for the cut or not, he’s on record as being de¬ termined to effect a 25% cut in j the -operational costs of the com¬ pany which now run to about $100,- 000,000 a year. All the depart¬ ment heads at 20th are being put on notice to comply, which auto¬ matically means dismissals at 20th offices around the world. Total figure of about 1,000 persons has .been mentioned. Skouras is represented as feel¬ ing that times have . changed ’ for the film business, but 20th's opera¬ tional structure hasn’t changed with them. Issue might not have arisen for the moment, were it hot for the fact that the company has had a very disappointing last quar¬ ter in 1958 and an equally weak 20th Pay* 40c Divvy The regular quarterly 40c dividend on the common stock was declared by 20th-Fox last week. It’s payable March 28, 1959, to stockholders of record March 13, ’59. first one in 1959, due partly to a lack of top product and partly 'to ‘ the failure of pictures; like “Roots of Heaven” and “Barbarian and the Geisha” to turn in the expected strong performances. First firings took place In 20th’s ad-pub department where six were let go. Screen Publicists Guild took issue with this and, pointing to 20th’s ambitious production ( budget for 1959-60, urged Skouras | to undertake economies that would not involve loss. of personnel. .Skouras accepted the suggestions, but said the men would have to go anyway. Issue then went to arbi¬ tration, but was settled “out of court” before that. (See separate story.) While there will be no drastic changes in domestic distribution, at least not for the moment, 20th International is examing its op¬ erations with a view to -cost-cut¬ ting. 20th has merged with Metro in several territories. The ar¬ rangement went into effect last week. If it works out, additional economy moves of this nature in smaller territories are likely. Mur¬ ray Silverstone, 20th International prez, left for Europe this .week. He’s going to survey the situation with a view to effecting economies. 20TH AND PUBLICISTS SETTLE AXE ISSUE The N.Y. Screen Publicists Guild has called off • scheduled arbitra¬ tion proceedings against 20th-Fox as a result of a settlement involv¬ ing the firing of six staffers for “economic reasons.” The agreement, hammered out after a series of meetings last week, calls for the reinstatement of Harry Hochfeld, veteran em¬ ployee of the art department and former Guild, prexy; an arrange¬ ment whereby Charles B^llello, an¬ other veteran artist, could retire with full benefits. Payment of an additional four weeks salary (above the regular severance) to the pink- slipped staffers, Jose Shor, Betty Eisenstadt, Claude Baruch mid Gene Brown, was also accepted. -Floyd Stone, former photog¬ rapher-writer for-Quigley Publica¬ tions, has j^ned Modern Photog¬ raphy as associate editor. 2Gth’s New Stereophonic Hollywood, Feb. 3. An improved stereophonic sound system which will re¬ produce stereo from sound re¬ corded monaurally with a sin¬ gle mike will be utilized on all upcoming 20.th-Fox films. New technique was developed by studio technicians under di¬ rection of Carl Faulkner. Studio thinks so highly of the development that it will be featured in advertisem*nts along with Cinemascope and DeLuxe color. A1 Capone In For AA Release John H. Burrows and Leonard J. Ackerman are a couple of young (34-ish) producers who formed a partnership, have “A1 Capone” as their first production and are now undertaking the “sell” with the key thought in mind of distinguish¬ ing their baby from run-of-the-mill exploitation product. In New York from the Coast this week, they said they went for over $700,000 worth of budget to come up with a quality product and this they’ve got to get across to the trade, the press and the public. “Capone,” with Rod Steiger in the title part, is to be released by Allied Artists, which provided the financing.- Burrows, previously as¬ sociate producer for Lindsley Par¬ sons Productions, is the son of AA exee v.p.-treasurer George Bur¬ rows. Ackerman, a lawyer, in past worked for New York’s Chemical Corn Exchange bank on motion picture and television loans and, later on his own, was legalistic rep for several individuals and compa¬ nies in tv. Burrows and Ackerman said they’re planning an extensive se¬ ries of meetings with influential groups, including the Friars and Lambs (who in turn have influen¬ tial contacts), theatremen and the press. Part of their message is that the real-life Capone, although re¬ garded as a hero in some quarters, was a “monster” and he’s so de¬ picted in the picture. And if there’s any censorship trouble they’ll go to court to fight it. Nothing official as yet but there has been some beep-beep out of Chicago that the local police, sen¬ sitive about seeing their home town as the site of gangsterism, might try to curb “Capone.” Co-producers added they can’t understand why some major companies have ac¬ cepted without a fight for-adults- only restrictions on their pix in Chi. There’s some harsh subject mat¬ ter in “Capone,” including the Val¬ entine’s Day massacre of seven hoods and a severe beating which Capone takes In Alcatraz, which might not sit well in certain for¬ eign' markets. To protect them¬ selves, Burrows and Ackerman had “cover” shots taken in production, i.e., scenes which can be substi¬ tuted for the originals. DELUXETOPROCESS FOOTAGE FOR TODD-AO De Luxe Laboratories in N. Y. P a 20tb-Fox subsidiary, is installing Todd-AO processing equipment. Program calls for the lab to be ready to handle Todd-AO footage by the late summer, 20th, having bought Into Todd- AO, plans to make several pic¬ tures in the process. It has aban¬ doned its own Cinemascope 55 process. Discretionary spending power, i.e. the amount of money available to a family after it has met its basic costs for food, clothing, shelter, etc. rose 63% between 1950 and 1958 and could go up another 90% over ’5lrby 1969, Arno H. Johnson, v.p. and senior economist for the J. Walter Thmopson Agency, told the Sales Eexecutive Club of N.Y. yes¬ terday (Tues.). “Families moving up to better income groups could take on great- ' er physical consumption of many products. The additional purchasing power is there even with higher prices, but the interest and desire has to be created,” he said. “We have the purchasing power and the latent consumer needs for this type of growth in living stand¬ ards over the next two years,” Johnson maintained. ‘Tew realize that we have, today, a $30,000,000 'backlog of consumer buying await¬ ing activation by increased selling effort. This, is enough additional potential demand to make possible more than a 10% increase in con¬ sumer purchases in 1959. “Marketing and advertising budgets should be increased by .10% to 15% to take advantage of today’s Opportunities. An increase in selling effort now can be an Im¬ portant factor.” Though Johnson’s remarks weren’t directed specifically at the film industry, they certainly seemed to apply. The very period—1950 to 1939—when, according to Johnson, discretionary spending power went up from $86,300,000,000 to $140,- 400,000,000, also marked the period when the film biz found itself in a time of crisis. It was a period, too, when the population of the U.S. went up ffrom 151,700,000 to 173,- 800;000. By 1964, Johnson figured, when the population will crest 193,- 000,000, discretionary spending power will hit $217,000,000,000, or 55% over ’58. By 1969 it should reach $267,000,000,000 out of a total disposable income of $470,000,000,- 000 (after taxes), which compares to a similar total of $307,000,000- 000 in 1958. Johnson cited the “habit lag” which develops as more families rise on the income ladder. By way of demonstration he took up the example of the automobile indus¬ try, which is now faced with the need for proving to Americans that 1. they need a car. 2. they often need two cars. Of the 57,000,000 families who today have a car, fully 13,000,000 actually need a second car, and the automobile market ac¬ tually could absorb another 30,000,- 000 additional, cars, he said. "To cash in on this expended po¬ tential will require aggressive ad¬ vertising and selling, because pres¬ ent habits and desires in relation to car ownership need to be changed,” Johnson argued, adding that the poor automotive showing of 1958 “can hardly be attributed to lack of purchasing power.” VOGEL BACK FROM STUDIOS Viewed ‘Ben-Hur* and Other Future Releases Loew’s prexy Joseph R. Vogel is back at his homeoffice desk fol¬ lowing tw'o weeks at the company’s studio. During his Coast visit, Vogel viewed four hours of “Ben-Hur” footage and other upcoming Metro films, including “T^e Mating Game,” “Count Your Blessings,” “The World, the Flesh and the Devil,” “Green Mansions” and “The Beat Generation.” With production chief Sol C. Sie¬ gel and studio administrator, Vogel discussed editing and scoring plans for “Ben-Hur” and also convered plans for launching a number of new productions In the next few weeks, including “Never So Few,” “It Started With a Kiss” and “The Wreck of the Mary Deare.” On his return to Gotham, Vogel con- [ ferred with general sales manager John P. Byrne on pix to be re¬ leased from now until the end of August .. REVIEWS VEstiEFT Wednesday, February 4, 1939 The dsarney ' * - CttOLORJ ' Sfeoaff b*«fc for fids easi-west sterr of Re 1S56 Hanrarian revolt. Hollywood, Jan. 30. Metro release of Atty production. Stars Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner; costars Richard Merley. E. G. MardiaH; ‘Tatro- duces” Jason Rebards Jr. ProuuCer- director, Anatote Litvak. Screenplay. George Tabori; camera. Jack Hildyard; musie, Georges Auric; editor, Dorothy Spencer. Previewed at the studio, Jaxu. 28 ,’SbI Harm tog time* 122 MINS. Lady Ashmore._Deborah Karr Major Surer . Yul Brynner Hugh Deverlll.Robert MorTey Rtj£elander .E. G. MandtaH Paul Kedes (Fleming). .Jason Bobards Jr. Czepege .. Kurt Kasznar ULinw David KocscdEE J w^mw , F, . Marie Deem*.! real scene, but be uses it to raise the drama to passionate conviction. T&bori’s screfenulas* i§ .am honest wcetic, and his Itoigiff Into his | various nationalities ^'egbecfeHy perceptive. The ipte matiqra b L .cagt help#, and sO does the fine camera work by Jaek Hildyard and the musical score by Georges Auric. Po we. [■ • ■ — -- ~ r “ inftatlm of Life Fine remake of 1934 film. Tears will be shed, but not by exMbs if Lana Turner-John Gavin starrer is properly pro¬ moted. Hollywood, Jan. 7. Universal release of a Ross Hunter Mr. Hafouh . • Gerald Onxy Stars Lana Turner, John Bcriala .Barbara.Von Nady S^tof^tara^dra Dee, Dan 0 *Herlihy, Jacques. Ftery . M?uince Smfatl Kohnef, Robert Alda; with Juanita -hSlSSPdSSt. SXflTS " .- ™ *591 Running time, 125 MINS. “The Journey" is a powerful and jSSS^.V.*.!’.!.T j^SSto provocative film. Its novel back- Susie cage m ...:.- Sa 2fi£* r ?£5 ground is the abortive Hungarian j David Edward*"... *.. Dp O’Herlihy Sarah Jane (age 18).Susan Kohner revolt of 1956. Anatole Litvak, S^Lo^ .......V.\V.*.'-Eobert Aida who produced and directed, appa- Annie Johnson.•• roast timed « HHiminaeng this ■ .f^^-^--n::";.?*S& , Sta8S' event by the familiar technique of sude (age e>.Teijy Biu^asa showlpg the rebellion’s efieet an. international group of charac- show GiriT.. Ann Robinson ters. This aspect has not been >Franide .. fully realized, hid strong and strik- V; .V.V.‘.V.V.V SrS Ing individual characterizations. Minister —r;-JorfJHu^ea and their intergiay nomad® ::::::::::::: j 3S» W b&£ provide a compelling story. What’s Teacher ..Malda. Severn going to- sell tickets to this Metro gomana.*.• 5 ?£s25 release—and sell a lot of them— *** .-.■. ®T?** release—and sell a lot of them— is the . romantic combination - ' of Deborah’Kerr and Yul Brynner. “Imitation of Life’* crosses a George Tabori’s screenplay is a re- SSiS^SlSS of fSJflSdS rece^^lr^U’Fa film tS? will benefit from word-of-mouth, par- t<y the Austrian frontier a distance ttcularJy ^ Upsticked mouth. A re- of about 106 miles. A group of ma ^ e ^ Fannie Hurst’s novel of pa^ngexs, American. British, the early . 30 > Sf it will need selling* f^enriL lsraeli. etc is trappy at % this tone U has something to the Budapest airport by the Hun- S8 jl garian uprising. The Red Army j.aria Turner, looking in early grounds toe civilian planes, so this scenes as she did 15 years ago, is particular group has to take a has outstanding in the pivotal role to Vienna. They seem due to suf- played in Universalis 1934 version fer n» greater discomfort than sub- £y Claudette Colbert. Scripters stitution of surface travel for air* Eieahore Griffin and Allan Scott, until they arrive at the last check whose screenplay is intelligent,, point on the border, where the basically ' honest add always mav- Hnssian commander is Yul Bryn- ing, transplanted her from the near. original pancake-and-flonr busi- He delays toe party, ostensibly to ness to the American stage, verier their passports and exit per- while this device lends more mils. His reasons are nob dear, scope, it also results in toe over- One seems, to be his purely whim- done busy actress-neglected daugh* sical desire for western company, ter (mnflict, and thus the secondary Another is his suspicion—a cor- plot of a fair-skinned Negress reet one—that one member of the passing as white becomes the film’s, party, Jason Retards Jr., is not a primary force. The relationship of harmless tourist, hut one of the- the young colored girl and her Hungarian rebel leaders. mother—played memorably by The plot is aT complex one, made Susan Kohner ana Juanita Moore more complicated by the fact that •—& sometimes overpowermg, while none of the characters on either relatiOBshiiv of MissTurner side* Communist and non-Commu- ■**& her daughter, Sandra. Dee, nisL is simple. When it eventually comes to life only briefly when Smmersdown to, is apolitical *°i h "*to same man, sexual triangle, with Brynner jeal- ^breading its oub of MissKerr’s attaclmenttn these f& tl iSS h 2£»Sn th 5 Robordfi. The picture ends with Brynner sacrificing himself to al- n °^ bl f blt .. of sto/Y-toBin&- low Miss Kerr and Bobards to es- , The him is a fine achievement cape after toe other have been for producer Ross Htmter and (H- leSlv released vector Douglas Sirk who made 125 rrvZ tnrr, *.'t,™. ^ minutes, lacing back and forth from-one story to the other, play out being one t hing and ended up tivhtlv and infenselv another. A “Grand Hotel*’ tech- ^ ^Seial angle is nique, and the enfoldment of d- strong; with both the g^wh© verse nationalities, dimmed as the wants to “pass" and the mother, three principal characters emerged who calls it a' sin to pretend, stronger and more vital. Litvak presenting their cases admirably, found he could tell his story al- g a storing portrayal, Miss Koh- most entirely through Miss Kerr n«r gives every indication of being (the west! and Brynner (the east), one of the-finest young actresses in so the -subsidiary characters and films, and Moore, as the their subplots suffer. «*- mother, is a- find in the Negro This neglect is Justified, how- character actress field. Gavin, ad- ever, chiefly by the projection of mirably underplays, leaving the Brynner*s characterizatimx. He is theatrics to the actress he loves* capricious, sentimental, erue l, mid with this 1 role is on his way eager for love and suspicious of to the ranks of full-blooded screen attention. He is bright as a pre- heroes. Miss Dee is exuberant and cocious child and just as unsophis- rather forceful when he role der ticated. He is not the type to mands it, turning in a spirited pep- defect, hut he will never be com- fomaace. pletely. comfortable again. Bryn- Miss Turner plays a character of ner does a fine Job in projecting all changing moods, and her charges ; • this are remarkably effective, as she mss' Kerr has the difficult as- Wends love and understanding, sin-, signthent of being In love with one c ! ri i y J^L ^ nbl %?u5 le man, Bobards, and yet unwillingly »s • refle cted neatly in attracted to another, Brynner, who is the opposite of all she admires A1 ^. r AMBnlrfn « tho State’s Attorney who cracks tr* 2 rm*Fi the case and who, in the. end. Is made to look almost ^guilty by wdZlranu baked Welles.- Richard Anderson is nat-' ?^g!! r JSg Jg!?a l S5. l Sff oral as Judd's brother and Robert S!,^S «l£5k Simon Brings * fine sense of bumor stoSf i nlento to bis portrayal of'Lt Johnson. -SSSS’hi SST P W Edward Binns IS effectiye as Tom strong b.o. ontry. Daly, the reported. Louise Lorimer 20th-Fox release of Darryl F. Zanuck hits the right note as Artie’s S0- Frbductipn* ttresentetlon. Produeed by cialite mother. r Richard Murphy,-who wrote toe Diiimarir feaW** E. G. .Marshall, Martin screenplay, did a gratifying ipb in Milner, Richard Anderson, Robert Sunon, sticking Closely to- the Levin book. ^ 5 S , *L.^fio§^ t vSgSS i rffi The dialog is completely believ- Directed by Richard Fleischer; screei^>lay, able. William C. Melloris photo- Richard Mimuiy, from Meyer Levin novel graphy is a big plus. His Camera music?* Lionel C htosroan; editor, Wiiijani moves without any contrived an- ReynoTds. Previewed at the 20th home* files, yet in a host of clever little ogc^N.Y.Jan.zs.^.Ronninx Pme, ^ 0 t S catches toe- essence, of the Jonathan Wilk ....Orson Wellaa ch aracter&. , . Ruth Evans ... mane Varsi But in the final accounting it is . ..-- V, still toe direction and the perfor- Efom ^ .. W *mances that gvie the picture^its ad....... - Martin Milner electric quality. There are some lapses,toi be sure. The.twoboysare Tom Daly . aiward Binns explained, the viewer can under- Mr, straui -...— BcJEE* stand them, but it is impossible to LoSli LoSS get involved. A revoltmg crime has Padua...G?vin MacLeod been committed, but the very ter- 8^u*aw-r.r.'.:::.^S SSS s» * nev “ iuiiy it penetotes ..... Gen-y Lock The film is artful m its technical Detective Davis .Harry Carter detail. Which extends to the per- .fonnan ces , yet it is curiously art- __ less and devoid of imagination whep it comes to the expressions that 316 P^ el y film’d and beyond “Ss* & the scope ot dialog. There is about °Sr*iJ las , be ^ n "T it an tonost sober atmosphere, r ^ eve d somewhat by toe expert and extraordinarily effective cut- study of the notmoous Leopold- tfcg f editor William Reynolds, ° 7 %^ F rfr^?^ ^elNeSnanSe toTmiS^. “Compulsion” latches on to head- lines of yesterday that still seem • sear chip g ^ intrigue the public of today, clarify, a superb sense for dramatic g’s derteSy a weR-made pictSe wito plepty of boxoffice allure titet, m toe final, un- w ^ younger Zanuck’s maiden T 553 ^ agams ^ capital gives one the right to ex- uSSVchard Fleischer’s expert P ” 1 eTen bettof thte * s • at h jS' t mrUV. ;fc mrnrlnnac nf+hfl J * direction, with its overtones of toe ~ J * documentary, the picture—-in black- and-white Cinemascope—achieves = AIt§feg PSSfiWge not only a good deal of tension as _ • - ■ ■ the police piece together the dues Adventwe pto for Joweivhalf that'finally net the arrogant cul- biUhufw u ^ prits, but it provides a superb - insight Into the inter-relation of Hollywood, Jan. 27. the two protagonists, here called ^Twentieth-Fox release of an Associated XU;. 1 sLj^- r""i5 Producer* tec. production. Star* Bflt Artie and JuacL Williams. Nora Hayden* Lyn Tiomas, Both have highly neurotic, seeth- Leslie Bradley, Produced, by Bernard inry mindc hpnt on lipctruptinn sc Glasses. Written and directed by Edward ing minas Denc on aesvrucuon as 3 *.^^ camera (Regaiscope). WiDu» twisted proof of their superiority. Whitley; editor, Richard C. Meyer? music. 3&2S&S r- the subject is not overstressed. Nick Dennis Both come from wealthy families Tin*... T Nora H*y£«» thst spotted them. . -.fgff ftg& These are .the key roles in the . film. They must carry the burden* ^Sk r7.7........... RaymondD^to* As Artie Straus, the sneering. Hubie ..Tommy Cook ?°jf t 5' wh0 cai }Sf >l0 Sl^ S^Vv.'.-.v.-.-.-.v.-.v.-.- gS'hSSIS distinguish between-reality and his MacKmiop ... court Shepard .dreams, but who knows how to Anderson. .Ralph Sanford hide under the veneer of smooth , ,—“—: . politeness, Bradford Dillman turns " Although the first few feet Of m a superb performance. This “Alaska Passage" give promise of mind is evil, and with the camera a timely documentary look-see at helping to establish his character our 49th state; toe film takes a by focusring on bis face, hi * eyes • Quiek detour into a trucking yism and his mouth, the whole of Artie whose locale is inconsequential. It ■ Rfra^ g gets to be translated to the- m a rks the debut for Associated screen Producers tod-, new indie releas- Dillman so far has-been seen in in^-to^j^^WfithrFox, thbu^l i “A Certain Smile” and in “In Love it’s .probably one of toe more [and War." In “Compulsion" he routine and least ambitious pro- emerges as an intelligent, convinc- Auctions,on toe compands slate, ing actor, a performer of major- it .^remains a well -done law- AU 5 OV.WX f « pbll.UJ.iUGl VI JIIMJV*. I _ stature. Despite the distinct nega- 1 budgeter. tive qualities, Artie has human r .Scnptea dimAncirm 'n*llm»n i Passage IS ul( Edward Bernds fc moving as a woman alone in an un- M bearable situation. .*** excellent, with top perform- Marshall as a nice American (not lincnne ‘Tnrouble^ caricatured, for once); Kurt Kasz- -totoSfinS «q^«. ' ^ coatost as toe HusseR Me^s color photog- ^ D 5 B1 ? Ko ? scff a& raphy is an important asset, as is an israen. Anne Jaekson has one direction, by Alexander Colitzen Strongwene in whiqb she timi^ in and Richard H RiedeLset decora- a glowing performance. Others lion hy Russell A. Gausman and worth noting fcrfude Anonk 'Umee, Julia Heron, sound by Leslie I. Siegfried Scburenberg, Maria Ur- ‘Carey and Joe Lapis and editing baa and Barbara Von Nady. by Milton Carruth. Jason RofeardS-Jr,, in his film Frank Skinner’s score is very bow* is e xc ell e nt.. His gaunt and good,, with title song fey Simmy ! haunted face, his halting speech, Fiain and Paul Francis Webster,! at first do not make an impression* sung over Credits by Earl Gr*$t7 except visual. He, too, has hut one another bonus. Re«. - ! dime^ Mta^ rates''top? -.“*2*#'* * e ^«* after this - who move their goods from a small Opposite him, as Judd Steiner, town, TananaCrosstog^o a Mg Dean Stockwell plays an knpres- tow ?* Fairbanks. The ro^s aren’t sionable, sensitive youths crnight sood, toe mountains fall down and up in the spell of his strong-willed companion. K hot sympathy* at ^ Williams, « m toe r«L .The least he evokes pity. Stoekwell’s sQent partner| (Leslie Bradley) Serate ^^ wito lW Varst vades + toe wilds to check on toe * ££s Sr 6UbSS e ‘ ,mme 1 But it is the -interplay between there’s a sexy doll, Nora Hay^ Artie, and Judd, the sense of being ^en, who eyes Williams and finally partners in crime in the context nabs him away-from the-cunning of a larger and more intimate rela- adulteress, and when the* silent tionship, that gives the picture partner—“he’s not so silent any- much of its fascination. Director more”_threatens to leave his wife, Fleischer establishes* it from the sh e hauls out a pistol and gives ; terrifying opening shot when the a ; couple of shots in* the two try to run down a* drunk bn the sbhylder. She races, off, forces a road to their appearance in court, trucker to transport her atoay. :vtoere lawyer Orson Welles pleads from it all and finally ’ ends up for their life in the same idiom quite dead in a fiery crash. ‘ that Clarence Darrow used tp save WiBiams is fine; as . is Miss > Nathan Leopold Jr. Mid Richard : Thomas, white Bradley is a bit too Loeb from the Illinois gallows. unnatural Miss Hayden’s talents Welles, delivering one of the- aren’t subtle. There are top sup- longest monologes ever filmed, is porting performances from Tom- admirable tehis restraint. For once, my Cook and Jorie Wyler, and no one will have trouble under- Nick Dennis delightfully is re¬ standing him. The lines be speaks .spqnsibTe for toe film’s finest become part of the. man himself, moments. an almost classic oration against Writer-director Bemds managed capital' punishment. As the girl to come up with some excitement, who .understands more to an she particularly in a truck chase se- knows* and who- reaches but for quence, and his direction holds his Stoekwell, Miss Varsi*--seems at screenplay together. . Producer times awkward. It’s not an easy Bernard Glasser added good pro¬ part,, and, stiH new to' acting, she ductibn values for this low-budg- .brings to it a tenseness that doesn’t cter* with William Whitley’s always register. photography of the chase most In smaller roles, Martin Milner effective. Other credits are well is sympathetic as- -too student-, handled—editing, by Rtchird C, reporter who helps break the case Mever, art direction by John Mans- by finding Stpckwell’s glasses on ‘bridge, sound by Frank Goodwin too . body , of toe . murdered boy. and murieal score fey Alex Alex- E. G. Marshall is dryly efficient a& t afider. ’ ' Ran;* ■ Hie Trap (CCNLOBl Crime. meHer misfires. ^ top east, spotty b.o. Ukely$ • Hollywood, Jam 30. Paramount release of Parkwood-Heath coproduction. Stars Richard Widmark* Lee J. Cobh; Tina Louise and: Earl Holli¬ man. Produced by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. Directed .by Panama, Screenplay, Panama 'and Richard Alan Simmons; camera.'Daniel L. Fapp;' editor. Everett Douslas. Previewed at Westwood VilL«e Theatre, Jan, 6, ‘69. Ronniny time. 12 fennS* Ralph Anderson.Richard Widmark Victor Massonetti. Lee J. Coob Linda Anderson Tina Louisa Tippy Anderson . Earl Holliman. Sheriff Anderson.Carl Benton Reid Mr. Davis .. Lome Greene Mellon ....Peter Baldwin 1st Policeman .. Chuck WaasU Lett Karger .. Richard Shannon Joey- .. Carl Milletaire “The Trap?* has strong marquee names and some handsome pic¬ torial values, both geographical and physical. But it is a crime melodrama so over-wrought that it often falls into unintentional par¬ ody, and will have only spotty- suc¬ cess. Melvin Frank and Norman Panama produced the independent coproduction (of their Parkwood and Richard Widmark’s Heath units) for Paramount The faults of the picture are most noticeable in writing and direction. Widmark plays the son of a small town sheriff, Carl Benton Reid, who has expelled him some years before for a minor, youthful indiscretion^ Widmark cbmes home as the mouthpiece of a crime boss, Lee J. Cobb, now on the lam. Cobb and his organization hoods have shut off the little desert commu¬ nity from all outside contact An airplane is to touch down at its isolated field and take Cobb, to another country. Widmark is the willing tool of the syndicate until Cobb’s, hench¬ men kill Reid. Then Widmark turns and attempts to bring Cobb to justice. He is handicapped by his brother, Earl' Holliman, who should be helping Mm, but is a lush and a weakling. Another com-- plication is . Holliman’s luscious wife, Tina Louise, who was for¬ merly Widmark’s girL Their re¬ union sparks the old flame, a fact that further confuses Holliman. “The TTap" is not much differ¬ ent in mood and general plot from several other pictures. It would 1 have justified this familiarity if its • excellent cast had been allowed to I give it Importance or special in- | terest. Unfortunately, the cast*; i members have been ill-served by ; the writing and the direction^ Even such reliable actors as Widmark and Cobb often look foolish with scowling interpretations and over¬ ripe dialog. Ctfbb has a. couple good cynical lines and he delivers them with hfs "Usual*authority; But' too often he and Widmark appear unintentionally and fatally humor¬ ous in moments when menace is intended. Tina Louise, after an auspicious picture bow in “God’s Little Acre," does nothing to advance her ca¬ reer, and. Earl, Holliman make*, little impression in a poorly con¬ ceived role. The supporting cast, Carl Benton Reid, Lome Green, Peter Baldwin and Richard Shan¬ non, come off best, perhaps be¬ cause they are on least. Panama directed the screenplay which he wrote with Richard Alan Simmons, The one solid asset of the picture is the Technicolor photography of the desert. Thesis backgrounds, and the exterior scenes shot there, have interest and often tome excitement. Daniel? L Fapp was cameraman, with Wallace Kelley 'on second unit camera, and Michael Moore as second unit director; Pome. TokynAfter Bark Mild. low-budget meHer with ^ explanation possibilities. ; Hollywood. Jan. 30, .-j Paramount release of a. Nacirem* PrtK ductioB.. Stars Mold KobL Rfehard Long,'' Lawrence DofcJdn, -Paul Bobov* Ten* Shimada, Producer-writer*. Normam Herman and Marvin SejgaL Directed- m 5 Herman; Camera; William M*r*uli w music, Alexander Courage; editor* Robert Lawrence. Previewed at tee studio, Jan, 29, *59; Running time* M MINS. ~ Sumi ... Miehi KoM Sgt. Dougin* . Klcbard' Lon* Major Bradley ........ Lawrence-Debkba ! Jesse Bronson. Paul Bubo? Sen-Sei ..TefuShimada Store Proprietor.Robert Okazaki Mr. Johnson ........... Carlyle .Mitchell NakSmura ...Frank Kumaeafr 2nd G1 .. Jokn BrinWsx Kajima. Edo Mita 1st GI ... Lowell Brown ToaUn.Don Kcigo Takencht Sgt Williams.Jerry Adler . The title of **T6kyo After DariT will lend Itself to lurid'' exploita¬ tion:, and presumably this , is what Paramount is counting off to sell tids Nacirema production. The pieture itself gets littte emotienal or dramatfc value but’ of ff basically iifferesting premise^ that of a GI i* Japan wfia “eftcidbntsdly • itilis. £ * ■ Japanese , civili/’n. “Tokyo After l ' ^Gcmtinued on: page 19^ ; , - Wednesday* February 4, 1959 PfiiitEFr PICT HUES MEX SCREEN: NOW 60 % NATIVE Weltner On De Laurentiis Dino De Laurentiis (take George Weltner’s word for it) ran away from home in 1935 at the age of 14—his father owned a spaghetti business—to join the Actor-s Studio Experimental Theatre in Rome, then went into various phases of film making, and at Id produced his first picture, “Last Combat." Weltner, who’s Paramount’s v.p.-global sales chief, continued: De Laurentiis during the war fought with the Italian underground “and after the war he did ‘The Bandit/ which I have accused him of being many times." (Par and De Laurentiis are partners). * Thus introduced, De Laurentiis, in New York last week, offered some thoughts on the business of iraking pictures. He speaks the Italian. tongue, using an interpreter, but is savvy to English suffi¬ ciently to correct, as he did, the interpreter’s in-English relay of one of his comments. De Laurentiis is Italian by birth and in name and manner “but we who belong to the picture business have no nationality; it’s one universal family.’’ As for pictures, there’s no hope for poor product “but for good pictures the industry is stronger and more valid than ever.” His idea on how to lick the problem of changing public tastes .is to make either spectaculars or artistic productions, and best of all is to fuse both elements. He undertook such fusion, he said, with his recently-completed “The Tempest.” . As De Laurentiis explains it, he tried to give a neo-realistic touch to a costume entry, combining the element of spectacle as in his “War and Peace” and “Ulysses,” and the qualities of his “Bitter Rice” and “La Strada." He’s met with success, at least in Italy, where “Tempest” already has outgrossed “War and Peace.” Next co-production with Par is to be “His Name was Bolivar," De Laurentiis will go to S.A. shortly to work on the preliminaries^ which include the enlistment of 3,000 soldiers to trek over the ’Andes. U.S. Less Than Liberal in Aiding Foreign Trade-Says National Council Only vigorous and persistent' ef-4— : -—--—- forts on the part of the American . Government, in cooperation with EiVergreen LiVIS the governments of other free na- „ Houston, F6b, 3. tions, .can help the world reap max- A “Don’t Forget Elvis” show imum benefit from a large and was held at 11:30 p.m. Friday expanding flow of international at the North Main Theatre trade. . with a capacity audience show- . Exhortation is part of the final ing up. Two pictures featuring declaration of the 45th National Presley, “Love' Me Tender” Foreign Trade Convention in N.Y. and “Jailhouse Rock” were last November. It was published shown. recently by the National Foreign In addition there was a Trade Council. “concert” of Presley records, In the matter of taxation, the with prizes for the best imper- convention deplored the failure of sonation of the rock ’*T roll Washington “to develop and adopt singer now serving overseas a-fiscal policy as liberal as that of with the Army, numerous other governments re- ——— garding income from foreign | 9 V\ It sources.” A revision of the tax I A|ff|||y>Q I'Ayiflc Ac setup on income from foreign \sUI lllll & 1 Clltlv xtv sources has become inperative “if United States enterprises are to /II 1*0 * 1 operate under conditions of com- I A|||ff|ll10 \nAPlol petitive equality with enterprises .. V/UIlilllUICl UlfCvlClI of other countries,” the convention ■ concluded. *1 vi f m* | . It added that a measure defer- maw Unw/I I lAlrnt ing U. S. taxes on income from 1 HI lllll || 1 IvIlCl abroad until this income is remit¬ ted would be beneficial, particular- Columbia is considering the pos- ly for such outfits which promote sibi)Ky of rcleasibg .. Th Ciurie and expand their foreign invest- . ._„ _.... \ ^ roents through the medium of rein- to Cordura, William Goetzs $4,- vested earnings. 500,000 production, on a roadshow YANKS,OVERSEAS FILMS ALSO-RA ‘Cordura’ Pends As Columbia Special For Hard Ticket CUENCA, MADRID CRITIC, ON CANNES FEST JURY Madrid, Feb. 3. Carlos Fernandez Cuenca, “Ya” film critic and cinematheque ani¬ mator, has been named to Cannes Film Festival jury by fest director Favre. Le Bret. Cuenca will join six foreign and four French jurists to select Cannes’ best film feature this spring. /A three-time Venice-film fest jiilidge in recent years, Cuenca will be the first Spanish cinema scribe On a Cannes “Golden Palm” award panel. Directors Guild’s Critic’s Award to Phil Schener Hollywood, Feb. 3. . Screen Directors’ Guild’s Annual Critics* Award this year goes to Philip K. Scheuer, motion picture editor of the Los Angeles Times, Award will be presented at SDG’s banquet Saturday (7) at Beverly Hilton Hotel. . Previous winners have been Bosley Crowther, N. Y. Times; Harold V. Cohen', Pittsburgh Pest- Gazette land Variety correspond¬ ent) Francis J. Carmody, Wash* ington Star; John Rosenfeld, Dallas News; and Hollis Alpert and Arthur Knight, Saturday Review, Columbia is considering the pos¬ sibility of releasing “They Carrie to Cordura," William Goetz's $4,- 500,000 production, on a roadshow basis. Final decision will be made after Col execs see the completed negative, which will have a running time of about two hours and 15 minutes. According to Goetz, who just re¬ turned from a location scouting trip in Europe for “A Magic Flame,” which he will make for Col in association with Charles Vi¬ dor, “Cordura,” probably most ex¬ pensive production in Col’s his¬ tory, will; require an $11,COO,000 gross to break even. The picture, filmed entirely on location in Utah, stars Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Van ^Heflin and Tab Hunter. “Cordura" is the second entry of Goetz’s six-picture deal with Co¬ lumbia, his first being “Me and the Colonel.” He expects to complete his quota over a three and half year period. Vidor, also present at a press conference Friday (30), has an arrangement with Col to make eight pictures over an eight-year stanza. “The Magic Flame,” which Goetz will produce and, Vidor direct, is a story of Franz.Liszt. Exteriors will be filmed in various parts of Europe, with interiors scheduled for filming at Col’s studio. Other pix on Goetz’s schedule “The Mountain Road,” starring James Stewart, set for a June start, and "Time of the Dragon.”' In ad¬ dition to “The Magic Flame” with Goetz, Vidor’s slate .includes “Beach Boys” and “Barbara Wood¬ co*ck." * Mexico City, Feb. 3. The switch in the Mexican exhi¬ bition picture, with national prod¬ uct getting an average of 60% of total exhibition time to Hollywood and foreign product 40% (a re¬ versal that has been building up strongly in the past year) con¬ tinues. Producer Jesus Sotomayer, who closed a deal with the Palacio Chino Theatre here, claims that he has more than enough product for the house. He has seven of his own productions in cans awaiting exhibition. Apart from that his dis¬ tributorship division has five Mex¬ ican films by indies also awaiting release. TherO will be no difficulty in providing top.national product for the refurbished Chino Theatre, So¬ tomayer said. Work crews are busy revamping the house, which has shuttered for the renovations. Regular shows go on from 4 to just before mid¬ night, and after that the workmen take over, recovering seats, re¬ placing worn out ones, and gener¬ ally putting the hall into tip top condition,. There is to bfe a gala premiere, with inaugural film, Sotomayer’s “Ando Volando Bajo” (I’m Flying Low), featuring Mexico’s small but sexy Lilia Prado with Pedro Ar- mendariz and Luis Aguilar, her leading men. ‘Revolutionary* Pact Industry circles here have termed the pact Sotomayer inked with Luis Castro,, owner of the Chino Theatre, as “revolutionary.” Sotomayer has escaped the long months of waiting for exploitation of a film after it has been canned and ready for release. Sometimes these waits have dragged on for a year or more. But this was prior to the current situation where more exhibition time is becoming available to national product. No other producer has been suc¬ cessful as yet in emulating the : Sotomayer coup. But they are in there pitching. Still, Mexican pro- ! ducers have gotten another break, j This time it is the Mariscala Thea- jtre which has announced a deal | with the Peliculas Nacionales dis- j tributorship whereby it will “pre- • dominantly” feature films of this official exchange. Formerly the Mariscala exhibited a considerable number of first run Hollywood pictures. Then, for about a year/ it changed over to a twin-bill house , using American reruns and Mexican pictures. Now it will revert to a first-run house again for Mexican product. Spine of the features upcoming at this house include “La Venen- osa” -(The Poisonous One) with Ana Luisa Peluffo (who got her. .start in pictures by stripping to the bare facts before the cameras); “The Vagabond and the Million¬ aire,” comedy featuring Tin Tan, Sonia Furio and Aida Araceli; “Re¬ bellion of the Adolescents,” a ju¬ venile delinquency film produced by Petro Calderon: “This Was Pancho Villa,” with Pedro Armen- dariz interpreting the often filmed life of the bandit general, sup¬ ported by Carlos Lopez Moctezuma and Maria Elena Marques, etc. Incidently this latter is the first in a series of films planned on the exploits of the controversial Villa, considered even in his own coun¬ try as a “hero” by some and a “first class villain” by others. The drive to wrest away more exhibition time from Hollywood distributorships is not ended as the industry follows a policy of taking care of its needs first. So far boxoffice has not suffered through upped showings of Mex¬ ican product at first run houses here; and the grabbing of more time in second-run and nabe houses. A few good films have been in cans for a long time awaiting exhibition dates. And in neighborhood houses, outside of Hollywood westerns, crime and mu¬ sicals with lots of leg, fans prefer (Continued on page 24) France, Sans Film Aid, Unclear; Flaud Successor Michel Plouvier; Centre du Cinema Transforming ‘Insanity’ as Come-On? Kansas City. Feb. 3. - Advertising on the picture “Home Before Dark” showing currently at the Paramount Theatre apparently raised a question among a number of patrons. Harold Lyon, man¬ ager, put much emphasis on the theme of “insanity” in the picture, with the word in large type. This inspired a number of pa¬ trons when calling about fea¬ ture schedules to ask, “What time does ‘Insanity’ start?” It even had some of the house staff going. Several em¬ ployes asked Lyon and House Manager Frank Dorci, “Are : we playing a picture called ‘Insanity?’ ” . Biz has been healthy for ini¬ tial week and a holdover week on the picture. Perhaps it’s an idea, Lyon muses. French Stall On Rest of Permits Piques Yanks Failure of the French Govern¬ ment to come across with the 40 remaining American licenses for 1958-59 is beginning to worry the U. S. distributors. Under the law, they must present the completed, dubbed film to the French by June 30 to qualify for a permit. The Motion Picture Export Assn, member companies are entitled to 110 permits for the year. Of these, the Centre National de la Cinema- tografie has handed out ~ A Centre chief Jacques Flaud, saiu to be about to resign, promised the re¬ maining 40 would be given out on a “merit” basis by-the Centre. He was to have allocated the licenses by late December. MPEA, which originally agreed to the Centre’s method, later tried to'convince Flaud to distribute the permits according to MPEA’s own global master formula. UNESCO’S AMERICANS INCLUDE MPAA’S CLARK Washington, Feb. 3. State Dept, has reappointed Ken¬ neth W. Clark, Motion Picture Assn, of America v.p., and named five other members of the U. S. National Commission for the Edu¬ cational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Group will represent U. S. at UNESCO meeting in Paris. Maxwell M. Rabb, New York at¬ torney and former secretary to the Cabinet in the Eisenhower Ad¬ ministration, was designated chair¬ man. Others named are: Dr. Frank Snowden, Howard University dean; Philip M. Evans, Commerce Dept, official; Dr. Ralph W. Gabriel, American University professor; and Mrs. George Homlin Shaw, New York civic leader. Mrs. Shaw, like Clark, has served with U. S. commission previously; others are new appointees. Clarks first appointment was in ’56. Rothenberg Joins Josephs In Columbia’s Torgy’ IJiiit Daniel Rothenberg is shifting over from his post as assistant sales executive at Columbia to the special domestic sales unit Col has set up. for the release of Samuel Goldwyn’s “Porgy and Bess.” Rothenberg will assist George M. Josephs, who is director of do¬ mestic sales for the Goldwyn pro¬ duction. . * + Parisr Feb. 3. Jacques Flaud, head of the gor- , eramental Centre Du Cinema, should exit that post in three or four months. He is staying on un¬ til he can bring some basic replace¬ ment or extension of the Film Aid Law~to fruition. With the'Centre now under An¬ dre Malraux’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs, it is certain that Michel Plouvier, who helmed film matters three years ago, will again take them over under Malraux. Flaud, per sources, never got along well with Plouvier. (Malraux favors extension of the Film Aid law, though on a modi¬ fied basis, reports say.) Flaud has been working with M. Joujard, one of the top men in the De Gaulle cabinet, of late and may also get a top post in the Minisfe-: y of Justice. Flaud, a career diplo¬ mat, has been lauded for the work he did in giving the French film a quality boost, greater foreign pres¬ tige and revenues, and a firmer financial standing during his tenure as head of the Ceutre du Cinema, Finance Minister, Antoine Pinay, has ag.eed to a six month exten¬ sion of Aid to July ’60, when it runs out in Dee. ’59, on the condv tion that a workable replacement be instituted in the next three > months. This is not considered too j likely due to the many dispersed interests and differences in opinion among film people. The Centre has proposed a slow doing away of Aid over a TO year period during which time the Com¬ mon Mart is supposedly to come of age. It would cut Aid handouts by one tenth every year and slowly substitute a credit basis for Aid handouts. It is also expected that the Centre will eventually be ab¬ sorbed under Malraux’s Ministry and become strictly an administra¬ tive arm rather than a policy¬ maker as heretofore. Meanwhile the French film pro¬ ducers are trying to form a more united front to take up greater responsibilities as Aid is slowly tapered Off. Producers would like tax relief generally and cut at the box-office. They also would like to see a system set up whereby defer¬ ment payments to technicians and stars—with smaller immediate pay¬ ments to names—instituted. Exhibs, being cut out of Aid, may demand freedom of program changes and prices. The film situ¬ ation is still fluid but all seem agreed that some sort of Aid is a necessity for maintaining a balance for the French film industry. It looks unlikely that Flaud will have either the time or the in¬ clination to press his demands for handing out the 40 remaining Yank dubbed film licenses on a merit basis to those American companies’ who had helped the French film on a production or distrib basis. So it seems probable that the 40 will get the usual partition on a global basis by the Motion Picture Export Assn. KARL MAIDEN WOOED BY YUGOSLAV INDUSTRY Hollywood, Feb. 3. Yugoslavian Government has overtured Karl Malden regarding a three-picture co-production deal. Actor-director is interested in the project. Yugoslavian Government has submitted to Malden treatments and scripts for “The Life of Marco Polo,” “Wings of Hope” and "Of Powder and Bread,” latter two dealing with guerrilla warfare against the Nazis by tbe Yugosla¬ vian resistance movement during World War II. Karla Duhar, Yugoslav cultural attache in Washington, is here con¬ ferring with Malden and advised the actor he could decide if he wants to produce, direct or star. Malden is currently starring with Marlon Brando in “One-Eyed Jacks" at Paramount. Wefeesday, Fcfarnaiy 4 , 1959 t HCWM CTOSSBS_ Piae&Sf-i LA Better; ‘Beaoty Mo 530,080, ‘€9d Man’ Stoat 19G, IHame M^ity * Los Angeles, Feb. 8 . 4 “Sleeping Beauty” backed by, some strong holdovers, will bright¬ en the first-run situation here considerably this week.^_ After twice breaking matinee house rec¬ ord, “Beauty” is heading for sockeroo $30,000 opening stanza at Fox Wiltshire. Another opener, “Old Man and Sea,” in first gen¬ eral run, shapes strong $19,000 or near in two houses. “Restless Years” also new, looms mild $13,500 in three spots. “Anna Lucasta ” repeating at Or- pheura but opening at Hawaii and Uptown, is aiming for a dull $9,300. “Auntie Marne” continues to rack up stunning returns in seventh Chinese round at $25,000. “Inn of Sixth Happiness” looms bright $19,000 in sixth week for three lo¬ cations. * “Some Came Running” is rated bright $14,000 or near in seventh ■week at Hollywood Paramount. “Separate Tables” is shaping for a tall $10,000 in sixth Fox Beverly week. Estimates for This Week Fox WHsMre (FWC> <2,296; $1.50- $2.40)—“Sleeping Beauty” (BV). Boff $30,000 or a bit over. Last week, “Tunnel of Love” (M-G) ( 6 th wk-5 days), $4,000. Downtown (SW) <1,757; 90-51.50) —“Senior Prom” (Col) and “Man Inride” (Col). Dull $3,000. Last week, with Vogue, “Bell, Book and Candle” (Col), “Murder By Con¬ tract” (Col) (2d wk), $8,800. Hfllstreet'; Wiltern, Hollywood (RKO-SW-FWC) (2,752; 2.344: 756; 9041.59)—“Restless Years” (U> and “Appointment With Shadow 1 ’ (U). Mild $13,500. Last week, Hillstreet with Iris. El Rev, “Cat Hot Tin Roof” (1st wk,. Hillstreet; 4th wk. Iris; 2d, El Rey), “Never Love Stranger” <AA) (m.o.. Hillstreet). “Sheriff Fractured Jaw” (20th) (mn., Iris), “Goddess” (Col) (reis¬ sue) (2d wk, El Rey), $12,600. Wfl.- tem with State Hawaii, “Paratroop Command” (Al>, “Submarine Sea- hawk” (AI), $14,200. Hollywood with Orphetnn. Uptown. “Last (Continued on page 10) lucasta Fat 2% Del; HIT 1% 2d Detroit, Feb. 3. Good biz continues here this week at downtown houses. Best bet looks .to be “Anna Lucasta” which is wow at the Palms. “Sheriff of Fractured Jaw” is just okay at Fox. Others are holdovers but they’re strong, being led by “House on Haunted Hill,” terriffic in second week at Broadway-CapitoL “Auntie Marne” still Is sockeroo in fifth stanza at the Michigan. “I Want to Live” is lively in fifth at the Madison? “Some Came Run¬ ning” stays fine, also In fifth at J Adams . “South Seas Adventure” j is doing.-great biz in 18th week at 1 the Music HS1L Estimates for This Week Fox (Fox-Detroit) (5,000; 90- $1.25)—“Sheriff cf Fractured Jaw” (20th). Oke $14,000. Last week, “Inn Sixth Happiness” ( 20 th) $ 10 ,- 000 in fourth week. _ Michigan (United Detroit) (4.- 000; $1.2541-49)—“Auntie Mame” (WB) (5th wk). Strong $15,000. Last week, same. Palms (UD) (2,961; 90-$1.25)— “Anna Lucasta” (UA) and “Guns, Girls and Gangsters” (UA). Wow $25,000. Last week, ‘‘Last Mile” (UA) and “Escort West” (UA), $15,000. Madison (UD) (1.900: $1.2541.4 —“I Want to Live” (UA) (5th wl Great $10,000. Last week, ditto. Broadway-Capitol (UD) (33C 9041.25) — “House on Haunt Hill” (AA) and “Cosmic'Man” (A (2d wk). Terriffic $18,000. La week, $25,000. United Artists (UA) (1.667; $ 1.2 $3)—“South Pacific” (20th) (4: wk). Solid $7,000. Last wee $6,800. Adams (Balaben) (1,700; $1.5 $1.50)—“Some Came tenrmin <M-G) (5th wk). Fine $8,500. La week, $ 10000 . Music Hall (SW-Cinerama) ( 208: $13042.65)—“South Seas A venture” (Cinerama) (18th w] Swell.$1960Q. Last week, _same. 'Trans-Lux KrJjth (Trf.ns-Lu (1,000; 0041.65*—‘“Hcrr-^ Mnut (Lopert) (7th ^k). Oke $3,5( Last week. $4,000. Broadway Crosses Estimated Total Gross This Week.... .$471,900 (Based on 22 theatres) Last Year.$579,500 (Based on 27 theatres) ‘Furlough’ Fancy ' $12,(P krWash. Washington, Feb. 3.. i Long-runners at big houses are finding their second wind, and needling a little strength into otherwise fading outlook here. “Some Came Running” and “Sep¬ arate Tables” are sprouting new legs in fifth and seventh stanzas respectively. “Inn of Sixth Happi¬ ness” in fifth week shapes fast at Palace. “Auntie Mame” looms solid j in fifth round at two houses. Lone newcomer “Perfect Furlough” at Keith’s figures to be big. Estimates for This Week Ambassador - Metropolitan (SW) (1,490; 1.000; 90-$1.49> —“Auntie Mame” (WB) (5tli wk). Great $20,- 000. Last week, $19,000. Apex (K-B) (940; 60-90W‘Sev- i enth Seal” (Indie) (2d Wk). Soft $2,500 after $3,300 opener. Capitol (Loew) (3,426; 90-$1.49) — “Some Came Running” (M-G), (5th wk). Strong $12,000 following. $13,000 in fourth stanza. May hold. Cdhunbia (Loew) (904; 90-$1.49) —“Separate Tables” (UA> (7th wk). Tidy $10,000. Last week, ditto. Stays. Keith’s (RKO) (1.850: 90-81.25)— “Perfect Furlough” (U). Big $12,- 000. Last week. “Geisha Boy” (Par) ( 2 d wk), $ 9 , 000 . MacArthur (K-B) (900: $ 1 . 10 )— “No Sun in Venice” (Kings) (3d wk). Sluggish $2,500. Last week, $3300. Ontario (K-B) (1.240: 9041.25)- “Intent to Kill” (20th) (2d wk) Weak $2,500 after $3,000 openei Palace (Loew) (2,390; 90-$1.49).- “Inn of Sixth Happiness” ( 20 th (3th wk). Sturdy $12,000. Las week, same. Plaza (T-L) (276: 90-51.^9) - “Night Heaven, Fell” (Kings) (6t3 wk). Nifty $6,000. Last week, $ 6 , 500. Remains on. . Trans-Lux (T-L) (600: $1.2S $1.80)—“Bell, Book. Candle” (Col ( 6 th wk). Fine $8,000, and. stay: Last week, 58.500. Uptown (SW) (1,100: $1.2542.50) — “South Pacific” (Magna) ( 5 th wk). Nice $6,500. Last week, $6,000. Warner (SW-Cinerama) (l.SOO $12542.40)—“South Seas Adven ture” (Cinerama) (7th wk). Soarinj to hot $14,000. Lari; week, $13,00C Stays. Thg’ Fright $9,000-In Port; ‘Mame’ Big llG,6fh Portland, Ore., Feb. 3. Biz continues in high gear with some new product helping. “Auntie Mame” still is great in sixth Totmd at Broadway. “Gigi” continues solid in 24th_ round' at the -Guild. “Tonka” continues for an okay second frame at Para¬ mount. “Rally Round Flag Boys” looms as best new entrant, and live¬ ly at Fox. Estimates for This. Week Broadway (Parker) (L890; $1- $1.50)—"Auntie Mame” (WB) ( 6 th wk). Lofty $11,000 and not far from last week’s $11,400. Fox (Evergreen) (1,536; $1-$1.50) —“Rally Round Flag, Boys” (20th) and “Amburii At Cimarron Pass” (20th). Lively $9,000. Last week; “Old Man And Sea” (WB) and “Quantril’s Raiders” (AA), $7,800. Guild .(Indie) (400; $1-$130)— “Gigi” (M-G) <24th wk). Nifty $4300. Last week, $4,300. Orphenm (Evergreen) (1,600; $1 - 1 $L50)—“Good Day For Hanging” r (Col) and “Man Inside” (Col),■ Fair $6,000. Last w£ek, "Sorhe, Came .Sunning” (MG), and “Dun¬ kirk” 1M-G) (2d wk), $7,400-- “ .. Paramount (Port-Parr (3,400; $1- $I30)^-‘JTofika” mm and 'Xegehff - of* Sleepy Hollow” tBV) ( 2 d wk). Okay $7,000. Last week, $11,000. ; ‘ROBBERY' B0FF9 12C, ST.L;TURL00®’ 13G St. Louis, Feb: 3- Only one new. bill currently, “The Great St. Louis Bank Rob¬ bery,” at tbe Orpheum, but. it is socko. Given the preem treatment, it is a natural for the city. ‘Perfect! Furlough” looms as standout long-- runner by going three weeks at the huge Fox and is still very strong. “Auntie Mame” in fifth frame .at the St. Louis also is big. while “Some Came Running” at. Loew’s, also in fifth, is fast. • Estimates for This Week Ambassador (Cinerama) (1,400; $120-$2.40)—“South Seas Adven¬ ture” (Cinerama) (14th wk), .Big $8,0p0. Last week, $9,000. Apollo Art (Grace) (700; 90-$125) — “Pather Panchali” (Indie) (3d; wk). Okay $1,800. Last week, $ 2 , 000 . Fox (Arthur) (5,000; 60-90) —. “Perfect Furlough” (U) and “Ap¬ pointment With a Shadow” (U) (3d wk). Lofty $13,000. Last week, $16,000. LOew’s (Loew) (3,200; 60-90) “Some Came Running” (M-G) (5th wk),Upto fast $10,000. Last week, $8,500. Orpheum (Loew) (1,000; 60-90)— “Great St. Louis Bank Robbery” (UA) and “Ten Days- to Tulare” (UA). Sock $12,000 or over. -Last week, “Lost Missile” (UA) and “Machete” (UA), $6,000. Pageant (Arthur) (1,000; $1.80- $225)—“South. Pacific” (20th) (42d wk). Nice $5,000. Last week, $5,500. St. Louis (Arthur) (3,600; 90- $1.75)—“Auntie Mame” (WB) (5th wk). Great $15,000. Last week, $18,000. Shady Oak (Arthur) (560; 60-90) —“Kind Hearts and Coronets” (Indife) and “Man in White Suit” (Indie). Last week, “Windom’s Way” (Indie), $1,000. Turlough’ Fat $17,690, Frisco; ‘Mame’ Hot 13G, 5th, iticasta’ 79,2d San Francisco, Feb. 3. First-run biz is good here “this stanza with “Perfect Furlough,” fancy at Golden Gate, and “Rally Round Flag, Boys,” good aft the Fox, standout newcomers. “Some Came. Punning” is rated fine in fifth Warfield stanza while “Auntie Mame,” in fifth at the St Francis, looks smash: “Anna Lucasta” looms okay in second round at Unifed Artists. “Gigi” . shapes socko in 30th session at the Stage- door. “South Seas Adventure” looms big in 10th week at Or¬ phenm, running ahead of last frame. . Estimates for This Week Golden Gate (RKO) (2,859; $1.25) —"Perfect Furlough” <U) and “Money, Women, and Guns” (U). Fancy $17,000 or near. Last week, “House On Haunted Hill” (AA) and “Affair In Havana” (AA) (2d wk), $14,000. Wax (FWC) (4.651; $1.2541.50)-- “Rally Round Flag, Boys” (20th) and -Lone Texan” (20th). Good $15,000. Last week, “Tonka” (BV) and “Mask Of Zorro” (Par) (re¬ issue), Same. Warfield fLoew) (2,656; 90-$1.25) —“Some Came .Running” (M-G)' ■(5th wk). Fine $9,000 after $9300 last week. Paramount (Par) (2,646; 90-$L25) —"Last Blitzkrieg” *(CoD aftd ■“Apache Territory” (God). Mild $14600. Last week, “Old Man and •Sea” (WB) and “Mam’zelle Pig- alle” (Indie), $13,800. St. Francis (Par) (1,400; $125- $130)—“Auntie Mame” (WB) (5th wk). Excellent $13,000. Last week, ditto. Orpheum (SW-Cinerama) (L- 456; $1.75-$2.65)—“South Seas Ad¬ venture” (Cinerama) ( 10 th wk). ] Socko $22,000 and ahead of ninth ’ week’s $ 21 , 000 . ; United Artists (No. Coast) ( 1 ,- 207; 90-$1.25)—“Anna Lucastd” (UA) and “I Bury Living” (UA) (2d wk). Okay $7,000 or close. Last week, $13300. Stagedoor (A-R) (440;. $1.25-$3) —“Gigi” (M-G) (30th wk). Wow $ 9 , 000 . Last week, $8,600,'.' Presidio (Hardy-Parsons) (774; $lJ25^$130)-^'T^capade” (Indie). Oke $3300. Last week, "“Paris Hotel” (Indie) (3d wk), $2,400. Vogue (StF. theatres) (364; $1.25)—“Seventh Seal” (Indie), (llth wk).-Fancy $2600. Last-week, ***$9- % :: ‘ ‘ Alexandria(United.* California)" Xl,%70; . nific”' (20th) (31*t wk);. Sturdy $11;- 000. Last week, same. *9 *Beir Loud SG, Ion’Ditto in 5th Key City Grosses Estimated Total Gro&» This Week .$2,371,800 ! (Based on 22 cities and 228 theatres, chiefly ftrst runs, in¬ cluding N.Y.) Last Year.$2691,100 A Based on 22 cities and 247 theatresJ + - Cincinnati, Feb. 3. Cincy’s film front is Tosy with biz gains this session despite ab¬ sence of -a single new bill. Favor- : able weather is a factor. Relief from admission taxes via Federal and city cuts also has exhib§ smil¬ ing. Bidding for advances are “Auntie Mame,” hugging first-rim . lead for fifth week at Albee and “Inn of Sixth Happiness,” strong s fifth-rounder at Palace. “Old Man and Sea” also is up slightly at the small Grand. “Bell, Book and Can¬ dle” looms .hotsy in second stanza at Keith. Baltimore, Feb. 3. Most impressive newcomer here is “Bell, Book .and Candle” which is shaping hefty at the Stanley. Other new entries are “Lonely- : hearts,’’ good at the Town and “Sheriff of Fractured Jaw” shapes slow at Mayfair. Of the holdovers “Auntie Mame” in sixth at the Century and “Some Came Run¬ ning” in fifth at the Hippodrome, are the biggest, and all sturdy. ! “Horse’s Mouth” in sixth at the Five West and- “My Uncle” in sixth ■ at. Playhouse are holding well, especially the latter. Estimates for This Week Century (R-F> (3.100; 504130)— “Auntie Mame” (WB) ( 6 th wk). Holding at good $7,500 after $7,800 in fifth. Cinema (Schwaber) (460; 90- $L50) — "Summer Wind Blows” (Janus) (2d wk). Fair $1,800 after $2,300 in first. -Fire West (Schwaber) (460; 90- $1.50)—“Horse’s Mouth” (Lopert) ( 6 th wk). - Good $2,500 after same in fifth. / Hippodrome (R-F) (2300; 50- $1.50) — “Some Came Running” (M-G) (5th wk). Nice $7,000 -after $7,000 in previous week. Little (R-F) (300; 50-$135)— “Constant Husband” (AA) (2d wk). Oke $2,000 after $2300 in first. Mayfair (R-F) (900; 50-$135)— “Sheriff of Fractured Jaw” (20th). Slow $3300. Last 'week, “Anna Lueasta” (UA) (2d wk), $4,500. New (R-F) (1,600; 50-S1.25)— “Perfect Furlough” (U) (2d wk) Oke $4,000 after $7,500 opener. 1 Playhouse (Schwaber) (460; 90- $1.50)—“My Uncle” (COnt) ( 6 th wk). Big $2,000 after same for last Stanley (R-F) (3,200; 50-$130)— “Bell Book, Candle” (Col). Hefty $11,500. Last week, “Tonka” (BV) ( 2 d wk); $ 5 , 000 . Tew* (R-F) (L125; 50-$1.25>— “Lonelyhearts” (UA). Good $7,- 000. Last week, “Inn of Sixth Hap¬ piness” (20th)' (4th wk), $4,500. lucasta’ Trim $12,000, Buff; Teimypacker’ 11€ Buffalo, Feb. 3. - Biz shapes stronger currently than it has been in recent weeks, with new pix helping. “Anna Lu¬ casta” is rated trim opening week at the Buffalo. “Revolt * in Big House” is not getting far with a thin take likely at the Lafayette. Preem of “Remarkable Mr. Penny- packet” shapes nice at Paramount “Auntie Mame” still i$ stout in fifth stanza at the Center. Estimates for This Week. Buffalo (Loew) (3,500; 70$1) — “Anna Lucasta” (UA) and ’"The Mugger” (Indie). Trim $12,600. Last week, “Last 'Mile” (UA). and “Fearinakers” (UA), $8600.' Center (AB-PT) <3,000; 7041:25) —“Auntie Mame” (WB) (5th Wk). Stout $10,000 or over. Last week, ditto. Century (UATC) (1,410; 70-$l)— “Belt Book, Candle” (Col) -and “TTue Story Lynn" Stuart” (Col) (2d Wkt Fair $8,000. Last week, $10600. Lafayette (Basil) ( 3 , 000 ; 50-90)— “Revolt Tut Big House” (AA) And “Johnny Rocco” (AA). Sad $6,000. Last week; “Perfect Furlough” (U) and “Once Upon Horse” (U> (2d wk), $5600. . Paramount (AB-PT)' (3,606; 70- $1) — “Remarkable . Mr. * Penny* packer” (20th) and “Intent to Kill * 1 (Indie). Nice $11,000.. Last’ week, “I, Mobster” (20th) arid “Fort Mas¬ sacre” (UA), $8,200. . Tecfc (Loewi, (1200; 7041) — •^*Somfe Canae Ruainii^^M-G) ( 6 th Wk), Good $5,000, Last' week, Same.' “ t^hema^(Martii1$) .(450; 70-$l^ “Night Heaven Fell” (K^ngs), ( 2 d wk). Good $^.600. liast week,' I $5,000. “South Pacific” is perking in- ; 40th week at'suburban Valley with one more week to go. Long run “South Seas Adventure” retains giant stride at Capitol. Estimates for This Week Afbee (RKO) (3100; 90-S1.50)— “Auntie Mame” (WB) (5th wk). Hefty $12300 for improvement over last week’s $11300 and first- TUn topper for fifth straight -frame. Capitol (SW-Cinerama) - (1376; $1.20-$2.65)—“South Seas Adven¬ ture? (Cinerama) (14th wk). Sturdy $16600 matching last week’s take. Grand (RKO) (1.400; 90-$125)— “Old Man and Sea” (WB) (3d wk). Stepping up to -good $3,000 and gain over $7,500 in second stanza. Keith’s (Shor) (1300:-90-$1.25)— “Bell, Book. Candle” (Col) (2d wk). ’ Hotsy $8,000 after $10,000 preem. Palace (RKO) (2,600; 904160)— “Inn of Sixth Happiness” (20th). (5th wk). Strong $8,000 in climb over $7600 of fourth round. Valley (Wiethe) (1,200; $130- $2.50) — “South Pacific” (Magna) (40th wk). Pickup .to pleasing $ 6 ,- 500 over $6,000 cf 39th Week. ‘*Ral- ly Round Flag, Boys” (20th) due in Feb. 1 L ' <1 Philadelphia, Feb. 3. There’s a noticeable biz upswing. at the cinema boxoffices here this stanza. There are few newcomers but t& holdovers are SO g6od that : several are finishing as big as iu previous week. “Doctor’s Dilemma” • shapes very big at Tram-Lux while “Roots of Heaven” looms • lofty at the Viking. “Restless. Years” is rated fair On initial Goldman stanza. “Windjammer” is running ahead of last week in 14th frame at the Boyd. ' - , “Tom Thumb,” “Inn of Bixth Happiness,” “South Pacific” and “Bril, Btiok and Candle” all look to finish with the same solid trade as a week ago. “Auntie blame” looms lusty in fifth Stanley stanza. Estimates for This Week Arcadia (S&S) (536; 994L80)—" “Tom Thumb” (M-G) (6th wk). Hep $6,000. Last week, ditto. Boyd (SW) (1,480; $1.2Q-$2.40)—, “Windjammer” (NT) C14th wkV Upped to good $9300. Last week, ? $9,000. Pox (National) (2,250; $1.10- ’ $1.89)—“Inn.-of Sixth Happiness”. (20th) (6th wk). Neat $15,000. Last* week, same. Goldman (Goldman) (1200; 94*i $1.49)—“Restless Years” (U) andi “Silent Enemy” (U). Fair $7,000. Last week,. “Perfect Furlough? (U) (2d Wk), $8,000. ' Midtown (Goldman) (1200; 94- $1.80)—“South Pacific” ' (Magna) (45th wk). Big $13,000 same as last week. _ Raudelph (Goldman) (1,250; $1.80)—“Bell, Book, Candle” (Col)^ (5th wk). Trim $8,000. Last week; 0 ditto. - , ... Stanley (SW) (2,900; 9941-80)— “Auntie Mame” (WB) (5th wk). Lusty $13600. Last week,- $ 14 , 000 . Stanton (SW) (1,483; 9941.49)— “I Want to live” (UA) (3d wk). Socko $17600. L3st week, $19,000. * Studio (Goldberg) (385;* 9541:80) : —'“Milkniaid” (Indie) (2d Wk). Lush ; $4600.- week, $6,800. - Trans-Lux (T-L) (500; 99-$1.80) — ‘^Doctor’s Dflemma” <M-G>. Hefty : $8,000, Last week, “TUimel df Love” (M-G) (9th wk), $3,000. Vfldhg (Sley) 11,000; 754L4flf)-^ “Roots ^ofHeaven” (20th).Big - BOO. Last’ week, “Gigi” (M-G) (Btii .WkV$7600. ' - '• -*• •*« ' 4WMd -(PatheV (604; • 9541:80*— : ‘/Horsed Mouth (Lopert) (6fh wk). Big $6,000. Last week, earner PICTURE GROSSES 9 Wednesday, February 4, 1959 USsti&rr Fair Skies Peii Qfi; furlough’ Fancy 132,000, ‘Seahawk’ Trim 13G, ‘Mame’ 53G, ‘Spy’ 7G, Both 2d, Tables’ Chicago, Feb. 3. Crisp but clear weather Is helping strong pix hypo first- runs. Oriental’s “Perfect Fur- lough” preem looks nice $32,000. Garrick’s “Submarine Seahawk” and “Paratroop Command” shape good $13,000. New Mpnroe combo of “Man From God’s Country” and “Legion of Doomed” expects a nice $5,000. “Auntie Marne’s” second stanza at the Chicago is rated stout while same frame for Esquire’s “Two- Headed Spy” is just okay. “Old Man and Sea” is trim in third Roosevelt week. Sixth round of “Separate Tables” is tabbed nice at State- Lake. Surf’s sixth of “My Uncle” is figured strong? “Inn of Sixth Happiness” is headed for a good total in same session at United Artists. Of the hard-ticket pix, “South Seas Adventure” is solid in 19th Palace frame. “Gigi” is fine for 30th sesh at Todd’s “Cinestage, and “South Pacific” pulled a good 45th week at the McVickers. Estimates Are Net Film gross estimates as re¬ ported herewith from the vari¬ ous key cities, are net; l.e* without usual tax. Distrib¬ utors share on net take, when playing percentage, hence the estimated figures are net in¬ come. The parenthetic admission pripes, however, as indicated, include the U. S. amusem*nt tax. ‘Inn’ Brisk $8,800, Omaha;'Jaw’6G Omaha, Feb. 3. A snowy weekend offset the in¬ flux of new entries at the down- Estimates for This Week Chicago. (B&K) (3,900; 90-$1.80) —“Auntie Mame” (WB) (2d wk). Solid $53,000. Last week, $44,000. Esquire (H&E Balaban) (1,350; $1.50)—“Two-Headed Spy” (Col) (2d wk). Oke $7,300. Last week, $ 11 , 000 . Garrick (B&K) (850; 90-$1.25)— “Submarine Seahawk” (AI) and “Paratroop Command” (AI). Good $13,000. Last week “Revolt in Big House” (AA) and “Cry Baby Killer” (AA) (1st wk), $8,000. Loop (Teiem’t) (606; 90-$1.50)— “Tom Thumb” (M-G) (7th wk). Hotsy $9,300. Last week, $9,000. McVickers (JL&S) (1,580; $1.25- $3.30)—“South Pacific” (Magna) (45th wk). Oke $15,700. Last week, - $16,500, Monroe (Jovan) (1,000; 65-90)— “Man From God’s Country” (AA) and “Legion of the Doomed” (AA). Good $5,000. Last week “Plan 9 From Outer Space” (DCA) and “Timelock” (DCA) (1st wk), $4,500. • Oriental* (Indie) (3,400; 90-$1.50) —"Perfect Furlough” (U). Nice $32,000. Last week, “Sheriff of Fractured. Jaw” (20th) and “Dan¬ gerous Exile” (Rank) (2d wk), $ 12 , 000 . Palace (SW-Cinerama) (1,434,* $1.25-$3.40)—“South Seas Adven¬ ture” (Cinerama) (19th wk). Hep $24,000. Last week, $23,000. Roosevelt (B&K) (1,400; 90- $L8Q)—“Old Man and Sea” (WB) (3d wk). Trim $10,000. Last week, $18,000. State-Lake (B&K) (2,400; 90- $1.80)—“Separate Tables” (UA) (6th wk). Fine $15,500. Last week, $14,000. Surf (H&E Balaban) (685; $1.25) —“My Uncle” (Cont) (6th wk). Strong $4,300. Last week, $3,800. Todd's Cinestage (Todd) (1,036; $1.25-$3)—“Gigi” (M-G) (30th wk). Fine $14,000. Last week, $12,500. United Artists (B&K) (1,700; 90- $1.80)—“Inn of Sixth Happiness” (20th) (6th wk.). Brisk $14,500. Last Week, $13,000. Woods (Essaness) (1,200; 90- $1.50)—“Bell, Book and Candle” (Col) (6th wk).- Good $9,500 for last five days. “Some Came Run¬ ning” (Metro) opens today (Tues.). World (Teitel) (606; 90)—“Tos- ca” (Indie) (7th wk). Fancy $4,200. Last week, $3,200. Pitt on Upbeat; month’ Huge $8,000, Turlough’ Great 9G, THameMSlG Pittsburgh, Feb. 3. Improvement continues all over the Golden Triangle, with block¬ busting “Auntie Mame,” which . opened before New Year’s,..still in high gear at Stanley Squirrel Hill got a sensational take-off with. “Horse’s Mouth,” which looks set for a long. run. The Fulton has a winner for a change in “Perfect Furlough,” socko in first round; Both roadshow pix, “South Seas Adventure” at Warner and ‘“South Pacific” at Nixon are picking up, - too. Second sessions for “I Want to Live” at Penh and “Rally Round Flag, Boys” at Harris are also okay. Estimates for This Week . Fulton (Shea) (l.TOOr 80-$l:25>— “Perfect Furlough”- (U>. Good no¬ tices'and helped, by flock of >per- senals around town, for 'two . days* by; Llpda Cristai, featured in. >jJc, Should ;be;socko $9jOOO. best-here In. gome time; ; stays, • L©t,weefc (Cobtinueduon.page 10) , town first-runs, so biz^ generally is in the so-so category. “Inn of Sixth Happiness” is trim at Orhpeum. “Sheriff of Fractured Jaw” looks good at the Omaha. **Gideon of Scotland Yard” shapes light at the State. The hard-tickets “South Pacific” remains smash in 15th round at the Cooper. Estimates for This Week Brandeis (Cooper) (694; 90)— “Bell, Book, Candle” (Col) (2d wk). Mild $3,000 or near after $5,500 bow. Cooper (Cooper) (708; $1.50- $2.20)—“South Pacific’ (Magna) (15th wk). Boff $10,500. Last week, same. Omaha (Tristates) (2,066; 75-$l) —“Sheriff of Fractured Jaw” (20th) and “Smiley Gets Gun” (20th). Brisk $6,000. Last week, “Perfect Furlough” (U) (2d wk), ditto. Orpheum (Tristates) (2,980; 75- $1)—“Inn of Sixth Happiness” (20th). Rated trim $8,000, and may hold. Last week, “Auntie Mame” (WB) (4th wk), $7,000 at 90-$1.25 scale. State (Cooper) (850; 90)—“Gid¬ eon of Scotland Yard” (Rank) and “Ghost of China Seas” (Rank). Fair $2,300. Last week, “Some Came Running” (M-G) (4th wk), $3,500. RO.’s Help Mpls. Trade; Tosh’Neat at $8,000, ‘Running’ Fast 7IG, 5th Minneapolis, Feb. 3. New fare continues scarce here, with holdovers still dominating at most first-run spots. Top newcom¬ er looks to be “Tonka,” trim at State. Other fresh entry is “Revolt in Big House” and “Johnny Rocco” fair at RKO Pan. “Perfect Fur¬ lough” is okay at Gopher in sec¬ ond. “Auntie Mame” in sixth stan¬ za is good while “Some Came Run¬ ning” in fifth is. rated fast; “Inn of Sixth Happiness” in third round is smash at 400-seat World. Estimates for This Week Academy (Mann) (947; $1.50- $2.65) — “South Pacific” (Magna) (31st wk). Lots of life left in this. Okay $6,500. Last week, $7,000. Century (S-W) (1,150; $1.75- $2.65) — “Windjammer” (NT). Smooth sailing for big $16,000. Last week, $16,800. Gopher (Berger) (1,000; 85-$l)— “Perfect Furlough” (U) (2d wk). Down to good $6*/300. Last week, smasli$9,000. Lyric (Par) (1,000; 90-$1.45)— “Auntie Mame” (WB) (6th wk). Hefty $8,000, Last week, $7,500. RKO Orpheum (RKO) (2,800; 85- $1.25) — “Some Came Running” (M-G) (5th wk). Fast $7,500. Last week. $6,50Q. RKO Ban (RKO) (1,000; 90)— “Revolt in Big House” (AA) add “Johnny Roeco’f (AA). Fair $4,500. Last week. “The Spider’* (AI) and “Brain Eaters” (Al), $7,500. . State (Par) <2,200; $1)—“Tonka” (BY). Neat $8,000 or near. Last week, “I Wantto live” (UA) (4th wk), $6,500.. Suburban World (Mann) (800; 85) —“My Uncle” (Cont): Smash $5,- 000. Last Vweek,. ^Truth About Women” (Ihdie), $1*500/; - - Wq*M (Mann) (400; $5-$ljS0)—; “InnofSixthHappiness” (20th) i (3fl wk>. Smash $7*000. Last week* $ 8 * 000 . , . - TBOirrH' WIDE $12,900, TORONTO; CURBS 11G Toronto, Feb. 3. With the three-day local blizzard over, this city’s film biz is doing swell, with some spots even show¬ ing an upbeat over the previous week. Among newcomers, “Horse’s Mouth” is rated great but “Auntie Mame” is still leading the city in third week and even doing bigger than its first frame. Second stanzas of “I Want to Live” and “Perfect Furlough” show little change, latter being great at the Uptown. Fourth frame of “Inn of Sixth Happiness” is fast. “South Seas Adventure” is topping previous week "with fancy takings in 10th round at the University. Estimates for This Week Carlton (Rank) (2,518; 75-$1.25) —“I Want to Live” (UA) (2d wk). Holding well at $15,000. Last week, $16,000. Danforth, Fairlawn, Humber (Rank) (1,330; L165; 1,205; $1)— “Smiley Gets Gun” (20th) and “Under Fire” (20th). Sad $10,000 in 3 days. Last week, “Restless Years” (U), $14,000. , Downtown, Glendale, Prince of Wales, State (Taylor) (1,059; 996; 1,200; 694; 50-75)—“Spider” (AI) and “Brain Eaters” (AI). Okay $14,500. Last week, “.Mile. Strip¬ tease” (1FD), $24,000. Hollywood (FP) (1,080; $1-$1.25) —“Inn'of Sixth Happiness” (20th) (4th wk). Holding at fast $10,000. Last week, $11,000. Wand (Rank) (1,057; $1)— “Horse’s Mouth” (Lopert). Great $12,000. Last week, “Rockets Ga¬ lore” (Rank) (5th wk), $4,500. Imperial (FP) (3,343; 75-$1.2S)— “Auntie Mame” (WB) (3d wk). Topped last week for wham $26,- 000. Last week, $25,000. International (Taylor). (557; $1.25)—“Gigi” (M-G) (27th wk). Fine $5,000. Last week, same. Loew’s (Loew) (2,098; 60-$1.25) —“Some Came Running” (M-G) (4th wk). Torrid $11,500. Last week, $12,000. Towne (Taylor) (695; $1.25)— “Only French Can” (IFD).. Okay .$4,500. Last week, “My Uncle” (Cont) (6th wk), $3,50Q. University (FP) (1,255; $1.50- $2.40)—“South Seas Adventure” (Cinerama) (10th wk). Picked up to fancy $12,500. Last week, $ 11 , 000 . Uptown (Loew) (2,743; 75-$1.25) —“Perfect Furlough” (U) (2d wk). Great $11,000 for Tony Curtis starrer. Last week, $13,000. ‘Jaw’Okay $11,000,‘Inn’ Great 9G, 2d, ‘Dark’ 6G Kansas City, Feb. 3. Town currently is holdover hap¬ py, with only one newcomer. “Sheriff of Fractured Jaw” is play¬ ing in a new Fox Midwest combo of Isis, Granada and Fairway, and doing okay. “Inn of Sixth Happi¬ ness” in second week at Uptown, “I Want To Live” at Midland and “Home Before Dark” at Paramount are all satisfactory on extended- ; runs. “Auntie Mame” in sixth week at Roxy is unusually strong. Estimates for This Week | Kim© (Dickinson) (504; 90-$1.25) ,—“God Created Woman” (Kings) l (52d wk). Breaking all records for length-of run, trade boosted to $2,000; continues. Last week, $ 1 , 200 . I Midland (Loew) (3,500; 75-$l)— “I Want To Live” (UA) and “Raw- hide Trail” (AA) (2d wk). Oke $6,000. Last week, $9,000. Missouri (Cinerama) (1,194; $1.25-$2)—“South Seas Adventure” (Cinerama)' (8th wk). Holding own at big $9,000. Last week, same* Paramount (UP) (1,900; 75-$l)— t “Home Before Dark” (WB) (2d wk). I Pleasant $6,000. Last week, $8,000. Rockhili (Little Art Theatres) (750; 75-$l)—“Mad Little Island” (Rank). Fair $1,200. Last week, ‘Foxiest Girl in Paris” (Times), same. Roxy (Durwood) (879; $1-$1.50)— “Auntie Mame” (WB) (6th wk). Unusually strong $5,500. Last week, $7,000. Uptown (Fox Midwest) (2,043; 75-$l>—“Inn of Sixth Happiness” (20th) (2d wk). Great $9,009; holds* Last week, in combo with Granada, $14,000.. Ids* Fairway* Granada (Fox Mid¬ west) <1,360; .700; 1,217; 75-$l)— “Sheriff of Fractured Jaw” (20th) and “Little Bank Should Be Robbed” (20th), - Okay. * $11,000. Last weefc Fairway. “Perfect Fur¬ lough” <U) (2d ; wk), heaflj *2,200. ‘Blitzkrieg’ Lean 15G, Tables Stout 36G*7th/Running’-Stage Big 135G, 2d Despite a new cold wave, with 7-degrees-above one day, Broad¬ way first-run business is holding up well. There are some soft spots, however, two of them being thea¬ tres with new product. For the first time on record the deluxers had to contend with a five-alarm fire right at the prize show time (6;50 to 11 p.m.) Saturday (31). Not only did it slow traffic to a standstill, but the blaze near 46th St. and Broadway was so spec¬ tacular it proved a counter-attrac¬ tion to the film theatres. One newcomen, “The Trap,” looks like very mild $27,000 or less at the Capitol. “Last Blitzkrieg,” another newie, is heading for slug¬ gish $15,000 at the Mayfair. Top longrunner still is “Sep¬ arate Tables,” with a great $24,000 in current (7th) week at the Astor, and a sock $12,200 at the arty Normandie in the same round. “Inn of Sixth Happiness” looks like a good $35,700 in eighth week a t the Paramount and Plaza. “Some Came Running,” with stageshow, is heading for big $135,000 in second session at the Music Hall. “Perfect Furlough” and stageshow was only mild $40,- 000 in second at the Roxy. “Anna Lucasta” slipped to nice $14,500 in third stanza at the Victoria. “Night To. Remember” finished its seventh frame at the Criterion with a sturdy $15,700. “Bell, Book and Candle” held at stout $12,000 in sixth round at the Odeon and $6,800 at Fine Arts. “Rally Round Flag, Boys” dipped to okay $12,- 500 in sixth round at Palace. “He Who Must Die” amazed in its fifth session at the Beekman by going ahead of fourth week to a great $12,800. "My Uncle” was in much the same category since topping last week and landing a smash $8,800 in 14th round at the Baronet. “Horse’s Mouth’’ also climbed over the previous week to get a socko $15,800 in 12th stanza at the Paris. “Gigi” continues sensational on its popseale run at the Sutton, holding at a great $21,000 in 13th stanza. Pic now is in its 14th week. “Doctor’s Dilemma” also displayed stamina with $10,000 in seventh round at Trans-Lux 52d Street. “Sins of Rose Bernd” still was solid at $7,500 in second Little Carnegie stanza. Both' hard-ticket pix held well, “South Pacific” doing a solid $17,- 500 at the Rivoli in 17th week. “South Seas Adventure” climbed to a sturdy $23,100 in 28th round at the Warner, where it’s now in the 29th week. Estimates for This Week Astor (City Inv.) (1.094; 75-$2)— “Separate Tables” (UA) (7th wk). Present week winding up today (Wed.) looks like great $24,000 or hear. Sixth was $24,500. Stays on. Little Carnegie (L. Carnegie) (550; $1.25-$1.80)—“Sins of Rose Bernd” (Pres. Films) (2d wk). First holdover session ending tomorrow (Thurs.) looks like big $7,500. Initial week was $11,000. Baronet (Reade) (430; $1.25-$2)— “My Uncle” (Cont) (14th wk). The 13th week completed Sunday (1) was great $8,800. Last Week, $8,600. Capitol (Loew) (4,820; $l-$2.50> —“The Trap” (Par) (2d-final wk). Initial round ended yesterday (Tues.) was mild $27,000 or less. In ahead, “Buccaneer” (Par) 5th wk- 8 days), $21,500. Stays only the two weeks, with “Never Steal Anything Small” (U) opening Feb. 11. Criterion (Moss) (1,671; $1.50- $2.40) — “Night to Remember” (Rank) (8th wk). Seventh session completed yesterday (Tues.) was fine $15,700. Sixth was $16,300. “Sleeping Beauty” (BV) opens Feb. 18 after a gala public preem on night of Feb. 17. Fine Arts (Davis) (468; 90-$1.80) —“Bell, Book, Candle” (Col) (6th wk). This week winding up today (Wed.) looks like nice $6,800. Fifth was $7*300. Beekman (R&B) (590; $1.20-$1.75) —“He Who Must Die” (Kassler) (6th wk). Fifth stanza finished Sat¬ urday (31) was great $12,800. Fourth was $12,600. Terrific word- of-mouth is held responsible for unusual strength, at this stage of Iongrun. Guild (Guild) (450; $1-$1.75>— “Mistress” (Harrison). Opened Monday (2). Last week, “Nine Lives” (Indie) (4th wk), was fair. $5,009 after $7,000 in third. Mayfair (Indie) , (1,736; 79-$L80) —“Last Blitzkrieg” (Col). First. ses¬ sion ; ending tomorrow (Thurs.) looks to hit light $15,000 or dose. In ahead, “Geisha Boy” (Par) (6th wk), $8,000. Normandie (Trans-Lux) (592; $1.80-$2.80) — “Separate Tables” (UA) (7th wk). Current stanza fin¬ ishing today (Wed.) looks like big $12,200 or better than sixth week’s $12,200. Odeon (Moss) (813; 90-$1.80)— “Bell, Book, Candle” (Col) (6th wk). Current fratoe finishing today (Wed.) is heading for sturdy $12,- 000. Fifth week, $13,000. Palace (RKO) (1.642; 90-$2)— “Rally Round Flag, Boys” (20th) (7th wk). Sixth frame ended yes¬ terday (Tues.) was nice $12,500. Fifth was $14,000, below hopes. (20th) (8th wk). Current round winding up tomorrow (Thurs.) shapes to get good $26,000. Sev¬ enth week. $27,000. Pathe (Pathe Cinema) (568; 90- $1.80)—“Horse’s Mouth” (Lopert) (13th wk). The 12th stanza ended Monday (2) was great $15,800. The 11th week, $15",000. The 12th week, incidentally, was better than the 10th session. tellers) (6,200; 90-S2.75)—“Some Came Running” (M-G) and stage- show (2d wk). Present session end- . ing tomorrow (Wed.) looks like big $135,000 or near. First week, $143,- 000. Stays on, with “The Journey” (M-G) due in next. Rivoli (UAT) (1,545; $2-$3.50)— “South Pacific” (Magna) (18th wk). The 17th round finished Monday (2) was sturdy $17,500. The 16th week, $18,500. Stays on indef. Plaza (Lopert) (525; $1.50-$2>— “Inn of Sixth Happiness” (20th) (8th wk). This week ending tomor¬ row (Thurs.) is heading for great $9,700. Seventh was $9,000. Roxy (Indie) (5.705: 90-S2.50)— “Perfect Furlough” tU> and stage- show (3d wk). First holdover week wound up yesterday (Tues.) was mild $40,000 or close. Initial week $55,000. Stays .this third week! and then “Hanging Tree” (WB) comes in. Sutton (R&B) (531; 95-31.80)— “Gigi” (M-G) (14th wk). The 13th stanza finished Saturday (31) was wow $21,000. The 12th week, $21,- 400. Stays indef at this gait. Trans-Lux 52d St. <T-L) (540; $1- $1.50)—“Doctor’s Dilemma” (M-G) (8th wk). Seventh stanza finished yesterday (Tues.) held at tall $10,- 000. Sixth was $10,500. Victoria (City Inv.) (1 003: 50-$2> —“Anna Lucasta” (UA) (4th wk). Third round completed yesterday (Tues.) was nice $14,500. Second was $18,500, below hopes. Warner (SW Cinerama) (1.600; $1.80-$3.50)—“South' Seas Adven¬ ture” (Cinerama) (20th wk). The 28th frame finished Saturday (31) was solid $23,100. The 27tli week, $22,800. LVJle B.O. Still Brisk; ‘Lanrent’ Hep 7G, ‘Mame’ 6!G, ‘Fnrloagh’ Boff 8G Louisville, Feb. 3. Holdovers are without exception accounting for the excellent hiz current at downtown wickets. Most are doing as well as in the previ¬ ous week while some are even bet¬ ter. Lone newcomer is “Case of Dr. Laurent,” single-billed at the Brown, with a fancy session in prospect. “Perfect Furlough” looms socko, same as first round. “Auntie Mame" is neat in sixth week and -ahead of fifth. “Tonka” looks sturdy in second. Estimates for This Week Brown (Fourth Ave.) (1,200; 75- 90)—“Case of Dr. Laurent” (T-L) (Translux). Heavy spot campaign on radio plus extra matinee for femmes only. Fancy $7,000, and may hold. Last week, “Moon Is Blue” (UA) and “Man With Gold¬ en Arm” (UA) (reissues), $4,000. Kentucky (Switow) (900; 60-90)— “Perfect Furlough” <U) (2d wk). Socko $8,000 same as first week. Mary Anderson (People’s) (1,000; 75-$1.25) —“Auntie Mame” (WB) (6th wk). Neat $6,500 $nd possible windup after fifth week's $6,000. Rialto (Fourth Ave.) (3,000; 60- 90)—‘Tonka” (BV) (2d wk). Sturdy $9,000 after first Week’s $12,000. Upifed Artists: (UA) (3,000; 60- $1)—“Bell, Book, Candle” (Col) (2d wk). JSqJld $7,009 sifter first week’s $10,000, exceeding ettlmate. by hefty feiargih. 1 * MCXUKfc CK0SSES k&RIEfT IGF 19G, ‘RmaiagLivefy 16^ 5th Boston Feb. 3- 4* Though there are few sew en¬ tries here this week, big pictures are bolding nicely and keeping trade generally at a high level “Perfect Furlough” looms smash at the Memorial to top newcomers. .“Horse’s Mouth** is wow at the Capri. “House on Haunted Hill,” backed with heavy bally* is great at Paramount . “Auntie Marne” leads the bold- uers with a rottshig sixth round at the Met “Some Came Run¬ ning” Is holding soBd at Orpheten in fifth. “I Want To Live” Is nice at State, also- fifth. “Bell, Book* Candle** is rated happy in fifth at the Gary. “Bin of Sixth Happi¬ ness” is falling, but still fine at the Aster in sixth. “My Unde” holds the longrun record in 12th session at Kenmore. On the hard-ticket front “Windjammer” is climbing to wow 24th week at the Boston. Estimates for Tlris Week Astor (B&Q) <1.371; $1.25-$1.50) —“Inn of Sixth Happiness” (20th) (6th v-k). Nice $0,000. Last week,' $ 11 , 000 . Beacon HUI (Sack) (678; $1-$1.5G) —“Gigi” (M-G) (5th wk). Hefty $12,000. Last week, $13,000. Boston (SW-Cinerama) (1,354; $I.25-$2.G5)—“Windjammer” (NT> ♦24th wk). Wow $17,000 Last week. $14,000. Capri (Sack) (1.150; 90-$1.50)—- “Horse’s Mouth” (Lopert). Whop¬ ping $15,000 or near. Last week, “Sins of Youth” (Indie) and “Le Plaisir” (Indie) (2d wk), $4,000. Exeter (I**die) (1300: 75-$135)— “Inspector Ma>cret” (Lopert) (6th wk)* Sixth week began Sunday (I). Last week, neat $3,000. . Fenway (IndieV (1,376; 75-$135) —“Buccaneer” (Par) and “Trouble With Harry” (Par) (2d runs). Oke $2,000. Last week, “Shin Was Loaded” (Arthur) and “Shamus” (Indie), ditto. Gary (Sack) G.240: <$l-$1.751— “Bell, Book, Candle” (CoD (5th wk>. Happy $10,000. Last week, $11,000. Kenmore (Indie) (700; 90-$1.50) —“My Uncle" (Cont) (12th wk). Still strong with $3,200. Last week, $4 000. Memorial (RKO) (3.000; 60-$1.10) —“Perfect Furlouffh” (U) a^d “Money. .Women & Gun” (U). Great 5*20,000. Last week, “Geisha Boy” (Par) and “Buek«kin Lady” (Indie) (3d wk), 2.000. MetrcnoP.tan (NET) (4357; 70- $1.10>—“Auntie Maine” <WR) (6th wk). Bustling $18 : 000. T.asf week, $21 000 . Mayflower (ATC) (683: 75-$135) —“Reluctant Debutante” (M-G) and “Pertv Girl” (M-G) (2d runs). Oke $3,000. Last week. "Last Hur¬ rah” (Col) (96 run) and “Lapland” (Incfle). $3,300. Paramount (NET). (2357; 70- $1.10>—“House on Haunted H ; ll” (4A> and “Cosmic Man” (AA). Smash $10,000 or better. Last week, “Sheriff of Fractured Jaw” (20th) and “Alaska Passage” (In¬ die). $6>.0Q0. Pilsrim (ATC) (1.000: 6O-$I.10>— “Jov Ride” (AA) and “Sins of Un- wed Mother” (Indie). Oke $4,000. Last week, “Hot Angel” (Par) and “Buccaneer” (Par) .$&O00. Saxon (Sack) (1.000: $1.50-$3.50) —“South Pacific” (Magna) (43d wk). Solid $11,000. Last week* $ 10000 . T’rans-Lnr (T-L) (73Q: 75-$1.25)— “T ; me of Desire” - (Janus) and “Tides of Passion” (Indie). Good $3,000. Last week. . “Shameless Sex*; (Indie), and “Girl With Itch?* (Indie) (3d wk). same. Orpheum (Loew) (2,900; 90-$1.50) —‘“Some Came Running” (M-G) (5thr wk>. ’ Solid $16,000. Last week* $19000: State (Lcew) (2,600: 75-31.25)— “I Want to Live” (UA) (5th wk). Good $9,000. Last week, $10,000. Great Films Arter Group Take Mayfield, Cleveland Cleveland, Feb. 3. After operating Mayfield Art Theatre two years. Jack Silver- tborne has leased it to Great Films Inc., which has similar houses in Washington, Baltimore, Philadel¬ phia and contemplate another in Boston. Chain acquiring the 700-seater is headed by Robert B. Fischer as prez, Mark Redwood as vice-prez, Edward R. Saretsky as secretary- treasurer. Eric Tenn from? Phila¬ delphia was appointed manager ef house featuring importations, first- runt and such revivals as Charles Chaplin’s “Gold Ruth” which started new policy at $1.50 top. *TonIca’ Socke $10,600, Seattle,- ‘Fnrkragh’ 96 Seattle, Feb, 3. Some new r strong product Is making the exhibe here happy this stanza. “Perfect Furlough” is rated sturdy at Music Hall while “Tonka” looms big at Coliseum. “Reft* Book and Candle” also is rated okay opening round at Fifth. Avenue. “Windjammer” is soaring ahead of opening stanza in second week at Paramount while “Auntie Marne* 1 shapes smash in fifth Orpheum round. Estimates for This Week Blue Mouse (Hamrick) (800; $1.50-52.50) — “South Pacific.” (Magna) (36th wk). Swell $6,590. Last week, $6300. Coliseum (Fox-Evergreen) (1,870; 90-$1.5fl)—“Tonka” (BV) and “Hot Shots” (AA). Big $10300 or near. Last week, “Geisha Boy” (Par) and “Hell Broke Loose” (Par) (2d wk) r $8300. Fifth Avenue (Fox-Evergreen) (2300; 90-$135)—“Bell* Book, Can¬ dle” (Col) and “Gideon Scotland Yard” (Col). Okay $7,000 or over. Last week, $9300. Music Box (Hamrick) (806; 90- $1.50)—“My Uncle” (Coat) (3d wk) and “Bride Much Too Beautiful” (Indie). Big $4,600. Last week, $4300. Music. Hall (Hamrick) (2300; 90- $1.50)—“Perfect Furlough” (U> and “Silent Enemy” (U). Big $9,009 of near. Last week, “Bride Much Too Beautiful” (Indie) and “Muggers” (UA), $4300- ' Orpheus (Hamrick) (2y700; 90- $1.50)—“Auntie Marne” (WB) (5th wk). Smash $16,000 or hefter. Last, week, $17,400. . P. a ram aunt .(Fox-Evergreen) (3,107; $1.50-$1.75) — “Windjam¬ mer” (NT) (2d wk). Giant $17,000. Last week, $15,400. LOS ANCELES (Continued from page 8) Mile” (UA), “Escort West” (UA), $15,900. Downtown Paramount, Vogue (ABPT-FWC) (3,300; 825; 90-$1.5O> —“Old Man and Sea” (WB) (1st general run), “Light Across Street”* (Indie) (reissue) (D*Par), “Girl in B ikini” (reissue) (Vogue). Strong $19,000 or close. Last week. Downtown Paramount; “Helen of Troy” (WB), “Land of Pharaohs” (WB) (reissues), $9300. Orpheum, Hawaii, Uptown (Me- tropolitan-G&S-FWC) (2313; 1,106; 1,715; 9Q-$1.50)—“Anna Lucasta.” (UA) (Repeat, Orpheum; Hawaii, Uptown) and “Fearmakers” (UA)! Low $9,300. State (UATC) (2,404; 90-$1.5Q)— ‘Paratroop Command” (AI) and ‘Submarine Seahawk” (AI) (2d wk). Soft $3300. Four Star (UATC) (868; $135-$2) —“Gigi” (M-G) (2d wk). Sizzling $16,000 or over. Last week, $18*500. Iris, Ei Rey (FWC) (825; 861; 90- $130)—“Cat Tin Roof” (M-G) (5th wk, Iris; 3d wk, El Rey), “Sheriff Fractured Jaw” (20th) (2d wk. Iris), •“Goddess” (Col) (reissue) (3d wk, El Rey). Okay $6300. .Fox Beverly (FWC) (1,170;. $1.50- $2.4°) «Sep . ate Tables” (UA) (6th wk). Tah $10,000. Last week, $11300. * Los Angeles* Loyola (EKO-FWC) (2,815; 2,017; 1398; $1,50-52)—“Inn of Sixth Happi¬ ness” (20th) (6th wk>. Bright $19- 000. Last week, $22,400. ^Warner Beverly (SW) (1,612 9Q- $L50>T Lonelyhearts”' (UA) (6th wk). Slim $2,000. Last week, $2*400. New Fox (FWC) (765; $135-$3)— Windjammer” • (NT); (6th wk). Hefty $7,400. Last week, $6,900. Chinese (FWC) (1,408; $2-$2.40) --“Auntie Mame” (WB) (7th wk), Socko $25,000. Last week, $26,500. , Hollywood Paramount (F&M) (1,468; $1.50-$2) — “Some Came Running” (M-G) (7th wk>. Brisk $13,700. Last week, $14,900. Fine Arts (FWC) (631; 90-$1.50) —“My Uncle” (Cont) (7th wk>. Beefy $4,000. Last week; $4,300. Warner Hollywood (SW-Cine- rama) (1,389; $1.20-$2.65)—“South Seas Adventure” (Cinerama): Started 19th week Sunday (I) after great $23,500 last week. ^ Egyptian (UATC) (1,392; $lr65- $3.30)—“South Pacific” (Magna) (35th wk). Sturdy $14,500. Lasti week, $14,700, Carthay (FWC) (1,135; $1.75^ $3v50)-—“Around World In 80 Days-” (UA) (111th wk). Lusty $15,000. Last week, $16,600. j PROV.; 'TOUVF 6G, 30 Providence, Feb. 3, It’s a hot session for the Strand and its “Inn of Sixth Happiness.” It is pue of two neweomers this round. Also happy in its fifth is .“Auntie Mame” at Majestic* Third of ‘T Want To Live” at RKG Albee looks good but ‘Torpedo Run” shades sad at. State. Estimates for This Week Albee (RKO) (2300; 65-80)—“I Want »To Live” (UA) and “Ten Days to Tulara” (UA) (3d wk). Big $6,000. Last week, $8,000. j. Majestic (SW) (2,200; 65-801— “Auntie Mame” (WB) (5th wk). Still good at $5,000 after $6,000 in fourth. State (Loew) (3,200; 65-80)— "Torpedo Run” (M*G) ahd “Andy Hardy Comes Home” (M-G). Drab $5,500. Last week, “Some Came Running” (M-G) C4th wk), $9,000. Strand (National Realty) (2300; 9Q-$1.25)—“Inn of Sixth Happi¬ ness” (20th). Happiest gross in years at this house and looking to get great $16,000. Last week, “Bell, Book, Candle” (Col) (2d wk), $ 7 , 000 . “To Live’ Good $9,000, - Indpls.; ‘Bell* 6»/ 2 G, 3d Indianapolis, Feb. 3. Biz is moderate to good at first- run spots here this; stanza. “I Want to Live’* opened well enough at Loew’s to rate a second stanza whBe “Inn of Sixth Happiness** is holding up stoutly in second week at Circle. Reissue of “Robe” and “Gladiators” at Indiana is only fair. Estimates for This Week Circle (co*ckrill-Dolle) (2,800; 75-90)—“Inn of Sixth Happiness;’ (20th) (2d wk). Nifty $8,000. Last week, $10,500. Indiana (C-D) (3,200; 75-90)— ‘The Rohe” (20th) and “Gladia¬ tors’* (20th> (reissues). Fair $7,000. Last week, ‘Terfect Furlough” (U> and “Men, Women, Guns’* (U> (2d wk), $6,000. Keith’s (C-D) (1,300; 90-5135)— “Bell, Book, Candle” (Chi) (3d wk). Oke $6,500. Last week, $1,500. Loew’s (Loew) (2,427; 90-$I.25) —“I Want to Live” (UA). Good $9,000. Last week, “Some Came Running” (M-G) (4th wk), $8,000. Lyric (C-D) (850; $1.25-$2.20)— “South Pacific” (Magna) (41st wk). Big $9000. Last week, $10,500. PITTSBURGH (Continued from page 9) “No Name on Bullet” (U), $4,500. Guild (Green) (500; 99-$1.25)— “Up the Creek” (Rank). Sure- seater getting only a single week out of this English comedy. Will be lucky to do okay $2,000. Last week. “Circle” (indie) (3d wk), $1 7CQ Harris (Harris) (2,165; 80-61.25) —“Rally Round Flag, Boys” <20th> (2d wk). Holding up very well at good. $8,000 or aver, and more than enough to. hold; Last week, $12300. Nixon (Rubin) (1.500; $1.50-$3)— “South Pacific”* (Magna) (6th wk) (return). Big Saturdays enabling this one to stay on right side of ledger. Neat $6,000. Last week, $5,500. Penn (UA) (3 300; 90-$1.50)—“I Want to Live” (UA) (2d wk). Bet¬ ter than average. Winding up at solid $11,500. Last week, $15,000. Squirrel Hill (SW) (900; 99-$ 1.25) —“Horse’s Mouth” (Lopert).. Tre¬ mendous $8 000 first week looks sure, and likely will be around for some time. Last week, “Now and Forever” (Indie). $1,600. Stanley (SW) (3.800; 90-$1.5O)— “Auntie Mame” (5th wk). Hasn’t started to run out of steam and biggest boxoffice since “Sayonara” (WB) just a year ago. This week’s great $18,500 is only $400 under last week. Warner (SW-Cinerama) (1,500; $125-$2.40>—“South Seas Adven¬ ture” (Cinerama) (6tfa -wk>. Shar¬ ing in the general improvement downtown. . Jumping to fine $11,- 500. Last week, $10,000. SWITCHES TO COLUMBIA Harmon-Yordan Production Part¬ nership Now Ex-UA . Hollywood, Feb. .3. Sidney Harmon, and Philip Yor- dan, who in recent years have re¬ leased product turned out by their Security Pictures through United Artists, have inked, a. four-pix ex¬ clusive pact with Columbia Pic¬ tures. Program covers two years.. Zenith International Film Corp-, of New York, has increased its capital stock from 100 to 296 shares, no par value, accoiri to a certificate filed at AUmj jj H arry. Lesis. Wednesday? February 4, 1$59 Week Ended Tuesday (3) N. Y. Stock Exchange 1958* *59 Net High - Low * ‘Weekly VoL Weekly Weekly Toes. Chang* in 109s IBgh Low Close for-wk. 207a 14 ABC Vending 133 207/s 20 20 —1 22^ 13 Am Br-Par Ttr 158 22 20% 21 — 3/4 727/ 8 67% Amp ex ;.... 152 72% 69 72 + 1% 4 m 24% CBS. 196 39% 37%. 39% + % 207/8 12% Col Fix. 82 20% 19% 20% +1% 197/s 13% Dec©* .164 18% 18 18% -+ % .50% 14 Disney .185 50% 45% 49% +2% .154 97% Eastman Kdk 113 144% 138% 142 + 9¥* 7% EMI. 532 8 7% 7% 10^ 6% List Ind. .... 59 9% 9% 9% + Vb . 23?4 127% LsewV .482 21% 20% 2034 12^ 7% Nat. Thea. .. 163 11% 11 11% — % * 47%. 30% Paramount .. 72 47% 46% 46% + %** 26% 12% Pb&co 263 25% 23%. 24% — % 100% 43% Polaroid .... 222 100% * 96% 99% + ^ - 5014 3oy 4 RCA . 371 47% 46 46 —1% m 5 RepubEe_ 148 9% 8% 9% + % 14% 9% Rep., pfd. ... 15 14% 14 14% -f % 23% 14% Stanley War 299 23% 20% 21% 28}fc 20 Storer. 69 28% 27% . 28% % .. 42Vk 2 m 20th-Fox ... 308 41% 39% 39% + % 27^ 15% United Artists 124 25% 24% 25% + % 28% 18% Unr». Pix ... 5 27% 27% 27% — % 96 57 Unrv., pfd. .. t230 80 79 80 + % ' 28% 167/g Warner Bros. 137 28% 26% 28% +m 208 67% Zenith . 239 192% 181 182 +4 American Stock Exchange -4% 2% Allied Artists 35 .4% 4% 4% — % ■ 10% 7% AlTd Art., pfd. 10 9% 9% 9% — % 1% Cinerama Inc.2624 6% 5 5% + % 8V4 3 DnMsat Lab. 301 7 6% 6% — % - 4^* 1% Gnild FMms.. 983 •2% 2% 234 + 9% •5% NaiT telefilm 72 9% 9% 9% — % 7% 3% Skiatron .... 234 6% 6% 6% — % 8% 3% Technicolor . 188 7% 7% 7% + % 8%- 4% Tele Indus... 16 6% 6% .6% — % 1218 9 Teleprompter 23 9% 9% 9% — % - 9% 3% Trans-Lux .. 16 8% 8% 8% — % - Over-the-Comiter Securities _ ■ . Bid Ask Chesapeake Industries. , - 3%. 3% — % Cinerama Prod. -...... 234 3% Magna Theatre . 3% 3% ~ % Metropolitan Broadcasting. . 13% 14% — % Scranton Corp. .. 10% 11% — % O. A< Theatres .. 9% 9% + % * Week Ended Monday (2). t Actual Volume. (Courtesy of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Iiic. J +—---;- Film Reviews , Continued from page 6 Tofcye After Dark ! Dark” will he sold on its advertis-1 ing, not its production values. . Norman T. Herman and Marvin Segal, the producers, did the screenplay, and Herman, directed, as well. They have taken their story from the headlines of a year or so ago. Richard Long is the American Army officer who is re¬ sponsible for the death of a Japa¬ nese youth, when his pistol acci¬ dentally discharges. Japanese sen¬ timent designates him an overbear¬ ing and heartless murderer and there is agitation for his trial by ■Japanese courts. Actually; as the script makes clear. Long is not typical of the U.S. Occupation forces. He has made a sincere effort to understand Japan and its people, and is an ad¬ mirer of its customs. Hie is en¬ gaged to a lovely Japanese enter¬ tainer, Michi Kobi, so his accusa¬ tion as a murderer and the possi¬ bilities it raises, are interestingly complicated. But nothing much is done with any of these doorways that are intriguingly opened. They don’t lead anywhere. What is sub¬ stituted for action is a series of sequences in whieh the principals discuss what action might occur. The only motivation offered for Long’s temporary decision to de¬ sert the Army, and-escape Japa-; nese judicial jurisdiction, is his vague feeling that he will not get fair treatment. But it is not strong enough. The spectator knows this will not be earned through, hence suspense is lost and with it, inter¬ est The ending is too clearly seen. The film has a quiet authenticity, although it was shot here on stand¬ ing sets and in LA’s “Little Tok¬ yo.” . The Japanese feeling is- deli¬ cately done and in good taste. The approach, indeed, is so correct, that the picture’s failure is regrettable. But its virtues are passive and of no help to the film. Miss Kobi is- a lovely and capable actress; and Long is adequate; al¬ though barely sth Nobody else reg-. isters with any particular Impres¬ si on, t he characters are too stock.! William Margulles* photograph; .is-good, and the music’ by Alexan¬ der Courage-is particularly pleas*: iant, including the highlighting of ; ’genuine Koto-playing that has in¬ terest in itself. Fowe. PAR’S HANDLING SLANT' ONEARLY‘ORCHID’DATE Paramount is angling a buildup ‘ for “Black Orchid,” starring Sophia Lorien and Anthony Quinn, via ex-' tended runs m what the company considers “class” houses in ad¬ vance of the national release. Film is to be opened Feb.. 14 at the Plaza Theatre, New York, and in Wash¬ ington, Boston, Chicago, Miami and Philadelphia also this month. Par figures the engagements will build word-to-mouth that will hol¬ ster the national sale. Further, in additiomto the money that can be made in the “class” outlets, therms the item of expense. An opening at the Plaza, for example, means an outlay of $18,000 or $19,000 for ad¬ vertising. Standard operating procedure calls for an expenditure of more than twice that amount when a production is launched ih one of the larger first-runs. Par reps emphasize that the spoiff chosen, for “Orchid” are strictly “class” operations. That is, they play top product, as distinguished from the imports and offbeat fare which are programmed at art houses. PASS THIS INFLUENCED t£ ' . ' ■■ • Alt Texas State * & Federal Legislators Deadheaded ^ * ^ Dallas, Jan. 27; For the fourth consecutive year Texas COMPO has issued a giatft size pass to every state legislator and to all members of the state’s Congressional delegation. If is 18 inches long* and lists 800 theatres in 185 communities, 80,% of the total number of theatres in the state. It is folded seven times into a standard size card to. fit into the lawmaker’s pocket or billfoRL Included on the pass are all op¬ erations of the Interstate Theatres Circuit, RoWiey United, Jefferson Amusem*nt, Frontier, Ezell, Trans^ Texas, Phil Isley, Wallace, Adehhan, Mart Cole, frels, Wel- sOhberg, Scott, H & H, . Cinema ;Ajrts r Border, Bearden : G.K.* Glassco*ck, Talley, Statewide Drive- In, and * Consolidated C&eaf&i and a majority of the indie theatres in the state. PICTURES II Wednesday, February 4, 1959 f^atlETY New York Sound Track M I Heirs of the Louis B. Moyer estate are negotiating for the rights to the UFA musical, “House of the Three Girls/’ which deals with the life of Franz Schubert. . ^Though DEFA, the East German monopoly, lists a flock of shorts sold to the U.S., neither N.Y. nor Washington has heard of any such sale . . . Titles of two films, now shooting, that wouldn’t look good on a double bill: “Say One for Me” and “But Not For Me.” Stills from both pix were run, side by side, in the N.Y. Times Sunday (1) .. . Full house last- Satnrday (31) when Walt Disney outfit previewed “Sleeping Beauty” for youngsters at the Criterion Theatre. The lengthy “Grand Canyon Suit,” though beautifully photographed, makes for a restless prelude with the below-teen set. The British “Room at the Top,” to be released by Continental Dis¬ tributing, ran into N.Y. censor problems over dialog. It’s been straight¬ ened out.. . . 20th-Fox prexy Spyros P. Skouras “inspected” the Skia- tron Subscriber-Vision test installation on. Long Island last week. It’s a closed-circuit setup, with the telephone company joining in. Julius Colby, Variety advertising director, departs Saturday (7) for 21-day Caribbean cruise on Homeric . , . Broadwayites noted with amusem*nt that Sheilah Graham’s book, “Beloved Infidel” drew a fine New Yorker review from Edmund Wilson, who has edited Scott Fitz¬ gerald writings, and a stop-ril-get-sick notice in Esquire from Doro¬ thy Parker, an old literary chum of the much-dug-up late novelist. Arrowhead Productions, headed by producer-director Richard Bare, bought “Blaze of Glory/’ original screenplay by Dean Reisner, for its new indie slate, first project, to be “The Wives of Adam Wade,” based on Utah’s civil war over polygamy . . . "Voodoo Woman” slated as first of 19 pix projected as co-productions by Steve Barclay’s International and Brynter-Brazil Intemacional Films of Brazil, to roll late this month near Sao Paulo under direction of Douglas Fowley . . . Roy Renard, N.Y. entertainer, screen hows in 20th-Fox “The Man Who Understood Women” . . . Daniel Petrie, Gotham live tv director, snagged direction on Warner Bros.* “The Bramble Bush” for his first feature assignment ... Cliff Robertson and Gia Scala topbill Charles Schneer's Momingside production, “Battle of the Coral Sea,” for Col¬ umbia Pictures release. Herbert Mftganr, N.Y. Times staffer, is back from the Coast where he huddled with Nat Brown, MCA story editor, on the dramatic and film Tights of his upcoming novel, “The Return.” It’ll be published by Simon & Schuster March 17, and three studios are bidding for it. Co¬ production deal for the property is being discussed, by U.S. and Italian interests. While on the Coast, Mitgang did several pieces on film per¬ sonalities for the Times, including Mort Sabi and Jacques Bergerac. “The Return” is a story about the return of a former G.I. to present- day Sicily . . . TV writer, James Costigan, boWed out of Mel Ferrer’s “Green Mansions” project. - Donald A. Henderson, 20th-Fox secretary and treasurer, will enlist the aid of the film biz in raising $100,000 for the NY.. Public Library .. . Max E. Youngs tern, United Artists v.p., elected to the board of the American branch of International Social Service ... Whether or not 2Uth’s De Luxe Labs will take over operation of the Metro labs cm the Coast wm be decided within two weeks. At the moment it looks like a deal . . . The 1930 French Pathe film, “Cloistered,” about the life of cloistered nuns, has been acquired by Trinity Productions. Boot¬ leg prints of the oldie have been kicking around. First engagements of “A Question of Adultery” and “I Was Monty’s Double,” being released by NTA Pictures, start this month . . . The ad for “Gigi” in the New York newspapers last Friday and Saturday contained no title—just the symbol of a winking girL Metro prepared the ad for the Sutton Theatre . . . Eugene Picker, exec v.p. of Loew’s Theatres, made following managerial changes in the N.Y. metropolitan area: J. Clyde Fuller, manager of Loew’s State on Broadway (now closed for alterations) to Loew’s Tribbro in Astoria; Louis Falk, man¬ ager of Triboro, to Loew’s Premier; William Klenert, manager of Pre mier , to Loew’s 175th St.; Allan Isaacs, manager of 175th St., to Loew’s Olympia; Harold McMahon, manager of Olympia, assigned as relief manager. Michael Todd Jr. goes to Barcelona in eariy February preparatory to shooting his Smellovision picture, “Scent of Mystery.” Cameras should roll on the Barcelona fiesta in March ... Ernst Schaefer, an ex¬ captain in the German SS (Storm Troopers), had a prominent part in the production of “The Lords of the Forest,” a. documentary about the Belgian Congo made under the patronage of ex-King Leopold HI of the Belgians, reports the French tradepaper, France-International. 20th-Fox reportedly has taken the film worldwide. Paddy Chayefsky is collab of Harold Allen on title song for “Mid¬ dle of the Night,” which Delbert Mann is directing for producer George Justin’s Columbia Pictures slate in the Bronx . . Sumner Locke El- Bait left Gotham to start scripting chores on “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” Martin Jurow-Richard Shepherd production for Paramount on Coast . Rbn Bandell will do his stage role In Seven Arts’ picturization of “The World of Suzie Wong,” which Paramount launches next year . . . . Thomas More Assn, of Chicago and Rosary' College of River Forest, HI, are co-sponsoring “A Report On American Culture” June 13-14 at the college. Among the speakers will be Richard Breen, motion pic¬ ture writer; John P. Shanley, radio-tv staffer of N.Y. Times; Paul Hume, music editor of Washington Post; Leo Brady, playwright and member of the drama department of Catholic U. of America; Charles Bracelen Flood, novelist; Jean Chariot, artist; and Rev. Gustave Wei¬ gel, S.J., professor of Ecdesiology at .Woodstock College. From Paris: Irwin Shapiro has snared Yank rights for the second pic Of Cl&ude Chabrol, “The Cousins.” Richard Davis has the first effort of this young director, “Le Beau Serge” * . . Brigitte Bardot’s latest pic tTheWoman and the Puppet,” which UA has for the U.S., will get preemed at the Lido nitery this week, followed by the floor show . .. “Gigi” (MG) finally preemed after being held up by phenom longruU of French hit “The Cheats” ... David Niven In for press contacts be¬ fore the opening of “Separate Tables” (UA) here .... . Olivia De Hav- iiland to London to co-star with Dirk Bogarde in an Anglo pic “Libel.” . .Variety, in a story from Albany on a recent PTA forum concern¬ ing “Motion Picture Censorship/.’ identified the moderator, David H* Beetle, as one-time screen and drama critic for that .Gannett paper. Beetle is editor. . . & ■ ■ . . Marek Hlaskd, the Polish.novelist who scripted the Polish film, ’“Hie Eighth Day of the Week/- and then defected to tins West, is back in Roland. He.explained he returned because life in the West was “mean- fa*gless/^ The picture has been acquired by Continental Distributing for the thS, Jt had originally been pianiffid to bring/Hlasko to the States for personal appearances along with German star, Sonya Zie- mana. .The Polish goveminent has been trying to stop release of the picture; which was a coproduction with West Germany’s CCC-Film in Berlin. . ARIflOMW By JACK PITMAN Chicago, Feb. 3. Future growth of theatre screen advertising in this country looks to hinge primarily on two things: (a) cracking the resistance of blgtown firstrun houses, and Cb) new ap¬ proaches by advertisers. Exhibitor economics may help Overcome the first hurdle, but the second looms a tougher one, being rooted in rigid concepts of selling. Screen advertising has been years in developing, first in small¬ town and rural America and initi¬ ally only with local merchant spon¬ sorship via signatured stock films. Theatre ad revenues, while never fat in relation to admission re-, ceipts, have been a painless profit factor pegged to average weekly at¬ tendance figures. For the most part, though, big urban deluxers have been-standof- fish. They’ve declined, the busi¬ ness on the grounds it’s beneath them, mixed with a feeling that at Main Stem prices their audiences shouldn’t be “imposed” upon. The one-year-old Theatre-Screen Adver¬ tising Bureau, however, argues that television is helping to break down advertising resistance, on the theory that tv has reconciled the public to messages with their en¬ tertainment. Obviously, • though, this overlooks' the condition of free-versus-pay divertissem*nt. Europe’s Know-How Bub what of the second problem facing U. S. producers of screen commercials? Independent ad film consultant Harry Wayne McMahan,' a former Leo Burnett ad agency | veep, sizes it as a lack of sophisti¬ cation in theatre blurbs; and, if it’s to change, advertiser thinking must change. To this end, McMahan is junketing the country trying to prod admen to, in turn, prod; cli¬ ents, his chief weapon being sam¬ ples of foreign cinema commer¬ cials. All of them were in last Sep¬ tember’s Venice Advertising Filin Festival, at which McMahan was U. S. judge. Many copped prizes. And most are startling demon¬ strations of the creative lengths to which the Continental ad-film al¬ liance has gone. Foreign product almost Invaria¬ bly is more sophisticated, often veering to extreme artiness. Imagi¬ nation that appears unbridled makes extensive use of abstract art, ingenious pu'ppeteering, ballet groups, full-blown musical scores, and clever stop-motion techniques. In many strips there’s an absence of dialog and narration. In other cases, the scripting is rife with wit and double entendre which, coupled with subleties of cartoon anima¬ tion, bespeak a European tradition of talking to, and not down. Old World imagination extends also to use of color, which often becomes a show in itself. French Like ’Em Popularity of theatre screen ad¬ vertising among French, sponsors alone is attested statistically, show¬ ing that one of every six dollars spent there for all forms of adver¬ tising is invested in celluloid- most of it for cinemas, though a considerable chunk bankrolls speci¬ fically video spots. In contrast, the American ex¬ penditure for theatrical ad films is anemic related to the total U. S. outlay for product-pushing, which last year again topped the $10,- 000,000,000 level. Of that, a token $20,000,000 went for tneatre commercials—including all produc¬ tion costs. It’s not that major U. S. pro¬ ducers have' been stone-walled in trying to sign up the. corporate giants. At present, more than 175 of our largest firms utilize theatre screen sell, blit as the above figures demonstrate, general business in¬ terest remains nominal. Partisans say advertisers get more mileage from their theatre films than they expect from purely video spots, on the basis of exposures per showing. With some notable Madison Ave. (Continued on page 25) Sues to Block Jack L Warner Option WB Shareholder Asks Del. Court Act on Plea Board is Rubber Stamp Lowdown on Actors Victor Chapin, screen, stage and video actor, has written his third novel, ‘The Company of Players” (Houston Mif- ■ flin; $3.95) which is about a legit company that goes west with a tired play and a tired, but wise, female star. The book breezes along with a lot of human interest and a good deal of knowledge about what makes actors act. Cha¬ pin's gallery of thespians in¬ cludes a couple 1 of oddballs and some run-of-mine egomaniacs Told through the eyes of the somewhat naive juvenile and three different actresses he loves, or imagines he does, the characterization and incident are steadily diverting. Story climaxes when the company arrives to play a week in Los Angeles and the Hollywood mob turns out, one set of snob values (screen) colliding with another (legit) and the unwanted juvenile be¬ ing promptly dumped by the ingenue who gets signed up for pictures. Show folk will enjoy read¬ ing this novel. Chapin writes well. Also, “Company of P'ay- ers” would itself make a film, though based on a “road” now more myth than fact. Land. ‘Auntie Maine’ Run Is Historic For Lancaster, Pa. Lancaster, Pa., Feb. 3. Free-wheeling “Auntie Marne” (WB) has been the answer to at least one exhibitor’s prayers here. Now in its fifth week at the Boyd, one of the city’s five major fiimhonses, feature has broken all length-of-run records for Lan¬ caster, and seems cinch for sixth time around. Only four other films—each with a four-week run—have come even close to “Marne” herej Boyd, too, had the most recent challenger in 20th’s “Peyton Place” last year. Capitol (Stanley Warner) screened two of the others, 20th’s “Man Called Peter and Allied Artists’ “Friendly Persuasion,” while King (Ind.) did a full month on 20th’s “The Robe.” All these, some time ago. King currently has “Inn of Sixth Happiness’ in second week, and house manager Mort Brodsky de¬ scribes himself as pleasantly dazed hy unprecedented increased gross for holdover week. “Inn” probably will go three. - “Marne” Is bucking “I Want To LiVe” at Capitol (next door), after waving goodbye to “The Buccan- neers.” City’s artie, the Fulton, also has top drawer competition with Alec Guinness’ “The Horse’s Mouth.” ASK STATE LEGISLATURE TO CONDEMN USSR DEAL , Concord, N. H., Feb. 3. Following similar actions T>y American Legion posts, a resolu¬ tion asking for. condemnation of the proposed showing of Soviet films in commercial theatres in the United States has been intro¬ duced in the New Hampshire Leg¬ islature here. The measure was referred to the executive department and ad¬ ministration committee. Berale Berlin and John L. John of Metro’s homeoffice publicity. staff-off to Cleveland for a series of meetings with reps of Loew’s Theatres on the key openings of “The Journey” in Ohio. ; Wilmington, Feb. 3. On the argument that $3,000 a week salary Is sufficient incentive for an executive, a stockholder of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc., has asked the Delaw are Court of Chan¬ cery to block any moves by Jack L. Warner, company president, to ex¬ ercise any stock options which may be granted to him. Warner and four other top ex¬ ecutives of the company have been granted options to buy the com¬ pany stock In the next five years, subject to stockholder approval at a meeting in the Corporation Trust offices here Feb. 4. The plaintiff, Mrs. Sara Keyser of New York, claims that Warner and his wife own more than 18% of Warner stock, enough to allow him to “control and dominate” the firm's board, and its “proxy ma¬ chinery.” Thus, she argues, the stock options will be approved un¬ less the court steps in. She says in her complaint that Warner received an option to buy 60,000 shares of the company’s stock at $29.29 a share in 1956. at the same time that he signed a contract. . Soon after that, she said, the price of the Warner company stock declined, so that he has not exer¬ cised the options. Last June, a new contract was signed, continuing his salary until 1963 and lowering his option price to $22 a share. It is this step that she wants blocked by the court. The reduction in the option price, Mrs. Keyser claims, was a $440,000 benefit to Warner should he exercise the options, which, added to his $156,000 annual salary ’‘was out of all proportion to the value of his services to the com¬ pany.” Since 1953, the court Is told, Warner’s salary was tripled, which she says Is “ample incentive” and that the stock options, given as in¬ centives, are unnecessary. Also named as defendants, along with Warner and the company it¬ self are Benjamin Kalmenson, ex¬ ecutive vice president; Herman Starr, Wolfe Cohen and Steve Trilling, vice presidents. Another defendant is Samuel Schneider, who on h ? s retirement as a vice president and director in 1957 was authorized a pavment of $1,000 a week lasting until 1963. Mrs. Keyser also asks the court to stop these payments. Vice Chancellor William Marvel has ordered the defendants to ap¬ pear here to answer the charges on March'16. He named-Sidney Bal- ick, Wilmington attorney, as se¬ questrator, to se ! ze the defendants’ shares to prevent any stock trans¬ actions by them until the case is settled. William E. Taylor Jr., Wilming¬ ton attorney, is the plaintiff’s counsel. JUST TO BE DUFF: TOO MANY GOOD FILMS’ Minneapolis, Feb. 3. Believe it or not, they’re turning out so many hot boxoffice pictures that the market is jammed with them. This is the strange plaint of local exhibitors who point out the loop here can’t absorb them all. As a result of this novel situa¬ tion, important pictures are being forced to go into uptown houses for their first runs if they want early playdating. Currently, “The Horse’s Mouth” is having its Initial Twin Cities en¬ gagement at the neighborhood St Louis Park, a theatre in the earliest clearance slot, 28 days. Socko open¬ ing last week indicated the product would undoubtedly holdover. At the same time, “My Uncle” is making its Mpls.-St. Paid debut at the uptown Suburban World, a mile distant from the St. Louis Park. Jack Warden is being paged by Bryna Productions for “Spartacus,” now before the cameras at U. 12 DimsTAntoAi fcfissl£Tf V. German Disink Prodacers Ad To Curb Actors From TV Stints By HANS HOEHN - Berlin, Jan. 27. j Following up its campaign to fight the threatening advance of television, the West German film industry has taken another step in this drive. The associations of distributors, producers and man* agers have worked out a plan by which film actors who earn 35,000 Deutsche Marks (about $8,500) or more per picture will be contractu¬ ally obliged to avoid any tele ac¬ tivity within a certain period. Lat¬ ter goes for the time of their pic shooting up to six months after the preem of this very film. . Domestic filmites see in this step a constructive measure to protect themselves from the inroads of tv. They think that popular actors (it primarily concerns them, of course) now will be forced to make a de¬ cision about which medium -they are going to serve in the future. And that the better paying film Industry will be the winner. Reaction among German film actors, was not happy. The critics, and there are. quite of few of them, who opine that the film industrial¬ ists will cut their own throats by this measure. Some of the country's top stars believe that “every real actor makes his decision only after the offered role.” Others say they only care about the artistic task and not about any regulations which would handicap their artistic freedom. Still others felt that tele appear¬ ances can help the films. Talent Sey Piece Hans - Joachim Kuhlenkampff, German tv quizmaster, said he can¬ not believe that a producer would drop a star if latter accepted a tv offer before the time in ques¬ tion. Actor Hans Nielsen pointed out that he doesn't believe that the decline of cinema attendance re¬ sults only from the advance of television. In his opinion the rea¬ son lies more with the fact that there are top few good films being made. Meanwhile, all members of the German distributors and produc¬ ers’ association already have been supplied with lists containing the names of those actors and actresses who have appeared on the German tele. List includes such names as Caterina Valente, Marika Roekk, Marianne Koch (Cook), Liselotte Pulver, Bibi Johns, Willy Fritsch and Peter Mosbacher. : Cinema attendance decreased ■ *1.5% during the first six months of 1958 as against the same period in 1957 in West Germany. Arg. Operators’ Strike Finis After Men Stay Off Job for 10 Days Buenos Aires, Jan. 27. The operators' strike folded here after a tense all-night union ses¬ sion, at which the union's legal counsel advised, lifting it without making any conditions, because the strike had been a complete failure.. By a 210 to 129 vote the operators decided to resume work, having obtained no advantage from the 10-day walkwit. Because the Labor Ministry de¬ clared the strike illegal, the men get no pay for the hiatus^ and some received .dismissal notices for hot- -resuming/ work immediately. The main result will probably be formation of a new union, under different leadership. The'operators turned to Screen Institute - President, Narciso Ma- chinandiarena, for help, who was prepared to mediate and asked the three main exhibitor associations to ‘ indicate terms. The exhibitors Stood firm in refusing any parley until the strike, was lifted. They insisted that the only acceptable mediation was that of the Labor Ministry. The operators then tried to sue for mediation by President Frondizi, and got nowhere. In the meantime, most cinemas kept operating, using apprentice operators and others brought in from Hie Provinces or administra¬ tive staff who knew how to handle the projection booth. Operators protested against this, warning audiences of danger from inexpert handling of film. The exhibitors Swedes’ R V RKing - Stockholm, -Jam- 27. Rock’n'roll king , tittle Ger- . hard retained b$i crown by* gaiping over 13,000 mail votes on a Swedish radio program emceed by ice * hockey star » “Tumba” Johansson. His clos¬ est competitor picked-up less than 8,000 ballots. Singer Little Gerhard was first crowned king about six months In a Nordic rock’n’roll contest in Norway. Little Gerhard’s most pop¬ ular recording of 1958—-‘‘Buona sera" (Karusell) — sold over 100;000 copies. As the coun¬ try’s top rook’n’roll singer his estimated income for the past year is $22,000. While rock’n’ roll is loosing its popularity, a Stockholm promoter claims that, a rock’n’ roll evening without Little Gerhard has n<^ - chance of a box-office success. Italo Fib Biz For ’59 Solons Rome, Jan. 27. A full legislative slate lies ahead for the Italian film industry and entertainment world in 1959, now that the MPEA-ANICA pact has. resulted in an agreement satisfy¬ ing both sides. Industry is still pushing its par¬ liamentary effort for a vital admis¬ sion tax reduction, which last year was stymied by a switch in govern¬ ments. Also due soon is-the long- announced switch of the entertain¬ ment offices in the government to the Ministry of Education, a move which has wprried many observers. Several important agreements, major one being the Italian- Film Aid Law, are (Ilie to expire June 30. Among the others are the dis- countered pointing out that films krib-exhib (AGIS-ANICA) agree- have not been made of inflam¬ mable material for many years. It is true 'that in some houses pro¬ jection was far from perfect, but on the whole this unnecessary strike was successfully combatted. ment and the Aid Law for the Italian Theatre, while the Italian censorship law, recently extended, is again due to expire June 30 un¬ less the long-mulled new law is passed by that time. Desperate Fleas to Save Legit Argentina’s Metropolis Shrinks From 50 to 20 Play¬ houses and Five More Doomed—Blame Union LOUIS ARMSTRONG WOWSi ’EM AT ARCTIC CIRCLE By NID EMBER Buenos Aires, Jan. 27. Argentina’s legitimate theatre has less State interference to con¬ tend with than the screen, hut is subjected to labor strangleholds i which legislators encourage. On the Stockholm* Jan. 27. | other »hand, the legiters are trying When Louis Armstrong arrived; to enlist State help because they in the northern ,eity of Sundsvall (Jan. 19), -population 28,000, the local newspaper called him the most famous person ever to. visit the city. With the temperature six below zero, Satchmo gave two con¬ certs for a 4,000 audience. The es¬ timated gross was $10,000. The following day, Satchmo and his troupe continued on to the most northern stop in their Scandinavian tour. In Umea the thermometer registered ’ minus 25,- and some 6.000 packed the Sporting Hall for his two .shows. Groups had traveled up to 250 miles to see and hear Satchmo in this city of 20,000 which lies about 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle. In the meanwhile, the Danish film company, ASA, is after Arm¬ strong t<y appear in a musical, star¬ ring calypso couple Nina and .Frederik, for a reported $20,000— the highest payrqeqt ever offered' anyone for an appearance in a Danish film. He. would only , have to put in a couple of days work and sing one song:“ _ - Elvira T. Marquis must postpone’ her round-world lecture * trip.- for the U.S. State Dept Returns- from: Switzerland to fulfill -American: speaking dates. Opens Feb. 9 in Richmond, ends .March 20 .in Detroit. She’ll then: pick up for Uncle Sam. will soon be left without any thea¬ tres. Labor featherbedding has so discouraged impresarios, they are. accepting tempting realty offers on their properties and selling out Whereas .the city had 50 theatres to 3,000,000 population in 1935, to¬ day there are 20 for a 4,000,000 population, and these doomed to dwindle to 15 next year. i Actors, playwrights and pro¬ ducers have interviewed the Pres¬ ident, Vice President, Congress the Mayor and Mortgage Bank] President, asking that Legit he de- i dared of “national interest” and demolition of theatres forbidden until Congress approves legisla¬ tion to encourage new building. They also urge that their un¬ finished San Martin -Municipal theatres get into immediate opera¬ tion* Estimated cost is 50 tdlion pesos. (There’s a plan to sell this monumental . evidence of Peron graft for a Unesco South. American headquarters). Under the Aram- hum regime the scheme was to hand it over to the Arts Fund for an. all-Entertainment field head-j quarters:. Screen institute. Authors’ Actors, Composers’ and,Union so- eities. This was. a *plausible plan seeing that those entities are all seeking premises at government expense. , Councilwoman Josefina Marpons wants a tax on film theatres (see separate story) to help build legit playhouses. Other plans are to as¬ sign more city lots to thespefs for tent theatres like the one which has been successfully operated this year by actor Francisco Pe- trone: Frandsco Gallons deal to! sell his Astral theatre for 29 mil-1 lion pesos collapsed because of I his proviso that the new building j include a theatre, which the busi-! nessmen purchasers wouldn’t ac¬ cept. This impresario lost a million pesos early this year on a foreign musical, despite good grosses. Union featherbedding precluded profits. Impresario Torres Cirera is converting his -900-seat Empire theatre to films,, because union demands make its operation as a theatre productive, only of losses. Most producers are contemplat¬ ing working next year on co¬ operative bases with their com¬ panies, as the only means of dodg¬ ing the featherbedding. Colon Opera Theatre has a big share of official meddling. Muni¬ cipal Conncillors now want to send out the Colon Orchestra, Corps de Ballet and Chorus on foreign tours to earn their keep; if possible they would like management jobs to ac¬ company them. A Council-appoint¬ ed Committee is planning reorgan¬ ization of the theatre, which is notoriously mismanaged. Always negligent of the press, there was an outcry this * year when the Colon Press Office was dis¬ lodged from the ground floor, to make room for a coffee bar. The great question is whether reorganization -will eliminate the heavy charge on the , ; boxoffice caused by free passes for legis¬ lators and’ councillors, and the Congress-encouraged : union de¬ mands from musicians. Of 20*000 Musician’s Union mem¬ bers, only 600 attended the last General Meeting, ahd the' -left-: wingers won domination by* only 17 votes. ; 'VJrtrETT'S’ tONpOf) OfcFLCJE. t St, ftertln'i THet, Trafalgar Square ■ 1 • ■■■ 1 - -- ■ I. 1 ..,"!., 1 *- ■ 1,1 V. • - J 1 >Aussie Legit Still Vibrant •- By GORDON E. COOPER ■ -- (General Mgr., Melbourne, Jan. 27. The 1958 year has been rugged for the entertainment industry in Australia. The main centres—Mel¬ bourne and Sydney—with now ap¬ proximately 500,000 tv sets, have met the solid impact of television. This, together with a severe drop in the world price for wool, Aus¬ tralia’s major national income, has contributed to a most elusive box- office. During the year, the live theatre highlights were for Tivoli Circuit, the revues, “Pardon My French”, and Winifred Atwell in “Rocking The Town.” J. C. Williamson Thea¬ tres Ltd. offered Luisillo & His Spanish Dancers and “The Royal Ballet.” Garnet Carroll Theatres toured “Salad Days”; A. B. C. Con¬ cert Attractions routed the Russian violinist, David Oistrakh, and the Elizabethan Theatre Trust (govern¬ ment financially-assisted) present¬ ed new Australian drama and mu¬ sical productions, in addition to opera and other, attractions but without boxoffice highlights, with the exception of “Summer of the 17th Dqll (excluding its U. S. dis¬ appointment). The lush business enjoyed in past years by big names in Sta¬ dium situations disappeared, and 1958 found empty* benches. On March 3, 1958 the Tivoli Cir¬ cuit received the shattering news of the sudden passing in San Fran¬ cisco of its managing director, David N. Martin, who in his life¬ time had built a monumental rec¬ ord—financial and show-wise. Tiv¬ oli implemented a board of man¬ agement setup, with the writer as general manager, the company pursuing a vigorous variety revue policy. To date, the productions created by the new regime and the results have been “Funfiesta,” fair; “Femmes and Furs,” good; “Rock¬ ing The Town,” big, and “Pleas¬ ures Of Paris” looks like register¬ ing in the big class. Legit' managements busy prepar¬ ing 1959 attractions include:— Williamson’s “My Fair Lady” for January, and advance interest is terrific; also, “Grab Me A Gon¬ dola.” Garnet Carroll has “Auntie Marne” and “Music Man”;- Tivoli , Circuit has “Tropical Holiday,” ‘ Roaring Twenties” and “Lido Fol¬ lies” and A. B. C. Concert Attrac¬ tions will tour the Czechoslovakian Philharmonic Orchestra. Despite tv and general econom¬ ics, there is still plenty of business for solid and/or star value enter¬ tainment. For the picture industry the need is for more top-grade - films. There is little or no business for ordinary films. Legitimate managements will need proper budgeted, well staged mid varied attractions, but right here is where actors and agents can help in the budgeting by taking a realistic [view of this territory and putting something back into the business. [Artists ’Should make an effort, to play this part of the world at com- monsense terms and conditions. Here is a theatrical industry that needs actor-assistance to get out the “stay-at-home” customers and help maintain a virile theatre now and for the future. Australian managements, in ad¬ dition to bearing the ordinary op¬ erative costs as applicable to New York, London and Paris, have to bear the tremendous burden of overseas fares, and this can for some shows he up to $60,000. Is it any wonder that we say “help!” Also to our disadvantage is that theatre is in no way associated with the profitable side-businesses of liquor, gambling or Sunday shows. In fact, we present just good, honest theatre—mostly once nightly for six nights with two matinees. Most admissions are scaled to about $2 top with the odd attractions going slightly higher. With theatre seating generally around the 1,500' mark, it doesn’t take a. master financier to see why Australian managements must have artist/agent cooperation. • There is big money available for- a name attraction but this type of artist must participate in the risk by proving their value at the box- office. The British colored rhythm pianist Winifred Atwell, on- a per¬ centage deal. Is proving her worth: with Tivoli Circuit, and will 'earn $5,000 weekly for 20 weeks straight <* By U. S. standards, Australia’s Tivoli Circuit)- living costs, prices, taxes etc. are cheap, so there is still plenty'of gravy for the artist. An artist playing Australia* won’t regret it. Enthusiastic audiences await their performances, and if I may say so, they will be visiting probably the nicest and most pro¬ gressive country in the world* ‘Pacific’ Shapes Likely To Top Old Record Of ‘Wind’ in Gt Britain London, Jan. 27. “South Pacific” (Magna) is shap¬ ing up to become Britain’s alltime top grosser, and is likely to heat the long-standing record held by “Gone With the Wind” (M-G). It is the first picture to he presented in Britain via-the Todd-AO proc¬ ess, first opened in London at the Dominion Theatre last April 21. It began a Manchester engagement a week later. Apart from, a string of openings during Christmas week, it had played in only eight British theatres during the last year. But from those limited en¬ gagements alone, the pic has re¬ turned $761,600 in film rentals. About 45% of the total has come from the London presentation alone. ' In addition to London and Man¬ chester, the filmusical played 23 weeks in Brighton, ran for nine weeks at 20th’s own Drake Thea¬ tre in Plymouth. Film is due back there next July, and it opened in Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham and Leeds on Sept. 22. Pic is still playing at these last four situations. During the Christmas week, it began eight further playdates in Bristol, Cardiff, Dublin, Belfast, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Nottingham. Film is skedded to play four ABC theatres starting with Southampton this month and following on in Leicester? Oxford and Hull. Other commitments have been made in Aberdeen, Bourne¬ mouth, Coventry, Middlesborough and Stoke-on-Trent. From all these 26 engagements, “Pacific” is estimated to have racked up a minimum of $2,225,000 in film rental. That figure will be in excess of the countrywide earn¬ ings of “Bridge on River Kwai” (Col) and other top pix. “Wind” earned around $3,500,- 000 in film hire from its original presentation. A subsequent reissue is estimated to have added a fur¬ ther $300,000 to that total. Israel’s First Opera Tel Aviv, Jan. 27. Israel Philharmonic Orchestra will present its first full-fledged opera performance Feb. 7 in Tel Aviv, with Carlo Maria Giulini conducting Verdi’s “Falstaff:” Fer¬ nando Corena will sing Falstaff and other artists from Milan’s La Scala and New York Met will complete the cast; production will be di¬ rected by Franco Zefferelli. An orchestra pit has been in¬ stalled at the Fredric R. Mann Auditorium and though there will be no curtain, there will be inter¬ changeable stage sets. Chorus will be Israeli “Rinat” choir, directed by Garry Bertini. This is Orchestra’s first venture into opera. In previous years, some operas were given in concert-form under the direction of Giulini and of Dimitri Mitropoulos. First per¬ formance of ‘Talstaff” will be in aid of the Philharmonic’s Pension Fund, with prices ranging from $2.75 to $11.00; presentation will he under the joint auspices of the Italian Ambassador and the Israeli Tenth Anniversary World Commit¬ tee. Irish Pix Studio to Be Busy in '59 Dublin, Jan. 27. Ardmore Studios, Ireland’s first film studio setup, opened earlier this year, will be busy through 1959, according to Louis Elliman, joint managing-director. . Warwick' Films is due to start Work on a pic soon, subsequent irfajor bookings include Raymond Stross-with “A Terrible Beauty,” a Howard Keel starrer, “Battlfe of Bdllymagee,” and Carl Foreman’s production of Liam O’Flaherty’s “Insurrection.” Other bookings in¬ clude a tv series. 13 'VARIITY'S' LONDON OFFICI Mac*, TyfplMf Squara Js£ri&Ty INTBKKATIOICAL Buenos Aires, Jan. 27. The New Year opened with- a bang in Argentine show biz, busi¬ ness- and finance. The government cancelled all subsidies, and. official rates at exchange, placing the economy on a free dollar basis, in a dramatic moVe to return the country to a free enterprise sys¬ tem, after 15 years of state inter¬ ventionism. However, in faking these meas¬ ures, and seeking to force "auster¬ ity” on the Argentines; surcharges have Been set up within the frame¬ work of alleged “f£ee” exchange. These vary from zero (on some rhw materials) to as high as 300% on - Other materials and goods,' depend¬ ing on their degree-of “essential¬ ity.” On certain articles there is* also a guarantee deposit, which may go from 20% to 300%, and which is returned only 120 days after import. Foreign films, for instance, are reported to be on the 300%- sur¬ charge list.' American distributors*, who discussed, this extra-officially with high government officials, intimated they may as welt pack up-and go. home if such a surcharge ! is intended because all distribution ‘offices would shutter. Reported in foreign distribution c ; r<»Tes that American companies will get a • lower surcharge than European companies. As the taking of the economic measure segued into Pres. Frondizi’s obtaining over $300,- 000*000 worth of loans from official and private U.S. banks; there is every disposition to please Ameri¬ can business. This desire to please is even evident in such small things as getting telephones repaired in American offices or homes. Where it was impossible to'get action a year ago, the repairmen now ap¬ pear in relays “to make sure every¬ thing is right.” The Argentine Central Bank un¬ blocked all foreign , holdings o/ shares 'or funds. U:S. distributors- can now transfer local' earnings without hindrance, save the deter¬ rent of a rate of about 70 pesos to the dollar. Exhibitors face pay¬ ment of highest surcharges for im¬ ports of carbons, projectors and such, but at least they may import what they wish, provided they can pay. The entertainment field is af¬ fected as much as any of the others by the free enterprise revival. Neither film producers nor legiters can hope for subsidies undet “austerity” though the producers can still rely on Screen Institute funds derived from the 10% tax on all film-theatre stubs, Legiters can only rely on the as yet uncol¬ lected proceeds of the “Arts Fund Public Domain Tax,” which creates a tax on all performances of works in the public domain. Film receipts are affected by the “austerity" be¬ cause the astronomical increase in the cost of living leaves “Jiian Pueblo” (John Citizen) with nothing for entertainment spend¬ ing. Now It’* ‘Nudiseope* London, Jan. 27. . Britain’s first nudist film, produced; by Orb Productions and starring Anita Love, Carl Conway, Katy Cashfield and Dennis Carhell, is due to have simultaneQUs preems in Lon¬ don and N. Y. shortly. . The production, filmed at Bushey Studios and bn loca-„ tion at Woburn Abbey, is.in Eastman Color and “Nudi- scope” Ban ‘H.S. Coafidential’ Ontright in N. Zealand Auckland, N.Z., Jan. 27. Paramount’s “High School Con- .. fidential” is having censor trouble L here. Banned outright by Assistant Censor. D. Macintosh, Par tried again with the three-man appeal board*. In recent years, this board or: has reversed its decisions, admit- ting such controversial pix as “Gar- bo den of Eden” with a clean bill of health. «: The Appeal Board sat in Wel- a > lington, saw a special screening of £r. ■ “Confidential” and flatly ruled “no r l- ■ license.” “Confidential’-* is first of e"; drug-addict cycle to be rejected, iitf. possibly .because theme may give country’s high school adolescents Hew ideas for kicks. With so-ealied “motorcycle-cowboys” in mind, Hew Col Cinema in tendon London, Feb. 3. The new Columbia Theatre in Shaftesbury Av.enue-—the ootfK pany’s first entry into exhibition —opens:, tomorrow (Wed.) ■ with- a gala preem of “Gigi.” New house will operate an advance booking policy and performances, will be restricted to 10 weekly^ . Built on the* site of; the Avenue *• . Pdviiion Theatre, destroyed during. the War, thehouse seats 750; Release Pattern London, Feb 3. The new British' releasing pat¬ tern, brought into being as a re¬ sult of the Rank rationalization plan announced last year, took ef-. feet this week when the first 're¬ leases went out in North West London on the newly designated Rank and National circuits. The first bill on* the former was Rank’s own “The Captain's Table,” while a Universal double bill, “Stranger In' My 'Arms” and “His Butler’s Sister” shared the honors on the National chain. The new releasing system still maintains the practice of dividing London into three territories with bookings running on consecutive weeks. North West London gets first pick, followed in tu*n by. the North Eastern and Southern areas. Among the first six programs to go out on the National chain is a new Rank comedy, “Too Many Crooks," which starts its North West London run March 8. “Opera¬ tion Amsterdam,” current at the Leicester Square Theatre, will be released on the Rank circuit begin¬ ning Feb. 15. The new releasing pattern puts an end to the former system of Odeon and Gaumont releases. The Rank circuit comprises key the¬ atres in both the Odeon and Gau¬ mont groups while others in the two chains form the spearhead of the National outlet These are backed by theatres in other groups throughout the country, giving a potential booking strength which compares, with both the Rank and Associated British circuits. Widescreen Fix May Soon : Be AMe to Circumvent Mex City 32c Scale > Mexico City,-. Jan. 27. Moves to present Cinerama, Todd-AO, Cinemiracle and other recent projection techniques : in Mexico has been stymied for the last few years by the adamant : at¬ titude of Mayor Ernesto P. Uru- churtu. Standing firm on: his an¬ nouncement" of six years ago that “movies as a public entertainment must remain cheap at the hoxof- fice,” the mayor has persistently said “no” to “special prices” for showings of pix as “10 Command¬ ments" (Par), “Around World in 80 Days” CCJA) and “War and Peace 1 (Par). Exhibitors have just as persis¬ tently refused to show these films at “depression prices,” aligning in the fight for a higer b.o. scale with distributors. Latest move to get around the unprofitable four pesos (32) admission is sparked by Mexican and U. S. film interests. The plan is to build an “adequate” (meaning a 5.00Q seater or larger) theatre in Ciudad Satelite. This is-ther first of a series-of model cities planned to bring this capital to ease the growing- population problem. Since, the Satelite City is outside the jurisdiction of city authorities and outside the limits ot the Federal District, the box- office admission could be hiked to tfce : desired level without official meddling. Plan to get outside of the "Mayor’s jurisdiction’ was tried be¬ fore over a year ago, for “Around the World.” At that time comedian Mario Moreno and associates planned the erection of a theatre at Tres Cam 1 'nos, just across the city line in the State of Mexico. The plan foundered principally be¬ cause of lack of adequate transpor¬ tation with buses taking about 45 minutes to cover the route. Ciudad Satelite, about 30 min¬ utes from the city, is serviced by the super-speedway which goes on to Queretaro. The model city is served by first-class buses. British ‘Room’ Roushg $19500 Sets London Pix Pace; "Country’ Huge 17G in 2i Deb’ Lively 14G, 5th SPEED YANK PA VILLION FOR MOSCOW EXHIB Washington, Feb. 3. The Kremlin has given a labor priority to. work now underway for the American National Exhibition in Moscow’s Sokolniki Park. As result, exhibition general manager Harold C. McClellan said, every¬ thing is going according to schedule. „ ■ Soviet workmen are- in process of pulling down old buildings and clearing the, site for the exhibi¬ tion, and actual construction is ex¬ pected to begin March 1. Target Bate for opening is July 4. but can be extended until Aug. 2 if nec¬ essary. U. S. Information. Agency said heavy emphasis will be given to ex¬ hibits of American culture—paint¬ ing, sculpture, literature, theatre, etc. Wayne, Armen&riz May Do Ce-Prod. Together Mexico City, Jan. 27. John Wayne and Pedro Armen- dariz are huddling over possibili¬ ties of doing a co-production to¬ gether. Actors have talked- about this in the past, with the outcome being the appearance of the Mexi¬ can • star in a Wayne - production, With' someone else footing the co¬ production bills. . This time, however, Armendariz- plans te> sink some of his own money into the deal. Actor has pub¬ licly anfcotmeed that ho may retire ftom acting chores for the direc¬ torial end, especially in coproduc¬ tion deals with Hollywood and for¬ eign producers. Clasa Filins Swings To Quality Mex Pix Mexico City, Feb. 3. Clasa Films Mundiales is the first Mexican producing unit to an¬ nounce its intentions of following recommendations of Federico Heu- er, head of the Film Bank, to pro¬ duce only quality product. Arman¬ do Orive Alba, head of Clasa, said that an exhaustive study by his firm has proven the fallacy of Mex¬ ico’s “quickie” production. - Alba now says that the public is resisting the flood of poorly made national product. Hence, Clasa will follow procedure of costlier pro¬ ductions which ultimately bring in greater rewards in the national and internatinal market. New Clasa policy will pay care¬ ful attention to scripts and casting, as well as assigning top directors and cameramen to each film. One of first scripts receiving okay un¬ der the new setup is “A Bridge in the Jungle.” London^ Feb. 3. As a result of his by-line story in Variety (Jan. 14), champion film fan Clarry Ashton was interviewed on the BBC’s tv magazine pro¬ gram, “Tonight.” Ashton named “Bridge on River Kwai” (Col) , and “Ran¬ dom Harvest” (M-G) as the tops among the 15,000 feature films he has seen. U.S. Films Reach New German High Frankfurt, Jan. 27. Count of films imported into West Germany for the first eleven months of 1958 and approved by the country’s self-censorship- limi¬ tations reached a new high of 533, against 470 imported during the same period in 1957. U.S. brought in. 236 against 202 in the same period in the previous year. France climbed from 44 to 56 while Eng¬ land was up from 42 to 48. Ger¬ many produced exactly the same number of pictures—93 in both periods. Film imports from the U.S., France and England were the high¬ est of the last five years. Percent of German films shown on Ger¬ many’s screens in just 17%, a drop since 1953. One of the major problems of the West German film industry is that of the $27,000,000 made on films in 1957,, only about $4,000,000 will remain in Germany. The U.S. took out the biggest portion, $16,- 500,000, France took out $3,000,000 and England $1,350,000. And in return, German films shown in the U.S. in the same pe¬ riod produced only $52,000. This, claim many'of the German film industryites, is an unfair return, considering the high revenues earned in Germany. Just about the same split of busi¬ ness Can be expected for the 1953 grosses when f'nal figures are re¬ vealed. Seeco’s Siegel in S.A* Sidney Siegel, Seeco . Records prez, is on a four-week trek through the Central and South American countries for huddles with label’s distributors. He’ll also scout for new talent and masters for U. S. release. Siegel also has scheduled sev¬ eral recording sessions to be held in Buenos Aires. He’s due back in New York Feb. 25. Hal Road), Ford Productions Set Film Program (or Rome Rome, Jan. 27. A $10,000,000 (it may hit $20,- 000,000) production program in¬ cluding Italian partnership and use of Italo facilities and studio space has been announced here by Hal Roach'Jr. and Robert Brad¬ ford, prexy of Hollywood’s Hy Ford Productions. Roach.said the choice had been determined by “the excellence of Italian equip-, ment and technical facilities as well as the general motion picture knowhow,” which made this coun¬ try the logical choice. Selection, was made after careful study of other areas. Roach indicated that it did not plan to produce “one super-spec¬ tacle now and then/’ but intended to initiate a continuous production operation perhaps embracing other European countries but with head¬ quarters here. Coincidence with recently-started Continental Com¬ mon Market, the Yank exec said, would facilitate the production pro¬ gram in its local, expansion. Though Roach admitted, that the*, exact definition of the local part- j nership setup, as well as the names, of stars and directors of the first picture planned for local produc¬ tion, were still not set (pending imminent negotiations), the plan was to distribute through Hal Roach Distribution Corp., using affiliated Mutual Broadcasting System facilties in the U. S. to ad¬ vertise the product and stars, “thus adding a new dimension to the mo¬ tion picture world.” Talent and technicians. Roach added, would come from either country without any strict defini¬ tion. The company hopes to get its first pic, “The Loves of Eva Martin,” started here early in March. Bradford,. who said he would head the local setup, for which Rome offices are currently being sought, added that the company had recently finished a picture in and around Hong .Kong cal&d “The' Scavengers.” Both Roach and Bradford have contacted vari¬ ous Italo pic officials regarding their scheme, and talks will con¬ tinue for next two weeks before a definite decision is reached, they said. ’ London, Jan, 26. A new British entry, “Room at the Top,” which opened to near¬ ly unanimous raves from the Lon¬ don critics, is setting the pace in the West End during the current stanza; Its opening week at the Plaza is heading for a rousing $19,- 500 or more. “Anna Lucasta” is rated okay in second Gaumont round. “The Big Country” holds amaz¬ ingly with a smash $17,000 in its second frame at the Odeon, Lei¬ cester Square. A new Rank pro¬ duction, “Operation Afnsterdam,” looms stout $8,500 at Leicester Square Theatre for second frame. “Roots of Heaven” shapes very good $8,500 at the Carlton in-sec¬ ond “Geisha Boy” is fair $7,000 at the Odeon, Marble Arch in first week. Major holdovers continue to at¬ tract big money. “Seven Wonders” was over $17,0C0 in its 48th frame; “South Pacific” around $19,500 in its 40th session and “Around World in 80 Days” hit a steady $6,800 in its 82d round. “Reluctant Debutante” looks handsome $14,000 in its fifth Em¬ pire frame. Estimates for Last Week Astoria (CMA) (1,474; $1.20- 1.15)—“Around World in 80 Days” (UA) <82d wk.). Steady $6,800. Carlton (?0th> <1,128; 70—$2.15) -“Roots of Heaven” (20th) )2d week). Good $8,500. Opening week, $10,900. Casino (Indie) (1.155; 70—$2.15) “Seven Wonders of World” (Rob¬ in) (48th wk.). Over big $17,000, and expected to run another year. Dominion (CMA) (1,712; $1.05- $2.20) — “South Pacific” '•(20th) wk.). Stout $19,500. Empire (M-G) (3,099-55-$1.70)— “Reluctant Debutante” (M-G) (5th wk). Five $14,000 or near. Fourth was $15,000. “Party Girl” (M-G) follows Jan. 29. Gaumont (CMA) 1.500; 50-$1.70) —“Anna Lucasta” (UA) (2d wk). Fair $6,100. Previous week, $7,300. Leicester Square Theatre (CMA) (1,376; 50-31.70) —"Operation Am¬ sterdam” (Rank) (2d wk). Solid $8,400. First was $11,000. London Pev : -*on (UA) (1.217; 50-$1.70)—“Great Dictator” (UA) (6th wk). Fancy $5,500. Fifth was $7,000. “Passport to Shame” (BL) follows next week. Odeon, Leicester Square (CMA) (2,200; 50-S1.7P) — “Big Country” (UA) 3d wk). Hefty $15,000 or near. Second was $17 000. Odeon, Marble Arch (CMA) (2,200; 50-S1.70) — “Geisha Boy” (Par). Fair $7,000. Plaza (Par) (1,902; 70-$1.70)— 'Room at Ten” ais'D). Heading for resounding $.19,500. Record open¬ ing week at this theatre. Rialto (20th) (592; 50-$ 1.30) — “Inn of Sixth Haopiness” <2Gth) (3d wk). He'ty $5,800, same as previous week. Ritz (M-G) (412; 50-$1.30)—“Car¬ ry on Sergeant” (Anglo-Amal). Fair $2,300, following previous West End season and general re¬ lease. Studio One (APT) (600; 30-$1.20) —“Secret of Life” (BV) (5th wk) and “Lady and Tramp” (BV) <5th wk). Neat $3,300. Warner (WB) (1,785; 50-$1.70)— “Auntie Marne” (WB) (3d wk). Moderate $5,000. Second was $16,- 100. “The Lady is a Square” (ABP) opens Jan. 29. Czech Philharmonic 8a Trek to Japan in OcL Tokyo, Jan, 27. The 120-member Czech Phil¬ harmonic Orch under the batons of Karel Ancerl and Larel Seina will visit Japan fer a series of concerts in October as part of its Asian tour. Current Japan tour of Smetana Quartet, an offshoot of the Philharmonic, opened cultural exchange between the* two 'coun¬ tries. Visiting unit will feature pianist Tan Fanenka and violinist Joseph Suk. Rep who inked pact here ex¬ pressed a desire for Japan to send artists to the “Spring of Prague,” annual April music fest. PICTURES u 'Wednesday, February 4, .1959 ——'« - . . ’ . Despite Shortage,Dodde>Bills Flourish Psychology of Two Features 5 —Fans Want Tull’ Evening/ Especially Spooning Couples Though logic would appear to dictate otherwise, double billing continues as a theatre institution in many parts of the country, un¬ affected by the shortage of product and the lengthy running time of the top pictures. As a matter of fact, where busi¬ ness is down, the tendency has been to introduce triple bills, sometimes combining two “A”s and a “B” picture. Exhibitors privately tend to de¬ plore the situation, and they ac¬ knowledge plenty of beefs from customers who have to suffer through a minor entry in order to see the feature attraction. Yet, double features seem here to stay, partly because they represent a tangible expression of the “more for your money 1 ’ approach to sell¬ ing, and partly because they meet a “social” need. Tied in with this fa a competitive factor, Le. one ex¬ hibitor watches the other and none wants to cut back to single billing unless the competitor does so first. To the distributors, who now have fewer “little” pictures to sell, double billing represents a boon of sorts. At 20th-Fox, for instance, which figures there are some 13,251 Cinemascope possibilities through¬ out the country, a good many of the 1954 and 1955 C’Scopers have racked up between 17,000 and 18,- 000 dates. That can mean only one thing. The theatres, to fill out their bills, are re-running oldies. The ‘Top* Feature Gradually stepping Into this gap during the past year have been dubbed foreign films which in this type of mass circulation still stand to do better than via limited art runs. Here and there, exhibitors are tiding to switch schedules so as to accommodate patrons who r d Jike to see a film without having to sit through the second feature. The Century circuit in N. Y. has met with considerable success in put¬ ting on the main feature at 8:40 p.m. and slotting the supporting bill after. that. But Century wouldn’t go as far as cutting out the double bill. ' One reason is that the double hill serves a social purpose. “A young couple go out to get away from home. They come to the theatre. They don’t want to be out two hours later. They may not absolutely want to see two pictures, but it'makes them feel good to know they’re getting two for the price of one, and it occupies the whole evening for them. That’s much more important than most people realize.” This the comment from an exhibitor last week. Buffaio Scales Rise ! Buffalo, Feb. 3. Downtown first runs are boosting their regular top admissions to $1 excepting- for special attractions to be shewn at $1.25. This applies all round except Basil’s Lafayette which will reverse the trend , by staying at 90c top and reducing its afternoon price to 50c until 6 p.m. Current admission lineup includes Center, Century, Teck 5 at $1.25 with others $1. Reduction of the Lafayette prices recalls phenomenal take-o'ver pol¬ icy of the theatre in 1930 by A. C, Hayman. All downtown first runs were then 40c. Haymen opened the house after it had been shut¬ tered for a year inaugurating a straight 25c policy around the clock. Inside two years, spot showed over $200,000 profit with other downtown managements forced to drop their admissions after a stiff product and advertis¬ ing battle in order to meet the competition. DeMille s Daughter WithWilcoxonTe Complete Scouter Hollywood, Feb. 3. Family members and associates of Cecil B. DeMille will pick up from where the producer, who died Jan. 21 at the age of 77, left off. At the time of his death DeMille was planning his 71st production, this being “On My Honor,” story Of the Boy Scouts and its founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell. This now is to be produced by Henry Wilcoxon. DeMille’s long time associate, vv'Lli Mrs. Cecelia Harper, DeMille’s daughter and chief individual beneficiary of his will, calling the turn's on the busi-, j ness end. Contrary to earlier indications, i however, the DeMille company, ' Cecil B. DeMille Productions, will be dissolved. There’s nothing offi¬ cial yet on how the outfit’s 50% equity in post-1948 productions (the earlier ones have gone to tele¬ vision) is to be disposed of or re¬ tained. DeMille and Paramount were equal partners. OutD. John PPipsFor Views on Private Taste Albany, Feb. 3. Commenting on the recent Newj York City hearings which the j Joint Legislative, Committee on Of¬ fensive and Obscene Material con¬ ducted, The .Evangelist, official weekly of the Albany Catholic Di¬ ocese, singled out for particular criticism D. John Phillips, execu¬ tive director of the Metropolitan Motion Picture Theatres. Asserting that he “tried to justify the widespread sensationalism ki movies and advertising, on grounds that tastes have changed In the past 20 years,” the Catholic paper said* Phillips,” when asked if he would permit his 13-year old daughter to see a njovie that has been widely declaimed as cheap and vulgar, replied she is a 95 average student and consequently is able ta make her own decisions.” “Not a few share this exposition of addled reasoning;” added The Evangelist. “Such statements incite wonder as to whether Mr. Phillips and those Who talk like him have any definition for what is morally good and morally evil,” the editorial de¬ clared, “Since they seem to spend all their time ‘proving’ this or that is not offensive to decency, it would be interesting to discover what their moral estimates are and whit basis they have for them.” If Mr. Phillips, for example, en¬ countered a teen-aged hoodlum who savagedly attacked him and destroyed his property, would he give his approval because the ap¬ petites for enjoyment have con¬ siderably changed during the past 20 years? Would it ever dawn on him to ask what could be the in¬ fluences that give rise to such be¬ havior ... found even in those who have a high I.Q.?” The - Evangelist concluded that “If objective standards for judging good and evil are ignored in self regulating codes, then the public interest demands respect for these norms through strict legislation.” Feel Outlet Scarcity Minneapolis, Feb. 3. Strength of product, resulting in runs downtown all along the line, and elimination of the 4,100-seat Radio City theatre, are starting to drive important pictures uptown here for their firstnfhs. As a beginner, for example, “The Horse’s Mouth” for its initial Twin Cities’ showing opens this week at the uptown St. Louis Park, a thea¬ tre in the earliest clearance slot, 28 days. * Flick That Clark Chip It’s been an old adage in the film biz that, if you ask a man whether he’d prefer single to dou¬ ble bills he;d vote for the single bill. When it comes to choosing between a house playing one film against one featuring two, how¬ ever, he’s very likely to favor the double hill. Distributors from time to time get riled over exhibitors coupling two top pix, but they’re always met with the argument that, if business is down, the only way to get it up again is to offer the public more for its money. A NEW 'FIRST NATIONAL' Action Features Release Org Sets Verhalen Ast Prexy Los Angeles, Feb. 3. Group of film execs have set up First National Distributing Corp., for national release of indie action pix. First two will be Jack Kevin’s “The Monster of Piedras Blancas” and Aaron Danche’s “Okeefeno- kee.” All product will be given heavy exploitation campaigns. A First National, later merged with Warners, was an- early industry factor. Charles Verhalen, owner of Film Service here, will be prexy, and J. J. O’Laughlin v.p. and general sales ^ manager. Herb MacIntyre, formerly western division manager for RKO, is sales director. Board also will include Gilbert Scott, of FS, and George L. ^agnail, former-' ly Coast v.p. of United Artists and now head of his ovjn tv distribution outfit. Albany, Feb. 3. Hugh M. Flick, former N. Y. censor and now executive assistant to the Stats Education Commis¬ sioner in Albany, made plain this week his surprise and resentment of the attack on his censorship views by Kenneth Clark, vice-presi¬ dent of the Motion Picture Assn, of America. Flick obviously was stung not only by the strong language in Clark’s letter, but also by the fact that it was released to the press in N. Y. before he received it in Al¬ bany. The educator took particular umbrage at Clark’s statement, that he (Flick) should employ his “vast influence” to abolish censor¬ ship in N. Y. “rather than to com¬ pound the existing felony on the people of your state.” . First, Flick said, he didn’t have any “vast influence.” Second, the usual definition of felbny is “a grave crime, originally punishable by forfeiture of lands and goods.” He said he couldn’t believe that Clark had intended that term to he used in its “inviduous” sense. “How can I be charged with compounding a- felony in advocat¬ ing a law which has been on the statute books of the State for 37 years,” he asked. “The law has been repeatedly and overwhelm¬ ingly re-indorsed by the Legisla¬ ture, despite the efforts of power¬ ful censorship opponents.” (In N. Y., even those who whole¬ heartedly agree with Clark’s anti¬ censorship views as expressed in his letter expressed surprise * that he should have addressed himself to Flick, who’s generally consid¬ ered a moderate in the censorship field, and who, while N. Y.' censor, enjoyed the reputation of being extremely reasonable and under¬ standing of the distributors’ prob¬ lems). Favors 'Classification' . Flick, for years,.has advocated censorship, coupled with classifica¬ tion of pictures. He said this week that he had far greater apprecia¬ tion of the Production Code than many members of the public. How¬ ever, he pointed out, about 40% of the films submitted to the N.'Y. censor come from abroad and don't carry a Code seal, and about 10% of the U. S. pictures also go out without Code approval. Flick said he had always con¬ scientiously drawn a line between the films released by the majors and the “cheap, tawdry, lurid sex, girlie and burlesque pictures produced by the little fellow anx¬ ious to make a quick buck.” Clark said in his letter he had been distressed to read about Flick's criticism of the Production and Advertising codes. “Freedom and regulation are opposite sides of the coin, yet they are in fact correlative,” Flick maintained. The rating system, which he advocates, would provide a more positive ap¬ proach to film censorship,. Flick heidj, He added that the U. S. Su¬ preme Court had, on various oc¬ casions, considered the N. Y. cen¬ sorship law and had never ruled it unconstitutional or invalid. ■ “ Pro-Censor Forces in Maryland Drive • . ? f -Exhibitors Now Worried That Previously Killed Bluenose Laws May Pass. Kastner in Tokyo Lacy W. Kastner, president of Columbia International Corp., left Monday (2) on a round the world trip to Columbia offices in the Far East and Europe. He will he ac¬ companied by Bert Obrentz, as¬ sistant sales manager of the inter¬ national company. First stop on tour, expected to take several months, will be Tokyo where Kastner will meet Michael Bergher, v.p. and supervisor of the Far East and Australasia. Other stops include Manila, Saigon, Bang¬ kok, Calcutta, Bombay, Beirut, Athens, Rome, Paris and London. Selling plans on 1959 product and sales drive honoring Col prexy Abe Schneider will be outlined at each stop. Par Wants Refund On Ohio Censors’ Old Reel Fees Columbus, Feb. 3. Paramount Film Distributing Corp. of New York has filed a suit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court here to force the state to pay back $55,846 which the company paid under “unconstitutional cen¬ sorship statutes.” Defendants were State Treasurer Roger W. Tracy, State Auditor James A. Rhodes and his predecessor, Joseph T. Fergu¬ son; Edward E. Holt, state super¬ intendent of public instruction, and Clyde Hissong, who preceded Holt in that post. The suit alleges the firm paid the money to the state during 1952, 1953, and 1954, involuntarily and under duress of a threat that the penalty section of the law would be fulfilled. The action said the state law required all motion pic¬ ture films to be publicly exhibited to be “examined and censored by the Ohio Dept, of Education for approval . . The fee was $3 for each reel to exceed 1,000 feet and $3 for each additional thousand feet or fraction thereof. The suit claimed this was a vio¬ lation of the First and 14th Amend¬ ments and that the state ceased making 1 collections at the end of 1954, when the Ohio Supreme Court declared the law inopera¬ tive. Censorship Profit-Making Albany, Feb. 3. The yield from the motion pic¬ ture ($3 per thousand feet) has been “lower to date” than for a comparable period last year. Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller reported in a budget message which he per¬ sonally delivered to the legislature Monday noon (2). The new chief executive receipts "indicate” total. revenue of $400,- 000 in 1958-59; predicted the same amount for 1959-60. The assumption is that the pro¬ duction of fewer pictures was re¬ sponsible for the decline. ' In 1957-58, the total was $487,- 000; in 1956-57, $450,000. The fig¬ ure dropped to 6405,000 in 1953-54; to 6387,000. in 1950-51. Censorship still continues a profitable operation for the state, since the costs of operating the MPD are less than one-third of the “take.” Catholics Hang.'C’ Rap On Assistant Papa Idea (Insemination) of NTA Artificial insemination by a donor fa not an acceptable subject for a motion. picture in the Cath¬ olic viewpoint. Accordingly, the National Legion of, Decency, which is the Catholic film reviewing or¬ ganization, has given a “C” rating (condemned) to “Question of Adul¬ tery,” National Telefilm Asso¬ ciates theatrical release. Legion notes that the produc¬ tion undertakes to justify the ar¬ tificial insemination practice both morally and legally whereas Pope Pius XII taught that this “violates the natural law tfd.d is illicit and. immoral.” ' Baltimore, Feb. 3. Collective brows of exhibitors here were further furrowed with concern as reports issuing from the state capitol at Annapolis, car¬ ried the news that the state legis¬ lature is being subjected to an organized spirited mail campaign, baeked by organizations and pri¬ vate individuals anxious to see the General Assembly pass a current film bill now before the Judiciary Committee. Individual legislators have ad¬ mitted that pressure for the bill is mounting and that mail in favor of enactment is far ahead, in count, of mail received on other matters. Subject is a hot one. The current twin hills are similar to others that have been downed by both the As¬ sembly and the Legislative Coun¬ cil. Some died before the Assembly and others were killed off by the Legislative Council* before getting to the Assembly. Current bills differ from the last to be rejected by the Council in that the age limit has been changed from 16 to 18. They would make it unlawful for children un¬ der 18 to see films tagged as ob¬ scene. Violators would be punish¬ able by fines, of up to $25. Main support is coming from the Baltimore area and is spearheaded by Catholic lay organizations, the Mayor’s Committee for Decency plus C. Morton Goldstein, chair¬ man of the State Board of Motion Picture Censors. Opponents of the bill and pre¬ vious similar measures' are show¬ ing increasing concern. Heretofore, they had little cause to worry, or thought they d ; dn’t. They have now. If it should pass, and chances of that happening seem greater than ever, it would mean a seri¬ ous cut in attendance in a state where teenagers^ comprise a large segment of the theatre-going pub¬ lic. Should it be passed, exhibitors’ hopes would lie with the Board of Censors, who, by the bill, would be empowered to label films “for Adults only." But hopes are not so high since Goldstein fa openly in favor of the bill. Last year, 1,260 films were re¬ viewed by the Board and passed by them. Only a few minor cuts were made. But this condition ex¬ isted because the Board feels it- ! self restricted by- legal limitations, I the results of court rulings in re¬ gard to censorship. With the new bill, which comes up for a hearing Feb. 6, the Boara would have a new set of teeth and only the most optimistic of exhibi¬ tors here would not expect it to use them, and frequently. Kids on Not-for-Kicks Idea: If We Pay Adult Prices Show Us Adult Films’ Houston, Feb. 3. “If we have to pay adult prices* we should be able to see adult movies.” This logic was propounded Thursday (29) at the Community Youth Assembly at the U. of Houston. It came close on the heels of Mayor Lewis Cutrer’s declared desire to censor films and litera¬ ture for teenagers through his Youth Citizenship Committee. The youth assembly proposed teenage admission prices, a pro¬ posal that came out of a workshop discussion on “What should our community do about delinquent youth?” Cutrer thereafter said neither he nor his commission have anything in mind like “censorship” laws. He explained that local censorship would only be an “advisory” meas- uer, the establishment of a board that would merely recommend against features and literature found by it to be really objection¬ able. “Its strength would be in public opinion, not laws,” the mayor stated. Amos Vogel, exec secretary of Cinema 16, is in Germany where he is serving as a member of the Jury. of the .Internationa! Short Film Festival a.t Obeihausen. Some 30 nations are participating. Vogel will introduce the U.S. pro¬ gram. . PICTCSES 4, 1959 PfiikiBFr is Bureau of Business ^'sssasasKss:-. Can Hollywood Sell Pictures, Too ? By KOBERT J. LANDRY *A number nf “independent” film producers* and/or star-controlling Admits, west coast guards all, have in recent months found fault with the way New York exploitation flepartmentsTiave bandied given re¬ leases. Hollywood-devised schemes have in some cases been imposed against Manhattan ideas and grumblings have followed. Since salaried: jrfomotionMs working for the dlstribs have not been in a position of authority to counter-dig by name, their reactions have been off the ; ’ tectfrd/- ‘ " The- two ends of tire business (and of the" country) have divided; many times on these very issues but today the acute anxieties in the. S$dm industry gives more bite to the sarcasm, ■ ■ v * ^You’re- not doing enough,” is a complaint to which In some eases the exploiteer would, have to plead g<y iriith an explanation. Only he is precluded by tact from giving the explanation, to wit, that he a was trying to minimize losses on a picture that didn’t have a chance. v - East-west clashes over the best Way to handle a picture takes onj . agonizing appraisal tones when the distribution end develops gallop¬ ing moroseness concerning a much-touted negative after it’s been un¬ spooled in the executive chambers. The men who count themselves ex-: pexts me often loath to spend promotional funds on certain pictures ’ —when and" if- convinced In their hearts that tbe ihonfy-lust increases. '• tiie deficit and could be far better employed tftrethfe* «jfci&uct. * But tbe east-west quarrel heed not be over a sick turkey. The pat- *• tern of openings, the engineering.of audience response toffee first and ^adl-important . openings is a legitmate dispute -oil' odea^on.. Exploita¬ tion men wish that studto men would not suppose themsdves tufiver- sal geniuses who know just how and when to open in Milwaukee or Kansas City. * :> . vDIsa^eements arepossibfe over everything: especially nowadays. • The size of the type for tire star, the director, the writer, and so on are imposed” by Hollywood. So, , in same eases is the. art layout and other conditions , of exhibition. Tbe r. effort to impose over-all strategy encounters resistance. Means and methods, volume and timing of media, support are all issues when east meets west on the firing line. These are some of the zones of battle:'. • * Newspapers Though both ' Coasts typically acknowledge the ^ dailies "as a first line of fire: More¬ over, on ^occasion, publishers Will - %pend their own coin in tie-up pro¬ motion: ~ Television — Here the division from' company to company,, ex¬ ecutive to executive and picture to picture is marked. Some exploita- .. tipn chiefs talk against ty as too " .costly, too inflexible, capable of r giving a negative sell as easily, as l,a positive pitch, if the scenes do ‘not reproduce well on home sets. . Radio — Film distributors- tend to feel good-about radio. For years it has been a helpful media. “Sat- > oration” is -often a synonym for “radio” in campaigns where the * strategy is to open, playoff and dean up fast. Above all a lot-of radio -.-spots can be had for. tire money. Manufacturers — If a givenrfilm, star, theme or whatever suits a product, commercial' tie-ups are often -ideal. New^ Yorkers tend-to consider themselves the experts in this area. Manufacturers will, on * occasion, spend money liberally, on co-op space. They run second to "newspapers in what they’ll do -for” a picture, under particular dreumstances. ■. - - - TTade Papers — The publica- ' .flops which bridge -the gap be¬ tween production, distribution and exhibition are standard tools of ^ the trade, though east and west ^ divide, ^ as do exploiteers, in the dimensions of., their enthusiasm and the scope of their imagination. The independent producer, whose Soown personal prestige rides on a ■given release, often only one a h-jyear, or two, has a special need -&to build himself and his product. ''*< Stunts; A frequent occasion of quarrel between the selling and ^-producing ends involves costly stunts, -say, replicas of devices Roused in the story on the screen. '■“ In the early days of promotion ii. floats, lobby , displays, animations above marquees and so on-were * plentiful. They are nowadays much S^less in evidence. But around the stable at the brainstorm sessions-. ' they -still figure. Paperback Tieins: Still relative¬ ly new, an angle of late years are the deals, between book publish¬ ers and producers. There are re¬ spected values on occasion. One maxim of ' commonsense seems to be: “first buy the book, then get behind it.” Talk is often heard about paperbacks with a front . cover of a scene from the picture, and credits. This may yield 200,000 - minimal "impressions” via maga¬ zine racks, drugstores, etc. The par perb^ck is certainly here to stay.. So is the best-selling novel, ac¬ quired at a staggering price after the case is proven. Criticism among film peddlers has been that co-operation with a hook publish¬ er, -as ..distinguished from a news¬ papers, and even some magazines,' may be a piddling kind of thing. Bobk publishers are notoriously penurious about paid ads, as the Authors League erf America, in its own terms, is incessantly* com¬ plaining. ’ ; Magazines: The long' &7 Week deadline is the main disadvantage of the slicks. The monthlies have their own added time' factors. Against this the magazine editors- are often generous in space and imaginitive in approach. SandaySttpptoiaents: The. news¬ print-magazines which insert .into Sunday papers have high ups anil downs in the .affections of the ticket-sellers" . Their friends are probably mostly in Manhattan, It is not thought that the Sunday Supps get much discussion in the studios. * * 1 Badiopfrilic Distributors ] Arguing that television has be¬ come “too rich for our blood,” several of the film companies— notably 20th-Fox and United Art¬ ists—-have given radio another spin in recent months. Radio, they argue, is of course much cheaper than tv, it still reach¬ es a 4 lot of people, and on certain types of pictures it’s actually more effective than television. What’s more, radio- not being visual, it doesn’t diminish the impact of a big, color picture the way tv tends to do. Therfe was a time, two or three years ago, when ,the distributors had high hopes for tv as an adver¬ tising medium for films: Since then, that-ardor has cooled. Rea¬ sons are the following: (1.) No campaign is any good un¬ less there’s multiple exposure, and that runs to more money'than it’s worth, with spots in prime time fetching top money. (2.) Exhibitors seem‘lukewarm on tv campaigns, taking the posi¬ tion they’re okay if the distributor provides the material and pays for the airtime without cutting down on his normal co-op budget (3.) There’s a theory that, on the top films, clips v^ry inadequately convey the full-screen values. Also, [the soundtrack quality as repro¬ duced on tv isn’t always what it should be. “Television is a great medium when it comes to plugging horror films and pictures .with ‘shock.’ val¬ ues,” a film company radio^tv ex¬ pert commented last week"! “On these exploitation type films, the results can be great. But I wouldn’t bother selling a tap dramatic pic¬ ture on tv. If anything, it’s apt to backfire on you.” There are those who claim that the film, biz simply hasn’t yet found the right formula, for using tele¬ vision. However, some experi¬ ments have* been tried. 20th, for instance, had Terrytoon draw a cartoon spot, for “Rally Round .the Flag,” but the project was aban¬ doned on the theory that some 1 might think the whole film Is a cartoon. Situation on radio is different, also because the AM broadcasters tend to be more cooperative in terms of throwing in additional “services,” Since it’s considerably cheaper, radio allows a film com¬ pany to aim transcriptions a given segments, of the public. This was done by a circuit in Texas, .which also owns a radio chain. ^Picture involved was a ’‘From Here to 32ter- nity” reissue and excerpts from the sound track were used. Campaign was signally successful, using plugs of different lengths. Old Standbys - Omaha, Feb. 3. The latest gimmick to bring ’em Inside: , The Broadway Theatre .in, Coun¬ cil Bluffs, la., now .is trying ama¬ teur shows on Sunday nights—fol¬ lowed by. a dance on the,, stage!' - Columbia’s ‘Sinbad’ Float ..! At a cost of about $25,000; Co¬ lumbia’ feels it garnered “-as much as $250,000 worth of publicity for ’‘The 7th Voyage of Sinbad!” This wits accomplished, accord¬ ing to the company, through the use of a 30-foot float which has just completed a 4,000-mile : tour trf 15 cities in eight states. The float, built at a cost of $10,000, was origi¬ nally built for use in the Macy’s, N. Y. Thanksgiving Day parade and the national tv exposure the parade usually, receives. . Instead of dismantling the float lifter the parade. Col decided, to send it out on a visit of the impor¬ tant .population centers. Accompa¬ nied by fieldman Bob Cooper and a truck driver, the huge float wound-up a month’s, tour just prior to Christmas in Milwaukee. As a result of tieups with local department stores and the coopera¬ tion *of exhibitors, the arrival of¬ the .float was “heralded in local newspaper advertising. Parked in; front of * department store or the¬ atre or employed in parades, the float, consisting of an elaborate smoke -puffing and sound-making dragon and a Genie’s lamp, proved a major attraction for children flur¬ ing tbe pre-Christmas .stanza. Ar¬ rangements were made for the kids to mount the float and to inspect the many exhibits. ' ■ The presence trf the float added to the. pre-holiday excitement in each community and it was wel¬ comed by local businessmen and authorities who provided full Coop¬ eration for its eU&s, exh&ftton and' departure. The&bra presence in each city frequently resulted in page one stories in the local news¬ papers and television exposure. . It’s estimated that as many as 75,000 children participated in event in connection with the float. In addition to bucking below zero weather, fieldman Copper had quite an experience in handling so many children. Extra items on his expense ac¬ count included the replacement of two pairs of broken glasses and two torn suits. His greatest ordeal took place at the bottom of tbe slide that served as the exit for the children after they toured the float. By JOHN QUINN Kansas City, Feb. 3. Brigitte Bardot, described by Variety as “the girl with the gold¬ en pout” nowhere has shown her boxoffice strength so much as in Kansas City where her first major film, the Kingsly Import, “And God‘Created Woman,” currently is in its 50th week at the Dickinson circuit’s Kimo Theatre. It cracks a record every day it runs and shows every sign of lasting Indefinitely. When the picture Completes its 52d week Feb. 5, it will have played to over 150,000 persons and chalked up over $100,060 in grosses. That sets -an undisputed record for length of run by the picture any¬ where, and-is an . all-time record, run for Kansas City and this trade area.. . 3 Circuit‘and theatre, are planning /ah all-out celebration for La. Bqr- doFs first birthday in the-houses To begin with the theatre is being spruced up with a redecorated front and new. decor fpr the lobby .and foyer, according jQJ&n Pfc- Hdnsoa Jr. j cireuit genir^-jhtitag^r. 1 ' A giant cake is id be cut on Jan. 30 and refreshments are to be served to patrons throughout the week. . Herb: Oarnei, house man¬ ager, is laying plans for Serving up to 5,000 persons, which would vir¬ tually recreate the opening week patronage. • . More promotion and advertising 1 Jeers From Opposite Trends 1 Minneapolis, Feb. 3. Neighborhood theatres here feel they’ve been plenty hurt since the Time-Life station WTCN-TV ac¬ quired the $1,000,000 Paramount iv feature library and started to spend a small fortune exploiting them ex- hibitionwise. But now along comes George Lord, the station’s promo¬ tion director, and gives these up¬ town showhouses more , cause for concern and worry. “Let me say that our friends (?) in the theatre business ‘ain’t seen nothing yet/ ” is Lord’s message to the exhibitors. Says Lord: “We not only will continue to show formidable top- rated .movies during the rating week of each month in tire -future* but have instituted a policy which will give our viewing public a top ‘movie spectacular* picture each night of the week of each month,” In the latter group many of the features W-'I1 be vide;; i :struns and others top rated second runs, “but Kansas Ciiy*s Boffo With Bardot is hacking up the anniversary week than any other during the run, pos¬ sibly excepting the opener. Bo when sights are set on 5,000 per¬ sons it is not an unrealistic esti¬ mate, if response is proportionate as it has been in the jtast, as Carnes sees it. The picture proved its sock qual¬ ities from the opening gun, racking up a first week gross of $4,962, arid staying above the $2/HX) mark for more than 10 weeks straight. That is more than many first weeks in the Kimo, a cozy 500-seater in midtown where artfilms have been the policy for over 10 years. It has drawn steadily from throughout the Kansas. City trade territory, and more. Only l#st week Carnes chatted with a pair. of ; pa- trons from Goodland, Kansas, 400 miles west. Name most any other town in a 500-mile radius and it has sent patrons to see Brigitte in K.C. The run has worn out three prints, and a fourth is due in for the anniversary. It has worn out all the advertising slants in the press book,, and several additional approaches which Carnes has mus¬ tered on his. own. Still it can’t be said that the pic¬ ture required an . undue amount of advertising, although the circuit has been quick to support it with new bursts whenever a sag threatened. you can be assured,” is Lord’s message to his exhibitor “friends,” that each feature'-will have great appeal to WTNC-TV viewers.” Ga-Ga Over Gaa Flock of local merchants, banks, supply stores, real estaters, etc., in Mamaroneck. N. Y., last week ganged up in a show, of sentiment for.the Mamaroneck Playhouse and its manager, Charles Gaa. ~As the film house reopened after a period of inoperation flue to a dispute with the operators’ union, the neighboring business interests joined in a tribute via a full page of available for “I Want to Live,” which concerns “bad girl” Barbara Graham, sentenced to die for a murder of which she £laims in- nocence.^ . Seibel and Borgan succeeded, in getting permission from the prison authorities to have 50 women pris¬ oners attend a “Live” screening away from the prisoners .at the town’s theatre. They also succeeded in having Minneapolis Tribune’s Will Jones and St. Paul Dispatch’s Bill Diehl present at the special screening to obtain the feminine convicts’ reaction to the Graham case as depicted on the screen. The. result was lengthy Tribune ads in Mamaroneck’s Daily Times.. _ _ Addressing Itself to Gaa and the ^ nd Pispatch descriptions about Playhouse, the First Westchester j ^ _^. as National Bank, for one, said: “Nice to See Your Name in Lights Again.” | TiOaelyhearts’ Prwattiw \ Unique promotion deal for Bore Schary’s “Loaetyhearts” has been worked out b? United Artists with Arnold Mic&aetis, who’s done a number erf recorded interviews, in¬ cluding disk versions of talks with Rodgers Sc Hammerstein and Mrs. Roosevelt Michaelis has cut a 12-in. LP with Schary and members of the “Lone- lybearts” cast Couple of hundred copies of this “limited edition” rec¬ ord will be sent by UA to film re¬ viewers around the country prior to their seeing the picture. It’s figured that the crix will get a better understanding of the pic¬ ture and its talent when they get [through listening to the record and —hopefully—their interest in the Schary production will be height¬ ened. Teenagers Can Dance Fort Worth, Feb. 3. Jerry Jobe, operator of the Sun¬ set Theatre, has been selling out every Friday night which has been designated “Teenage Night.” He has removed several rows of seats in front of the screen. . " Then after showing of the fea¬ ture film -he turns on the lights and provides for 30 minutes of dancing in the space. Jobe reports that his biz at the concessions stand has also shown a tremendous increase. ‘Testing’ la Depth Minneapolis, Feb. 3. Unusual publicity stunt goes io the credit of Ev Seibel, Minnesota Amusem*nt Co. (United Para¬ mount) advertising-publicity head, and United Artists exploiteer Ed Borgan. The prison at nearby Shakopee, Minn., is facilities to show 35m films and that’s all they had received by the 50 women pris¬ oners. Mebox Prato Continue* from page 1 rata when asked about gangster in¬ roads into the Detroit jukdbox in¬ dustry. Because of other business at the time, the probe had to be postponed. Seeburg’s Stereo Slant Chicago, Feb. 3. Seeburg Corp^ major jukebox manufacturers, racked up a net profit of $5C6,C00 for the three- month period ending Jan. SI. The net includes elimination ef Fed¬ eral income taxes due to carry¬ forward of losses from previous years. Company, which changed its corporate name from Fort Pitt In¬ dustries Lie. last year, did not is¬ sue a comparable quarterly re¬ port last year. Company’s management stated that “the obsolescence which will be created by stereo presents ex¬ cellent sales possibilities for See¬ burg over the next several years in the coin-operated music field.” Seeburg introduced its stereo juke¬ box line last year. Seeburg also reported that it had changed its principal sources of income during the past year by expansion in the field of electron¬ ics, missiles and music systems, and the sale of its overcoat divi¬ sions and brewing operations. Propose Juke Tax Columbus, Feb. 3. Sen. Ed Witmer, Canton, O., has introduced a bill to tax jukeboxes in Ohio, to raise money for spe¬ cial instructions for retarded chil¬ dren. His bill would levy a $50 yearly tax on every jukebox.in the state. He estimetsd this would bring in about $500,000 a year. A DINO DeLAURENTIIS PRODUCTION OSCAR hom*oLKA* HELMUT DANTINE-A6NES MOOREHEAD * ROBERT KEITH and VITTORIO GASSMAN-I Screenplay by LOUIS PETERSON and ALBERTO LATTUADA • Based on a novel J Boxamce cted by ALBERTO LATTUADA Alexander Pushkin FILMEO BY Pfiju&TY IS PICTURES Wednesday, February 4, 1959 Chorus of Doubt Chants Quietly In B. G. As Allied Close-Harmonies *Congress 9 By HY HOLLINGEB Horace Adams, president of Al¬ lied States Assn., employed such, adjectives as “wholehearted’* and “enthusiastic” to describe Allied’s endorsem*nt of the new American Congress of Exhibitors. However, an analysis of the actions of the exhibitor organization’s board Of di¬ rectors at its meeting at the Na¬ tional Allied Drive-In Convention in Pittsburgh last week has left industry observers in a quandary as to the exact nature of Allied’s position. Moreover, the address of board. chairman and general .counsel Abram F. Myers appeared to contain comments which, oh the surface, were directly contradictory to the expressed aims of the new body. On the basis of what took place in Pittsburgh, Allied’s position per* haps can best be summarized as follows: Allied is in favor of the Congress per se—that is, it agrees in prin¬ ciple that such an organization can be a potent force in , helping to solve some of the problems facing theatremen. With 'ome of the aims enunciated. Allied is in full agreement. However, there ai , e many aspects of the ACE program with which Allied disagrees. In deciding to support the Con¬ gress after a stormy board meet¬ ing, Allied was careful to list these points of agreement, but it was equally intent upon putting on rec¬ ord its qualifications. Apparently what Allied has in mind is to work with ACE in the hope that within the broad family of the new or¬ ganization it can win over some of the representatives to its point of view in confronting the issues be¬ fore nation’s exhibitors. Eastern Bloc The decision for support repre¬ sented outwardly a victory for the so-called eastern bloc of Allied. The group played leading roles in the organization of the Congress and also in influencing, Allied’s board to *support it In a sense, however. Allied’s decision can also be partially scored as a victory for the doubters who were able to in¬ sist on the expression of mental reservations. A point by point 5 breakdown of the differences between Allied and Congress reveals the following: (1> Allied agrees with ACE’s re¬ port on producer-distributor rela¬ tions and finds it consistent with some of the complaints made in Al¬ lied “white paper.” However, ACE is not committed to the pro¬ cedures advocated by, the “white paper.” The latter calls for a new Government investigation of the industry, particularly with refer¬ ence to Allied’s charge of laxity in the enforcement of the consent de¬ crees by the Dept of Justice. Al¬ lied representatives plan to go to Washington shortly in the hope of interesting a Congressional com¬ mittee to launch a probe of the charges made in the "white paper.” Hold the Backlog! (2) Allied favors the use of all lawful means to withhold the re¬ lease of post-1948 nlm from tele¬ vision. However, it reserves the right to pass on any specific meas¬ ures advocated by ACE before it fully commits itself on the* sub¬ ject. (3) The Congress has come out in opposition to all forms of toll- vision, cable as well as mver-the- air type, and favors the passage of a law by Congress banning pay-tv. Allied is opposed to the “appro¬ priation of the free airwaves” by pay-tv, but feels that the extras added by ACE “require further study from the legal, practical and public relfct'ons aspects.” (4) Allied reaffirmed its position that the divorced circuits he per¬ mitted to produce and distribute pix with pre-emptive rights far their own theatres, but adds the stipulation that it be permitted only under conditions that will 6 pre¬ vent a recurrence of the “monopo¬ listic** practices which prevailed before the Government’s antitrust suit was filed. Tricky End-Kus <5) Congress of Exhibs has come out strongly for changes in the consent decrees. While Allied ap¬ parently is still seeking a “crusade to preserve them,” board chair-j man Abram F. Myers deplored the I “insidious propaganda” calling for “modernizing” of the decrees* (6) Allied, per Myers, is against allowing the production-distribu¬ tion companies to acquire show¬ case theatres. ACE, at one time, advocated this on the ground that if the film companies own theatres, they would produce more pictures. (7) ACE proposes that exhibitors be .permitted to sit on the boards of the film companies. Allied is wary of this proposal, noting that ■it must be carefully studied’be¬ cause it might be aimed at provi¬ sions of the decrees, that have ad¬ judicated “and .hence cannot be accomplished without amending the -Sherman Act.” .In addition, it’s stated that “for Allied to join in a movement to weaken the anti¬ trust laws would Involve a drastic reversal of policy and may discredit its efforts along that line,” (8) Again the Congress favors the legalizing of pooling arrange¬ ments against Allied’s doubts. (9) Jurisdictional angles arise. ACE says its'rolls are open to all exhibitors, affiliated or unaffHe¬ ated. Allied says that to extend such a blanket invitation to all ex¬ hibitors “would be uMair to the- associations and constitute a threat to their survival.” (10) The new Congress argues that unanimity is needed to accom¬ plish the aims of the organization. Allied says that while different classes of exhibitors may readily agree on general principles, it is improbable that such harmony will extend to all details of ACE’s pro¬ gram or to the methods of carry¬ ing It out ! DARDEN FAMILY'S BUY Abemathy«*Tex., Feb. 3. Mr. and Mrs. Will Darden and their son, C. G. Darden have pur¬ chased the Nu-Vue Theatre and the Antelope Drive-In Theatre from W., A. Waters. New owners plan to reopen the Nu-Vue pronto. Leopold-Loeb Pic Continued from page 1 SSSSSS U.S. The theory appears to be that, if “Compulsion” is a hit through¬ out the country, pressure for it to be shown in Chicago will automa¬ tically build up, and counter-action will be easier to foil. Zanuck said that, since he took the Levin novel as a-base, he had obtained no clearances from any« one. There was.the possibility of legal complications, he conceded. Leopold, how released fr&n prison, is still alive and working in a hos¬ pital in Puerto Rico. The stage version of the novel also skipped Chicago. Zanuck said the picture was brought in at a negative cost of $1,500,000. He and his 'wife, former actress Lili Gentle, will tour the | country in support of the “film. Zanuck’s next project is “Requiem fop a Nun.” He’ll also work on “Pe Luxe Tour” with his father, Dar¬ ryl F. Zanuck. ‘Profit’ Over ‘VoSime* Safe Continued f eat page J panics hate to see licenses go to waste. Also, there’s fear that, on the next allocation, these countries may fake the realistic attitude that the overall licence total can be reduced. One or two of the companies, notably 2(fth-Fox, have been having thoughts on the matter of “vol¬ ume” vs. “profits” with the result that they’ve begun to deliberately sift out the smaller and potential¬ ly losing pictures which they’re now no longer exporting to given markets. The opnosing argument to this is that the film business still is primarily a volume business if In no ether sense than that the number of potential hits, rises, in proportion to the total number of pictures imported. Allied States' Own Catechism FIXING ADMISSION PRICES 1. QUESTION: May a distributor lawfully fix admission prices with v ?n p-drbitor fc) by forcing? Never. fb) voluntarily? Never. * Mav rn exhibitor change any admission price at any time for any picture? Yes—any price, at any time for n'etnre without violating *ny legal contract or agreement. ANSWER: ANSWER: 2. QUESTION: ANSWER: CLEARANCE 3. QUESTION: Has the ^ Court defined clearance? ANSWER: Yes—As “the period of time stipulated In license contracts which must elapse between runs of the r-me feature within a particular area or in specified theatres.” _ 4. QUESTION: May clearance be lawfully Granted between thea¬ tres rot. in substantial competition? ANSWER: No. And if taken to Court Hie distributor must prove the substantial competit'on in order to main¬ tain it. - 5. QUESTION: What is the longest clearance allow.-d by the Court? ANSWER: Only the number of days “reason~bIv necessary to , protect the licenses in the run granted” i.e. prior run. FILM CONTRACTS 6. QUESTION: May a whole year’s product be sold by a distributor? ANSWER: Yes—if an independent exhibitor wishes to buy a full year’s product any distributor is permitted to sell him that way. 7. QUESTION: May the exhibitor cancel any part of such a contract?. ANSWER: Yes—20%. of the contract can be cancelled. Each picture can be cancelled within 10 days after its trade showing. - 8. QUESTION: May franchises for more than one year be written with an exhibitor by any film company? * ANSWER: Yes. Franchises covering several years may be given for all of a distributor’s product to any theatre which, without conspiracy, is attempting to main¬ tain its operation as a competitor to an affiliated theatre ot formerly affiliated theatre. 9. QUESTION: May a distributor lawfully' compel an exhibitor to license one picture in order to be able to license another? ANSWER: No. 10. QUESTION: Is there anything in the decree which allows a film company to “special handle” a motion picture? ANSWER: No-—nothing. As a matter of fact, all film, companies are enjoined from discriminating against any inde¬ pendent theatre in favor of any circuit theatre or any other theatre. This makes special handling a violation of the decree. I ►4444 4 ►44+44 Pittsburgh Thr Beautiful [Allied Convention Cleanup] ► t+4444 44 44 444444444+4 . 44+4-444444-4»f+♦♦♦»♦♦♦♦♦♦ Toughest Distribs—a-WB, Col, UA Warner Bros, again won the “honor” of being the toughest company with which to do business in a survey of delegates attending National Allied’s Drive-In Convention in Pittsburgh last week. This was dis¬ closed by Rube Shor, former Allied prexy, in a summary of complaints made by the ozoner operators in the closed film clinics. Second toughest company was Columbia, with United Artists -moving up to third spot. Paramount and 20th-Fax were fourth and fifth, re¬ spectively. Loew’s apparently has regained its status as’ the “friendly company,” since not a single complaint was registered against the com¬ pany. Universal was not mentioned, according to Shor, because it did not release enough pictures to be considered. Most consistent beef made in the film clinics. Shor said, was dis¬ criminatory prices. Forcing of pix was also cited, but only one com¬ pany—United Artists—was accused of employing this practice. ♦ * * . . • , On Gallantry of Joe Vogel The Allied board conveyed its “admiration and gratitude” to Loew’s prexy Joseph R. Vogel for the “gallant, winning fight” he made to keep the company in business as a producer-distributor of theatrical pix. The board added that it deemed it a happy circ*mstance that Vogel had spent so many years in exhibition and is familiar and sympathetic with exhibition problems. + + * . . All Talent Can Get Okay Contradicting his recent - boss, Samuel Goldwyn, OttO Preminger, speaker at the closing banquet, declared that stars and creative talent had every right to demand as much coin for their services as the pro¬ ducer is willing to pay. ... In $ free competitive market, Preminger noted, talent, irk light of its “short life,” had the privilege to demand what, the traffic would bear. He pointed out that no one was forced to pay what stars demanded’and those who paid talent.more than they should get were poor business men. * * * Lana Turner Her Own Valentine Surprise guest at the banqtfet was Lana Turner. Her arrival was kept a secret until she appeared on the dais, bringing about an excep¬ tional ovation from the Allied delegates. Her trip to Pittsburgh was arranged by Preminger, for whom she’ll star with James Stewart in ’Anatomy of a Murder,” set for Columbia release. * * Lawyers Help Themselves Robert S. Ferguson, Columbia’s pub-ad director, scored with the convention when he blasted attorney Alvin L. Komgold, an unsched¬ uled speaker, for referring to distributors as the “natural enemies” of independent theatre men. Before going into his pitch for Col’s “Gid- geC’ Ferguson condemned Korngold’s negative approach, declaring that the purpose of the convention waS to learn how to improve busi¬ ness lather than discover new-ways to go to court. He received a nice mitting after completing a hep pitch on Col’s $1,000,000 promotional campaign on “Gidget.” ♦ * * Columbia Musters Big Complement Columbia dominated the convention, being the only company with official representation from New York. Rube Jackter, Col’s general sales manager and v.p., told the convention that Col will spend “mil¬ lions of dollars” to build up new faces in “important, properties.” He declared that exhibs must be cognizant of what Col is attempting to accomplish and must contribute assistance in the-form of merchandis¬ ing these new faces to the public. As an example of Col’s “new faces” program, Jackter introduced three of Col’s new contract players—Evy Norland, Jo Morrow and James Darren, who were brought to the con¬ vention from the Coast ' * * ♦ Fund Goes te Congress Allied’s board approved the assignment of the $50,000 fund from j-the industry’s shorts program to the American Congress of'Exhibitors. Trueman Rembuseh.and William L. Ainsworth, trustees of the fund along with other industry reps, agreed to release the fund, now held in escrow. Fund consists -cf coin from rentals of a ISeries of short sub¬ jects on the industry made and distributed five years, ago. Use of the coin is restricted to exhibitor purposes. * * * Hotel Jam Impedes ’60 Allied’s .plans to hold a single annual convention combining both drive-in and conventional theatres apparently has been stymied for early I960, because of the loss of hotel dates in Chicago during-Jan¬ uary and February of next year. As a result, the combined convention will be held in November' I960, with an interim convention planned for earlY in the yeaTr possibly in Milwaukee. COMPO’s Road Map The Council of Motion Picture Organizations last week undertook the execution of its original program which had been approved by the executive committee on Dec. 9. COMPO moved into gear when the newly-organized American Congress of Exhibitors relinguished the carrying out of the industry projects to COMPO. Action was taken at a meeting of the COMPO triumverate and ACE officials in the of¬ fice of Columbia exec v.p. Abe Montague. With its program given the greenlight both by the Motion Picture Assn, of America and ACE, COMPO is now free to proceed with its annual dn s. collection drive. Dues will remain the same as last year. Joint projects of ACE and COMPO. and given to COMPO to handle include the following: Acting as industry spokesman on national legislation, including a continued effort for outright repeal of the Federal admission fair, Assuming leadership in state and local campaigns against censor¬ ship, working in close cooperation with ACE and the MPAA. A research program on behalf of the entire industry. Assisting in the development of new Star talent. ' Undertaking a long-range study of film advertising. Inaugurating business building projects agreed upon by all seg¬ ments of the industry. Assisting local exhibitors in drives to repeal local admission taxes. Inaugurating public relations program. Continuing COMPO’s series of Editor Ac Publisher ads. Developing and expanding public relations field force. Obtai nin g exhiibtor support for Academy Award telecast Maintenance of speakers’ bureau. Merlin Lewis, ACE’s administrative secretary, and Charles E. Mc¬ Carthy, COMPO information director, were instructed to work closely in the formation of area committees which will be necessary to carry out the field work. Wednesday, February 4, 1959 Js&RlTS&T 19 TEN-STATE SATURATION PROVES THERE’S GOLD IN 116 theatres in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming open to top grosses despite worst winter weather in years/ ALBERT DEKKER • HAROLD J. STONE * ROYAL DAW -JEAN WIRES • pwwca it DAVID WEISBART-#**,,,. RICHARD FLEISCHER * ICHKKKAY 1Y ALFRED HAYES la With # 2a PICTURES PSrIETy Wednesday, February 4, 1959 January Jingles; TBame’ Leads Romp; New Orleans Carnival Ball f Emulates Screen Stars;; . li - .1 . « fi Vakeett’s- regular weekly | boxoffice reports-nre summar* ized eacjv months retrospect j lively. Based on tin average of 24 key iftuationii the source data constitute sin adequate- - sampling of current releases but are not, of course, fully "definitive” An index of rela¬ tive grossing strength in the 17. S. - Canada market, the monthly report does not pre¬ tend to ,express total rentals .- - By BQEE WEAB The year-end holidays, per usual, saw the launching of considerable big and strong product, with a resultant upsurge that was rated the greatest in years for the Christmas-New Year's period in many key cities-covered by Va¬ riety. Seme- indication * of- how- the new screen fare figured at the wickets is seen by the fact that only three longrun pix are listed among thh 12 strongest grosser? in January, all the Gthers being new films. “Auntie Marne” (WB), which bids fair -to duplicate the success, of the legit hit, only on a larger scale, easily outdistanced its near¬ est competitor in national boxoffice sweepstakes to become January champ. ‘Tnn of Sixth Happiness” (20th) captured second place al¬ though hot the; boff bizgetter that “Marne” was in; many keys. These two leading pictures grossed near¬ ly $3,000,000 in the month in the leading key cities covered by "Variety. ■ “Some Came. Running” (M-G) captured third position, even mov¬ ing up to -No. 1 spot in final week of January. “South Seas Adven¬ ture” (Qinerama) wound up fourth. It was second in Decem¬ ber. The-combined gross of these' four leaders totalled nearly $4,- 900 , 000 . : “Buccaneer” (Par), which was Jan* Golden Dozen 1. “Auntie Maine” (WB).. 2. “6th Happiness” . (20th). 3. “Came Running”- (M-G). 4. “South Seas” (C’rama). 5. “Buccaneer” ’(Par). *. 6. “Shuth Pacific” (Magna). 7. “Voyage Sinbad ,> (Col). . 8. “Separate Tables” (UA). . 9. “Bell, Book’-’- (Col). . 10. “I Want Tq -Live” <UA). 11. “Geisha Boy” (Par). 12. “Crigi” (M-G).; - . unusually strong during the holi¬ day season only- to peter out later in the month, copped the fifth posi¬ tion. “South Pacific” (Magna) wound up in sixth spot. It * was third in December. | “Seventh Voyage of Sinbad” (Col) captured seventh rating. Leaning heavily on juvenile pa¬ tronage, it m^neged to finish first one stanza but dipped rapidly after the holiday season \vc; completed. “Separate Tables” UA), which, hinted strong possibilities late in December, finished eighth. This j big grosser apparently was held] back in the ratings only by a lack of playdatds. “Bell* Book, Candle” i (Col) was.ninth-place winner, and hinted it might be heard from ad¬ ditionally in the future. ‘To Live’ Very Big “I Want to Live” (UA>, ace run¬ ner-up pic’in December, took 10 th ! place. “Geishe Boy” (Par), won 11th money while “Gigi” (M-G), sixth in December and long high on the lists, rounds out the Golden Dozen. ;rsUmym lop 14 ished 11th -one week last month, hut never showed much sustained strength. -However, it has been doing better on pop-scale engage? meats’ than with a hard-ticket , pol¬ icy- which was originally tried. “Tom Thumb” (M-G) continued its rather disappointing showing but managed to push up to seventh spot one session, aided by. holiday juve trade. - \ “House on Haunted Hill* (AAl, with several big to fancy show¬ ings, hints considerable future promise. " “Rally Round Flag, Boys” (20th), continuing its long- run in N.Y., opened with a solid session in Pittsburgh. These are the only keys where it has been launched. " ’ “Sheriff .of - Fractured Jaw*’ (20th) still is showing up very un¬ even -though coming through with some* sizeable returns in certain keys. “Night to Remember*’ (Rank) continues its longrun in 'N.Y. with improved results on popular scale and continuous showing. BROADCASTING SPOT TRANSFORMS TO FILM! Hollywood, Feb. 3. ( Beverly Hills Music Hall Thea¬ tre, 900-seat film house which pre¬ viously was an audience-participa¬ tion site for KCOP and more re¬ cently has been run as a subse¬ quent-run theatre, will be re¬ modeled and operated • by the Ro- sener^Theatre Circuit as a deluxe art theatre. ' In addition to new seats, carpets, drapes, et al, latest model equip¬ ment will be installed for opera¬ tion either as a hardtieket or con¬ tinuous-run situation. Plans call for bookings not to be limited to foreign pix but also for exhibition of outstanding American product which lends' itself to class presen¬ tation. Rosener also operates the Beverly Canon and Vagabond the¬ atres, strictly art house spots. Belafonie ■ - Continued front pare Z sic degree ’in voice. Belafonte Foundation funds will meet tuition for her study in drama, dance, languages and voice at studios of; Metropolitan Opera’s Maestro Da- nise. Funds to meet Miss Smith’s living expenses are being solicited by the campus-area University Baptist Smith, where singer was a member of the congregation, and choir soloist. Church was one of first to integrate in South, doing so some 10 years ago. Pastor Blake Smith is one of girl’s top Austin supporters, say¬ ing that following Dido incident she came directly to his study to pray that she might meet situation charitably. In final choir perform¬ ance Jan. 24, Miss Smith, at re¬ quest of congregation, sang the prayer, “Let Us Break Bread To¬ gether on Our KneeS”’ R. W. Reaves has been named manager of the Texan Theatre at Athens, Tex., replacing Charlie Field Jr. New Orleans, Feb.. 3. The Krewe -of Adonis # was in mo¬ tion picture motif for its T2th an¬ nual carpiva! hall Friday (30) at Municipal Auditorium. ; Martin Paul Jr., king‘of the ta¬ bleaux represented Rudolph Valen¬ tino:. The queen, Whose name is not revealed'since this is*" a secret wom¬ en’s organization, portrayed Pola Negri,. . . ! . Male participants were costumed to depict “Oscars,” while maids were .costum ed as Ethel Barrymore, Marguerite' Clark, Mae West, Anna Mae Wong, Anna Held, Bette Da¬ vis, Sylvia' Sidney, Theda' Bara, Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman. Back' droj? of the set was a re¬ production of the gate of the M-G-M studio, with huge cameras on each side, and drapes repre¬ senting strips of film. The Adonis ball was one of more than 50 on this year’s Carnival^ agenda.' * . The -town is gaily decorated for the Marfii Gras festival and hotels report; reservations pouring in. In¬ dications point to this year’s event being the largest of any recent year. "Some dozen day and night street pageants are scheduled, with the big climax coming on Tuesday, Feb.'IQ, when the whole city turns out-to mask and pay homage to Rex, the Lord of Misrule. The Chamber of Commerce es¬ timates that over $5 million will be spent here on this year’s binge. ROWLAND V. LEE. BRINGS IN m FISHERMAN’ After a 90-day schedule the shooting was completed Friday (30) On “The Big Fisherman,” the first feature to be produced by veteran filmmaker Rowland *V. Lee in some 10' years. Latter’s rep, Don Boui- yette was in New York from the Coast this week to tell about it. Lee went back into action fol¬ lowing the 10-year hiatus in a big Way. His production, which was financed by Walt Disney, report¬ edly dost $4,000,000. It was lensed in 65m. final running time to be about three hours and it’s to play two-a-day at roadshow prices. Despite the “epic” statistics, “Fisherman” is not particularly high on name values. Title role is played by Howard Keel and with him, among others, are John Saxon, Susan Kohner, Martha Hyer, Her¬ bert Lom and Beulah Bondi. Frank Borgaze directed with Lee Garmes handling the photography. . Lee purposely eschewed top names, figuring “it’s the produc¬ tion that counts.” He felt further that Biblical entries don’t lend, themselves to ’the casting' of the type of stars whose own identities sometimes overshadow the nature of the screen characters they’re portraying. Release of “Fisherman” will be through Buena Vista either next summer (if the film is ready) or in the fall. Fain Theatre Re-Lobbied Jasper, Tex., Feb. 3. Jchn H. Fain, owner of tbe Fain Theatre has completed the redeco¬ ration of the lobby of the house. The improvements included an en- Iarged- concession department. Fain also operates . the Jasper Drive-In here. Fain was also recently elected as a director of the Jasper Cham¬ ber of Commerce. Investors Get Madison Sq. Garden Goes to Graliam-Paige—-Loewis Theatres Had Wanted It for Diversification “Tonka” (BV), “Windjammer” (NT), “My Uncle” (Cont) and “Roots of Heaven” (20.h) are the runner-up films for the past month. “Windjammer” was seventh in na¬ tional ratings for December. “Perfect’Furlough” (U), which finished third in final week of the month, shapes as. a big grosser. “Anna Lucasta” (UA) and “Last Mile,” also from United Artists, loom as coming possibilities, espe¬ cially the former. “Mile” so far is a bit uneven. “My Uncle,” with a batch of fresh bookings starting this month, also may be heard from additionally soon. "Old Man and Sea” (WB), fin- Control of New York’s Madison Square Garden, which had been up for grabs, with the prospective buyers including Loew’s Theatres, has passed to the Graham-Paige Corp., Gotham investment outfit. G-P,« which is headed by Irving Mitchell Felt, Is acquiring 219,350 Garden shares, or about 40% of the total issue, from James D. Nor¬ ris and Arthur M. Wirtz, former president and treasurer, respec¬ tively, of the famed sports show¬ case. Purchase price: $4,000,000. Disposition of the stock by Nor¬ ris and Wirtz is in compliance with an antitrust edict and the G-P ac¬ quisition is subject to the approval of the N. Y. Federal Court. There appears no doubt that this will be forthcoming. However, Felt is keeping under wraps his plans anent the property’s future pend¬ ing the formal okay from the- court. The Loew’s circuit, of which Leo¬ pold Friedman is president, had been seriously considering pur¬ chase of the Garden control as a diversification move. With this having failed .to materialize, the chain is considering corporate ex¬ pansion in other, undecided, di¬ rections. 1. Theatre Owners of America, through its antirPay-tv committee, last week launched a. grass roots campaign-to obtain legislative support for the hill introduced by Repl Oren Harris to ban all forms .of tollyision, both' cable and over-the-air type. In letters to presidents of all TOA state *ahd regional units and ’ ‘ to v key TOA“ members, Philip F.“ ‘Harling, committee* chairman, asked them contact their Congressmen and Senators.* In addition, he urged them to solicit the-support of local chambers' of com¬ merce, parent-teacher groups, ‘ veteran organizations, and civic and labor groups. Commenting on the Harris bill, introduced by the Arkansas Congressman who is chairman of the House Commerce Commit¬ tee, Harling said: ’“We are for it. This is the bill we worked for. • This is the bill we want Congress to pass.” Harling’s committee has spearheaded TOA’s efforts to have leg¬ islation introduced and passed in Congress banning all forms of • tollvision on a national level. His committee has retained Marcus Cohn, Washington attorney, for the effort. Restaurant Fire Empties ‘Gazebo’—Close Call For .‘Variety’ Home Offipe JOSH LOGAN SAGA OF CONNECTICUT TOBACCO Hartford, Feb. 3. Month long location shooting of “Parrish” is skedded for nearby South Windsor this June, pro¬ ducer-director Joshua Logan told members of the Shade Tobacco Growers Agricultural Assn, at a meeting Wed. (28). Associate pro¬ ducer Ben Kadish of Mansfield Pic¬ tures also addressed the gathering. Romantic film, based on hovel by Mildred Savage, deals with Con¬ necticut tobacco land. Book is re¬ ported to have been sold to film producer for $200,000. Half of picture will be shot in exteriors in color and in widescreen. - BBS’s Accent - Continued from pape 1 ■ BBC’s statement that “it does its utmost to insure that there is the highest possible proportion of Brit¬ ish music on its programs.” Here are some of the findings of the Guild: In the nine months from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 1958, 78,238 popular music items were broadcast by the BBC on its main and regional net¬ works. Of these, 63.76% were for¬ eign (including American) and 36.24% were British. Light music broke down to 53.73% foreign items, and 46.27% British. Of 54,255 other items, 40.091 were, aired by departments other than the gramophone department. British composers were repre¬ sented by only 33.76% as against 58.90% American and 7.34% from other sources. Of this total Britain could claim only 28.48% airing of new songs as distinct from 62.02% emanating from the States. From the point of view of the Guild the BBC’s disk department is the big bad wolf. The Guild claims that this department largely influences the music used by other departments and bitterly points out that of 13,354 items broadcast dur¬ ing tire first nine months of 1958, Britain was represented by 25.80% against America’s 64.01%, the bal¬ ance being other foreign works. With these figures the Guild pun- gently demands: “Is it any wonder that the BBC’s disk department is sometimes described as ‘The Voice of America’.”? Still underlining what is claimed to he an American invasion of Bri¬ tain, the Guild quotes from the book field;. According to Robert Pitman, literary critic of the Sun¬ day Express, four distinguished British publishing houses are pro¬ ducing more fiction by. U.S. authors than by-British. He states that in 10 further firms the per-i centage of Yank novels is over! 30%. “This,” comments the Bul¬ letin, “is almost a perfect echo of what is happening in the music business.” 1 Final acid comment by the Guild, points out that: "Possibly infected by other BBC departments, the Corporation’s Schools Department has begun conditioning school chil¬ dren to appreciate Americans. In the series ‘Stories from World His¬ tory,’ among such subjects as the sinking of the Titanic, ‘The Story of Douglas Bader* and ‘The Retreat from Moscow,’ we find ‘Louis Arm¬ strong Learns the Cornet’ and ‘An¬ nie Oakley and Buffalo Bill.”* “Why?” asks the Bulletin, frigidly. The five-alarm fire in the four- story brick building housing How¬ ard Johnson’s restaurant on Broad¬ way and 46th St., which gave thea¬ tregoers an unbilled “spectacular” Saturday night (31) at the peak of the weekend theatre rush hour, will probably result in some new legislation anent -the tungsten spectaculars that dot Times Square. N.Y. Fire Commissioner Edward F. Cavanagh Jr. has so ex¬ pressed himself. He* claims that if it weren’t for the Scripto Pen and Knickerbocker Beer- bill¬ boards, which hampered the fire¬ fighters, the blaze might have been brought under quicker control. The Variety Bldg., at 154 W. 46th St., was miraculously spared as the fire zoomed eastward from Broadway and' also threatened the Lyceum Theatre; whose stage en¬ trance is east of the Variety of¬ fices, at No. 152 W. 46th St. The Loew Annex Bldg, at 160 W. 46th was gutted and its top floor, which served as the “dressing rooms” for the Variety Barbershop, left the barbers bereft of their overcoats, business suits, shoes* etc. They had to go home Saturday night in taxi¬ cabs in their regulation “men-in- white” uniforms! and found cabs suddenly shunning 6th Ave., a normally heavily trafficked boule- | vard. The Ripley about Variety and the Lyceum Theatre is ithat the latter*s Walls got so warm that the Fire Dent, ordered; evacuation of “The Gazebo” ' audience, about 1,000. The theatre runs; through from its 45th St. entrance, with the auditorium hacking into 46th St. The fire apparently swirled through the back • alley of the Loew’s State Theatre stagedoor (also on 46th St.) and ;by.passed the Variety Bldg, but spread a‘ bit further east to threaten the Ly¬ ceum. • The Leeds clothiers, a two-time victim of fires in the past two years (short-circuit troubles), had just recently refurbished its shop and thus became a three-time loser. Only three Veeks ago the Howard Photo Reproduction Service on 46th off Broadway experienced a fire and there, too,. Commissioner Cavanagh noted the billboards had hampered the firefighters. The Howard Johnson eatery is at 1554 Broadway, on the sight of a once famed Times Square land¬ mark, Childs arid its pop-priced, griddle-cake mixmasters in the window, which always lured lean and hungry actor clientele. The Loew State Theatre Bldg, is offi¬ cially 1540 Broadway. The Loew Annex is 160 W. 46th St. At 156 West 46th is the Variety Barber Shop, and No. 154 is Variety. The five-alarm blaze injured a number of the firefighters and kept equipment plimping water from Saturday night (31) at 6 p.m. until Sunday (1) noon. Fire is said to have started when a :chef put a steak on the griddle, and the flames shot up a flue and spread rapidly beyond control. Bob Taney’s New Berth El Campo, Tex., Feb. 3. Bob Yancey has been appointed as city manager here for the Rubin Frels Theatres. He will supervise operations of the Normana Theatre, the Floyds Theatre wlrch was recently ac- qir>cd from Lcn Theatres, and the Rice Drive-In Theatre. a DOING BUSINESS and Business is Great BALTIMORE- Maya;- - HOT 1 $:.N FRANCiSRO- Artists -SENSATIONAL! Olf AGO- Oriental SPECTACULAR! NEW r'ORK — ViCtC' .a — fOffff/D/ NEWARK-Pa:amo'.:-t -WOW! cv*' r At 0 -Shea's Buffai'.-- -LUSTY 1 W ■' aHINON — P-dynor SOCRO! LE'ROiT-Pa'ms- TREMENDOUS! OAKLAND -T 4 D -BOFFO! PhiilP tOr.DAN 0 , F L V so NfxFD AND real it S E.-iN VORE E»0lT ; NG THAN IN T LPNAT ' Nil SUGL - t eartha Kin 40 as'Danny’ HUP tO^N iRNG' r HS 22 PICTURES P&RlEff "Wednesday, February 4, 1959 Coming, No Permanent Ties Germany's UFA, anticipating *■ pending drop in its' domestic rer^ enues due to television, is plotting a concerted drive to regain its for¬ mer f oreign, markets, Boland Caem- merer, tie UFAV^XPOrt chief, said in H.T, last week, . ’Hie tIFA philosophy, as out¬ lined b£ tie UFA exec, involves a pattern: of locat tieups all over the world, tie arm being to get Ger¬ man flint generally, and the UFA trademark *pecificilly r before the public on a continuous basis. It’s figured that this is the first im¬ portant Step towards creating a new demand for German pictures. In the.U.S* Caemmerer said the same "continuity of performance” would b® sought Here, as every-, where else, UFA wilt be, primarily CQi*sarBed, with getting Its film* shown in the commercial market, but without creating a special. or¬ ganization to do. so and, emphatic¬ ally, without, any Iongrange ties to any -one outfit beyond the nest year or sa f "We feel ii’s wisest during th* coming year to explore the U.S. market and to ‘sense’ its possibili¬ ties,” Caemmerer commented. "We have a great deal to learn, not only 'in terms of the market itself, but also in terms of the kind of pic¬ tures we must make to succeed in that market. With this in mind, we have no plans for -any kind of permanent representation in 1959. After that, it’ll probably be dif¬ ferent” UFA currently has a six-picture deaf With Bakro* for six films for release In the .States, Another UFA film#, "Embezzled Heaven ” based on a Franz JWerfel novel, has been sold to the Louis de Rochemont organization. Caemmerer said UFA’*-' 1959-60 plans involved fewer but bigger films. UFA feels that the Homy Schneider starrer, "Mont Petit” which Bakros will release, may be a German pace¬ setter in flie US. Caemmerer said he, personally, was fully convinced that, to achieve their full effectiveness in the U.S~, UFA and the rest of the German producers would have to develop methods for slanting pictures more closely to the US. marl One Way of accomplishing this: would be to set up pn advisory office 'in Ger¬ many whereas American expert could o.o, the scripts ^and gener¬ ally- be available for consultation. Till now# Caemmerer argued, German producers, needing to re¬ coup primsrHy from Germany, had refused to "look beyond th* borders.” How, he added, the Ger¬ mans are acquiring a more inter¬ national outlook, partly due to the first .effects of the television ‘‘squeeze”" which is depressing at¬ tendance in Germany. "This tv problem is one which all countries will soon have in com¬ mon,” he said. “I believe that this wliL eventually, lead not only to a European Common Market, but —beyond this—to a .World Com-, moo Mirket* in which f&mfe from all nation? will find much wider acceptance.” " ' UFAi said Caemmerer, is cur¬ rently exploring, new paths in its quest for an expafide^ export-mar¬ ket, At the moment, the foreign market represents. about 20% of UFA’S'total distribution 'take. The ratio will have* to be bettered as the. domestic take goes down. -The' way • Caemmerer- reasons if, any deal for the release of a bun.ch of UFA films in‘a given overseas ter¬ ritory is better than no deal at all The important consideration isn’t so much the success of a single film, but continued public exposure to German—or in this instance, UFA—pictures. In the U.S. "we’ll have to start in a small way,” Caemmerer, said. "Within a year, when the results are in, we’II be able to make up our mind more intelligently on what needs to be done. "Mean¬ while, he plans to visit the States two or three times a year to gather firsthand impressions and get. * "feel” Of the market From New York, Caemtoerer is going tp the Far East and Australia before re¬ turning to Germany. . Impression given by Caemmerer was that, though there’s a process of concentration in German pro¬ duction, UFA still intends to make its own way abroad. ‘Beauty* and the Bally Walt Disney Productions is moving Underway with a three-way- promotion that win see Disney’s Buena Vista dis¬ tribution outfit, 300 ABC sta- * tions and affiliates (radio and television! and exhibitors join¬ ing hands. Tieup is in behalf ©T "Sleeping Beauty,” mainly, hot with the campaign also'fig- ured'tb benefit the Disney tv shows and the producer’s other Interests. . Series of meetings in 35 key cities has been plotted fbr field reps of BV, the broadcaster* arid theatrMnen, Specifics will be laid out for cross-plugging trailers, contests, program "salutes,”«. teen-age dance shows,, and disk-jockey' atten¬ tion. to the Disney music. Ccjitimei tromt par* 5 ues of the theatrical could hardly be communicated on the pint-sized (hr screen. But this is another mat¬ tery the tv show is cited- simply to show how the creator of Mickey Mouse, ti aL, play? one segment of show business against the other. The other division? are put-to work in like fashion A visitor ia Disneyland could hardly escape contact -with Some knowledge of the "Beauty" ’feature. For the, turn¬ about# viewer? of the Disney tv outing? ("Walt Disney Presents,” "Zorro” and "Mickey Mens* Club”! , come face tp face with the ex¬ istence of Disneyland and its fun ^ikney, via Benua Vista, ifi\ addi¬ tion to the features which have strong reissue value, has several hundred shorts which are constant¬ ly in release. These are sold re¬ peatedly either individually as pro¬ gram filler? or in feature-length blocks to theatremen. The point is they go on and on. -Not to be overlooked (and not omibeked to the investing crowd} ia Die fact that Disney i? not faced With the share-the-wealth-btit-not- the-riak situation that’s plaguing many an Other Hollywood pro¬ ducer, The profits accrue to the Disney company alone; there are no stars or others with participa¬ tion?' 18 Yank Features Among: France's Top 50 FOms Paris, Feb. 3. Exactly 18 Yank films have ap¬ peared among the presently top grossing 50 features in firstnm sit¬ uations here. This shows a lighten¬ ing of American film appeal. "The Vikings” (UA) pulled in 285.930 patrons in four weeks and looks very strong for later runs. It ranks only after the French block¬ busting "The Cheats” and “The Big Families.” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (MG) is also up there fol¬ lowed by "Boots of Heaven” (20th), ;^The Bravados” (20th) and "The Bey” (Col). The Jerry Lewis-popu¬ larity climbed some more with good showings of "The Sad Sack” (par) and oldie "Scared Stiff” (Par). "Indiscreet” (WB) rated fine as did “Tank Force” (Col), "Ten North Frederic” (20th) and "Naked Earth” (20th). . "Merry Andrew” (MG) finished fine as did "The Hunters” (20th), plus the surprisingly stout offbeat-^ ers "The Amazing Colossal Man” and "The Seventh Voyage of Sin- bad” (Col). "Cowboy” (Col) and “Wild Is the Wind” (Par) brought up the rest of the Yank grossers. - QUONSET-THEATRE BURNS Bradford, Vt.,_ Feb. 3. Bradford theatre, and an adja¬ cent restaurant, were destroyed by fire here early .in the morning of! Jan* is, with *n estimated total loss of $75,000. The theatre was constructed In 1949, but bad not been used since January, 1956. It was fully equip- ped, except for the film projector, and was a qponset-type structure. Both buildings were owned, by Dr. L. J. Abadessa of Bradford. tioatixtted: fn>m page' ? greats, all of them names to con¬ jure with.',They enticed both the elite who..swept id. box and or¬ chestra - ..seats ^ and -those who trudged. f6 the gallery. Adorable buffoons, they made,the showshops a palace of cheer..They were train¬ ed for the lusty outburst, the scream of glee. Entire shows Were caparisoned around them. Songs, plot and dance, patterns were minor cotosideritions.--The blare of the orchestral trumpet, the roll of the drum, the white spotlight as the chorus line welcomed them at their entrance was for them alone and not, as nowadays, for the pale hero or heroine who take a stance and burst into melody;- Thus, has a frantic' and happy era gone Into limbo. [ Now It’s. Niteries and TV | Since the theatre no longer puts, a premium mi 'the funny man and woman, whatever comics we dp develop are scattered over .the na¬ tion’s nightclubs or imprisoned oh television- screens,- an irreparable loss to the living stage. Of course, we should still be grateful for Bea¬ trice Lillie, -Hermione Gingojd* Judy Holliday- (borrowed from straight comedy}, Bosalmd Bussfll, Bert Lahr* Eddie Fey Jr., Sid Caesar# Dainty B*ye, Milton Berie, among a 'vanishing' coterie. But alas, look how Infrequently even the downs- we do have get Invi¬ tations to test our midriffs. The reason? Producers evidently don’t think .playgoers want comedy in musical comedies or they would go about rectifying the situation. Of course, theyTI never get the an¬ swer till they give it a try. Until then,- it would seem, we must en¬ dure a ‘laugh- drought and settle for the effete, .the polite and -the so ; -caIled intellectual approach to musicals. It is the disappearance of the comic, as a matter of fact, which has led also to the virtual extinc¬ tion of the Broadway revue, once a hardy'and popular perennial— the' Ziegfield Follies, George White’s'- Scandals, Earl Carroll's YanitieSi Greenwich Villages Fol¬ lies. These dealt chiefly in low laughs and high pocket girls, girls alone, it* was discovered, could not sustain a two-hour show. Proof: the French revue, "La Plume de miu Tante.” It’s all chiefly robust comedy. ‘Oklahoma!’ Started It "Oklahoma!”, that memorable success of the 1940s, is generally credited with this radical trans¬ formation. And a new crop of man¬ agers, quick tor follow a hoxoffice lead, has since imitated, caressed and coddled' the "Oklahoma” for¬ mat to a lesser or greater degrees There have been some exceptions,' of course—notably “Pajama Game” which unloosed Janis Page, Eddie Foy Jr., Carol Haney and gave them permission to romp to .heart’s content and proved a 'distinct re¬ lief from the dread monotony of gentility. Another oasis in the Broadway-4and so during its run fun brushed solemnity aside. And of course Ray’Bolger’s "Where’s Charley?” was a completely un- hibited romp. . . How long will this civilized ap¬ proach to musical comedy be tole¬ rated? Only Until some ciyilized approach to musical comedy times,- stock their hippodromes with tow¬ ering comedians and leave the in¬ terpretive ballet to- Sol Hurok, the Russians, the Ballet theatre and Eadio City MusioUall. ■ hom*o Pie’s M.Y. Bow Continued from page 1 ; —~ tragic affair with.a maid by his mother. Harlan, who made the anti-semi- tie “Jew Suess” for Nazi propa¬ ganda ministry boss Joseph Goeb- bels, has been Jnaking films in West Germany in the postwar period, but none have ever reached the U. S. Copies of "Jew Sness” are still showing up in the Middle Fast, Harlan burned the original negative (one of several ihexistencebsome years back. The director has asked forgiveness, claiming his own life was at Stake, that he had no choice but to obey Hitler. ‘ • " . The Plaza is owned 50% by La* pert and 50% by United Artists; Competitive Bidding Due—Distribution Heeds Recent Pennsylvania (federal) Decree Ledersr-Berdick TafcCit ‘Ugly American* Filming Hollywood, Feb. 3. • Writers William J. Lederer and Eugene Berdick are here for studio talks on sale of film rights of their top selling tome, "The Ugly Amer¬ ican.” Lederer came in from Hawaii, Berdick from Berkeley. - H. N. Swanson Inc. is repping the writers. Granada Continued from page % ,, mmn Another was an appeal to stock¬ holders by Jonathan Guinness, re¬ questing a Board of Trader.• inves¬ tigation. The third was a letter sent to the Independent Television Authority by a City stockholder, Hugh Curran, who also circulated ‘every Member of* Parliament. Granada Chairman Explains . At tbe stockholders meeting, the Grafiada chairman explained the program agreement as a working arrangement, with another con¬ tractor for the exchange of pro¬ grams and" networking,..:It .was, he said, made In 1956, When the company went on the air, and protected' its tv subsidiary from heavy losses. He believed it was in the best interests of the com¬ pany. It will be for Granada to decide in July, 1960, whether or not it wishes ;to continue the ar¬ rangement. H the arrangement was terminated it would Obviously be because Granada felt it would be to its advantage. To kill an¬ other rumor, the company bor¬ rowed its money from its bankers, Barclay’s Bank. • Bernstein also referred to tbe stockholders who had inspired the ‘rumpus relating to the- proposed : share ‘ issue. Jonathan -Guinness, he said, had first registered his holdings last Jan. 9 and had not Written to the board about the resolutions to which he objected, nor bad he asked the stockholders to vote against them. Hugh Cur¬ ran (who had written to the ITA) . did not appear to be a stockholder at all. He had bought 250 ordin¬ ary shares in December and sold them -a month later at a profit. Contrary , to the* view held by Guin¬ ness and ethers, the Granada chair¬ man explained that the shares In question were not being taken up' by his brother Cecil and himself, but would be held by the parent company. "While not making light of the "hullaballoo” that had developed, he added that the company had been subjected to every kind of rumor, false report, misinforma¬ tion and gossip. It was virtually impossible to answer every alle¬ gation and Innuendo "in a way that is loud enough and clear enough.” . Admits Gossip Hurts Co. Morale ' Bernstein added that it would be foolish to minimize' the effect tbe publicity had!-: had on Granada's staff. People-who had been with the . company, for years began to WOndffr whether their : positions were' secured The new and young tv staff, .which had just settled down- to Its job, begah to-4hmic •that something-was wrong and that its future was uncertain. - Boger Whipp, the stockholder who applied' for an -injunction when the resolution for stock al¬ locations was .first proposed last year, alleged that nearly 400,000 shares were allotted to Sidney and Cecil Bernstein. After an 'explana¬ tion from the chair that these hadn’t been -taken from any other stockholders but had been allotted only after others had not taken them' up Whipp asked whether those holdings were now worth £1,000,000 ($2,800,000. The Gran¬ ada chairman declined to answer. Another stockholder asked for an estimate of profits if the pro* gramming arrangement referred to had not existed, but Bernstein said that this was not "an ordln- ary : calculable thing.” At the extraordinary' meeting, which followed the annual ses¬ sion,' resolutions were accepted confirming the Issue of 200,000 “A” ordinary shares of 70c pat value fp executive directors and execu¬ tives of the company. : - . Pittsburgh, Feb. 3. A new licensing system for the Pittsburgh area involving competi¬ tive bidding is being introduced by Paramount and United Artists, with the other distribution compa¬ nies expected to follow suit short¬ ly. The hew method, of . release stems from a recent decree handed by the Federal Court of Western Pennsylvania which, is claimed to have upset the entire system of* clearances,,; runs afid'availabilities in the pittshurgh : - ; are^*» Disclosure of* the Par and UA actions was made last week by Al¬ vin KorngOld, a Jamaica, N. Y. at¬ torney active in representing ex¬ hibitors in antitrust suits, to the National Allied Drive-In Conven¬ tion here. Par told Pittsburgh exhibitors that on- an experimental basis it has decided to grant first-run the¬ atres, in Pittsburgh 14 days clear¬ ance "wlH be’ the only clearance granted to a first-run theatre” in connection with the showing of a Par film during the period of the experiment. The licensing of pix to the first subsequent runs. Par said, '‘will be determined by Paramount based upon Its own best business' judg¬ ment as to what availability is proper on a particular picture and taking into account, among other things, such factors as preferred playing time, availability of play¬ ing time in theatres, and other per¬ tinent business factors” Par said it planned to make 15 prints available' for the first sub¬ sequent which, would go to “the theatres making the 15 best offers.” By best offer. Par said it meant the one which “will afford Paramount, in it? judgment, the best revenue-producing opportu¬ nity.” The .company added that it would not grant any clearances to the first subsequent runs over later runs. UA stated in a letter to Pitt area exhibitors that it felt it would be more equitable to give all theatres an opportunity fo license' these pictures (“The Last Mile” and "Escort West”); through the com¬ petitive bidding process. For the purpose of its experiment, UA has divided the Fjtt area into- seven zones. AH theatres, according to PA, within each zone will have an opportunity to submit: a bid for a license, to show the combination on first-rim availability! Hardin (2m Ozduer Prize Dallas, Feb. 3. A John H. Hardin Award will be presented for the first time at the forthcoming Texas Drive-In The¬ atre Owners Assn, convention to be held here Feb, 16 through It at the Hotel Adolphus. The award, to be annual, will go to an outstanding personality in the ozoner industry, with owners, managers and others connected with the field eligible. Selection of the recipient Will be determined by votes cast by. asso¬ ciation direct#**, only. Hardin heads the Hardin Theatre Supply Cq.' He is believed to have been first projectionist in Dallas and started the projectionists* lo¬ cal here.' N ‘ In addition to a trophy to the winner, Hardin will be gtyen a Bell & Howeh^ motion picture projector. Unwelcome Import Continued from pare I music'was written prior to their moving to N.Y. New York State has* no < com¬ munity property law. Until the Lane case was brought to trial, it had been uncertain whether the California law applied io persons moving out of the state. It is now recognized that it does. No previ¬ ous case of. this nature have gone to court Mrs! Bane retains no fights in any "music written by her former husband after Jan. 1955, i,e. the date they moved' to New York, which is a separate property estate In the N.Y. proceedings, Eph¬ raim Ldndon represented Mrs. Lane and Alfred Rice repped Lane. Wednesday, February 4, 1959 JL k ™ ssm ■ocb may THE MOTION PICTURE BEYOND THE ORDINARY TO WIN EXTRAORDINARY ACCLAIM! .1 At ^ A 1 x %1 i 1 M VARIETY says: One of the most remarkable stories of the war to come to the screen! Convincing and compelling!" PICTURE OF THE MONTH!” American Legion The fierce and fantastic stranger-than - fiction adventure that turned the tide in World War It's ... and in history <; hugest hoax she w..s the neatest tuck! starring CLIFTON JAMES and JOHN MILLS and a cast of thousands! An NTA Pictures Release ||«| |||Af|fnF0 II.N.OROENIUITT, GENERAL MGR. JOCGINS, SALES MGR. SAL W 6EMMARO, EASTERN DIV. MGR, 10 COLUMBUS CIRCLE, NEW YORK, JUdson 2-7300 BOB FMEMCAN, MID-ATLANTIC DtV. MIA BJII. I 11 If Vi MGR., 113+ LOXFORD TERRACE, SILVER SPRING, JU 9-6249 WILLIAM ORNEI^ MID-CENTRAL DIV. MGR., 1632 CENTRAL PARKWAY, CINCINNATI, GKerry 1-5632HOME REdwood 1-224! HERBERT 1" ■ ■» ■ IV ■ Vllkll BRESSTEHf, WEST COAST DIV. MGR., 9952 SANTA MONICA BLVD, BEVERLY HILLS, CRestvfew 4-B349 TRUMAN MEN0R1X, SOUTHWESTERN DIV. SALES MGR,140S FIDELITY UNION LIFE BLOG, 1511 BRYAN ST.. DALLAS. Riverside 7-6559 LOUAUWXW.DiY. MQR. FOR CHICAGO. MILWAUKEE, MINNEAPOLIS, DETROIT TERRITORIES. 612 NORTH MICHIGAN AVE, CHICAGO, Michigan 2-5561 HOME PUHman 5-S6S5 ABBOT SJWAKTZ, 1011 CURRIE AVE. NORTH. MINNEAPOLIS. FEderat8-70l3 MORION NIELSEN, PRAIRIE DIV. SALES MGR., 1026 S.32nd ST., OMAHA. Atlantic 2209 ROW BRAHON,SOUTHEASTERN DIV. SALES MGR, 1563 CLAYTON DRIVE, CHARLOTTE, EDison 4-1373 24 HCIDUS P&3BtT Wednesday, Miffliry 4j 1959* ; O’Donnell Committee Scheme to End Long tiripe of ‘Scooped* Coinm«rcial Th^dref Details of Theatre Owners of America’s plan, to have military post theatres book* their films through the regular film exchanges and thus play features after in¬ stead of before commercial thea- tres'were disclosed this week by Robert J. O’Donnell, chairman ,of TOA s s Army-Navy Pre-Release Coimaittee. O’Donnell'indicated that all films w ould continue to be. available to camp theatres, but that the military theatres would play films only after they had completed commercial theatre rims. He said he had personally pledged to the armed' farces that exhibition and distribution would cooperate to assure that all films would be made available to mili¬ tary theatres; just as quickly as they cleared commercial theatres, and added that the present satura¬ tion playing schedules will work te speed military availability. According to O’Donnell, military posts in isolated areas where there is no competition with commercial houses would undoubtedly be given immediate availability l^r the ex¬ change area. It Was highly po^ible, he noted, that in some Instances where a film is not played off by commercial theatres within a spe¬ cified time after becoming avail¬ able in the exchange area, it would arbitrarily be given to the military post. O’Donnell, accompanied by mem¬ bers of his committee and reps of distribution, made these proposals to Assistant Secretary of Defei&e Charles Finucane last week at the Pentagon. The plan is now be¬ ing studied by the chiefs of the Army-Air Force and Navy Motion Picture Services. O’Donnell noted that Finncane had expressed some fears that the TOA proposal would mean that military theatres would automati¬ cally have a three or four month delay after the pictures became available in the individual ex¬ change. However, the Government official was assured that this would not happen, because in this period of reduced, production, pictures normally play through an exchange rapidly- O’Donnell also pointed out that during the transition period for the changeover from the present policy to the TOA-advanced onev| the military would have sufficient product to operate without danger of interruption of its present pro¬ gram because Of a shortage of films. The only pictures the mili¬ tary might miss during the transi¬ tion, ODoonell said, were a few of the blockbusters, which would be available later on. The TGA spokesman told Finu- cane that the only problem Hie military should face would be an increased work load on military bookers who would now have to work with the film exchanges in their area where formerly they had only to deal-With their Washington headquarters. O’Donnell assured the Secretary of the cooperation o f exhibition and distribution in assisting the military bookers. A reply from the Secretary is ex¬ pected shortly. RENEW TRY FOR CHANGE IN N.Y. CENSOR FEES Albany, Feb. 3. Another round in the fight to re-, duce the State’s take via “censor- ing’ 1 fees charged by the Motion Picture Division of State Educa¬ tion Dept will be fought in the Legislature and will perhaps be finally decided by Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. His predecessor, Averell Harri- man, twice vetoed bills which would have increased the charge on first negative $3 to $4 per 1,000 feetf but would have decreased the rate' for prints from $2 for 1,000 feet' to $4 for "each additional en¬ tire copy.” In his last message of disap¬ proval — April, 1957 — Uarrimah pointed out that the bill would cost the State $300,000 in annual rev- end£; that the lawmakers* in' adopt:' y fed to provide'siib- British Cinema, Open Only 2 Years, Folds ' London, Feb. 3. A new Hull <Yorks) cinema built only two years, ago at a cost of about $280,000, shuttered at the end of last week because of lack of support. It is the city’s fourth film house to go dark "in recent weeks. Brinley Evans, managing direc¬ tor of the theatre—the Berkeley— blamed tv, high admission taxes and hire-purchase commitments for the failure of the venture. Asiatic Trouble Zones to See Eric Johnston Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Export Assn., leaves today (Wed.) for Japan, the first leg of a five-week trip to the Far East that will take him also to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. There’s for the moment no provisions for a stopover either in India: or in the Philippines.. (Johnston may include India in his Itinerary, MPEA said yesterday (Tues.) Though the industry is having considerable trouble both in* Indo¬ nesia and in Taiwan, Japan is far and away the.most important'of Johnston’s stops. The Japanese during the past year have become steadily more restrictive. There’s danger of more of the. same f or the new film year, wMch starts April 1, 1959. While _in Tokyo, Johnston pre- ; Sumably also will finalize arrange¬ ments for the thud UJ5. industry- loan to. Japanese Hydroelectric power development. Negotiations for the loan are complete. In TrrdATiPsifl, J ohns ton expects to huddle with government offir cials^ on “various tightened restrict tionsVoh U.S. pjx, including, fewer permits and remittance problems. According Jo MPEA, these regu¬ lations have so .substantially re¬ duced American film earnings jn Indoneisa that ‘‘a full reappraisal of -industry operating policies is deemed essential.” Johnston will be accompanied on his trip by Irving Mass, MPEA’s Far Eastern supervisor. • PRODUCER GOES WRITER AND THAT’S A NOVELTY Hollywood, Feb. 3. Writers turn producer almost daily, but the spring get£ pretty dry waiting for a producer to do a similar about-face. In settling his releasing deal with Columbia Pic¬ tures, which still had one year to do, Charles Schnee -indicates that the difficulties of casting a picture are so “insurmountable” that he’s returning to writing. Schnee, who during his year at Col - completed screen-plays and was ready to go before the cameras with three properties, including "The Image Makers,’’.“Let No Man Write My Epitaph” and “The Tiger Among Us,” attributed casting problems to severing pact which called for film company to finance him 100%. A fop writer at Metro—where in 1952 he won a best screenplay Os-1 car for “The Bad and the Beauti¬ ful”*—prior to turning producer there and later at Col last year, Schnee reports that he prefers writing to “the difficulties of pro¬ ducing today. “Anything I do in the future has got to include writing,” he states. “The work that goes with being a producer today could be much bet¬ ter used in creative writing insofar as I’m concerned.” MIDDOUGH'S NEW STATUS . Hollywood, Feb. 3. Miles" Middough succeeds Jack' W~ Reynolds as' head of the Roach' Stiicfids Commercial Film Division.* “ HeTIormeriy was with Warwick] joining R03& hm Martifl«zmRa^S|oi ^'&bt&go; Fob. jU Herb Martinez, Ideal Universal-! sales ipanager, topk over yesterday (Mon.) ’ as' topper oF the Rank branch here, c replacing Sam Gore- lick. Both are Film Row vets. Lat¬ ter was presumed let outas part of the cost cutbacks Rank has been effecting around the country. Goreliek said lie has offers that may keep him in the trade. Approves Swap The Motion Picture Export Assn, this, week distributed remarks made in Washington last week by Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey to the effect that criticism of the film in¬ dustry for its film exchange agree¬ ment with the Soviets was “grossly unfair.” The Minnesota Senator spoke at the annual meeting of the Institute of International Education. Holding that Eric Johnston should be com¬ mended for his efforts, he said: “I think we ought to realize that it is to our advantage to have Amer¬ ican' films shown in the Soviet Union. It American films are good enough for you and for me and for our children, then why not for the Soviets?” “I am- of the opinion that we ought to try to show* them (Amer¬ ican films) in Bussia,”he added. The Senator’s emphasis. Is a puz¬ zler in that the criticism of the agreement has centered primarily on the showing of Soviet pictures' in the U.S. and, within a section Of the trade, on the position into which the Industry was forced by the State Dept, which was far more eager for the deal than the film business itself: life true, however, that, in order to get Amerifean films behind the Soviet curtain, reciprocity in terms of Soviet pir in the States in in¬ evitable and the two are closely linked together. Mexicaa Ratio ■ Continued from pa*« 7 their own ftimfare, no matter~how poor the quality. A good way to pack the house in Mexico is to take an audacious theme (streetwalkers,* wayward youths decadent society, variations of bedroom farce and low comedy, etc.); get a knoWn female name such as Columba Dominquez; Ana Luisa Peluffo, Aida Araceli, Kitty de Hoyos, etc., all not unwilling to .peel to epidermis before the cameras (even top star Maria Fe-‘. lix has some revealing scenes in her latest); ;and then put .them through their paces in sundry var-] iations on the East Lynne theme, in soap opera, tear-jerker fashion^, or in presentation of “the realistic facts of life.” . Mexican censors, for all the talk of banning nudity in films, are still lenient where the story line calls for female undress. And scriptwriters and producers know every angle to milk which, legiti¬ mately calls for a showing of the. somewhat hippy, over • bloomful charms of Mexico’s leading ladies, young and not so young. It works like a charm fevery time. When Mexican movie fans become bored with the endless repetition of second-rate, charro (cowboy) movies featuring lots of loud caterwauling posing as sing¬ ing boxoffice admissions drop to' almost zero, the inevitable shot in the arm is a “for adults only” film. This meaning some public peeks at female flesh performing a spe¬ cies of celluloid strip tease in* one way or another. The. fans cue up before the theatre for the privilege of get¬ ting a nude’s eye view of their favorite stars (and that’s why Brigitte Bardot films break box- office records here consistently). Odd note is that audience is made up of just as many female movie fans as goggling males. The ladies may be*, "shocked” but they keep on coming back again and again. With this constant Interest .in. the female form divine Mexico’s financially weak. prqducqrs : gqt .out ^ of 4fte red by- turning ; out undresS-4 epics, with the?e paying the freight' 1 bn their more ambitious efforts. Couple of months ago it was reported by Variety that Republis might go on a; regular- quarterly dividend, basis with the Indication that the payoff would amount to 15c every three'months. Coming in effect as a followup, the Wall Street Journal on Monday (2) quoted Rep president Herbert J. Yates as saying the outlook for a regular quarter¬ ly divvy is “encouraging.” For the year ended Oct. 26 Rep had a'profit of $1,50Q,QOO, Yates told the Journal, after a. previously-reported net of $1,296,066 for the first nine months of the year. Fiscal 1957 brought 4 loss of $1,362,000. Rep’s cost in fiscal 1958 of liquidating its theatrical film operation amounted to $2,000,000. With this out of the way the prospects for 1959 look bright to Yates, who cited the company’s laboratory and televi¬ sion activities as primary reasons for his cheery outlook. / • . ' < " Ben Sack, who crashed through to a dominant position in the Bos¬ ton deluxe house scene in a scant two years with four houses now op¬ erating, rolled Up the biggest film grosses in Boston’s history with over a million dollar take for five pictures. The'five pictures, which netted over 214 million, were “Oklahoma,” 23 weeks, current at Beacon Hill, $300,600; “South Pacific,” 44 weeks, $400,000; “80 Days Around World,” Saxon, 52 weeks, $1;000,000; “Gigi,” 23 w«*k§;'current at Beacon Hill, $300,000; . “South Pacific,” 44 weeks, current .at the Saxon, $600,000; for a total of $2,600,000. Pitch to sell $500,000 in State of Israel bonds will highlight the “Jes- Sel Golden Jubilee” banquet Feb. 24 at Beverly Hilton Hotel, exploit¬ ing George Jessel’s 50 years in show: biz. Coin is to be used In setting up a new community of homes in Israel for new immigrants from Eastern Europe now arriving in new state in large numbers. Invitation¬ al affair, of which Eddie Cantor Is honorary chairman, is sponsored tty friends of Jessel in entertainment industry, politics, Friars, Hill- crest Country Club and other biz and fraternal organizations. Exhibitor associations are continuing to receive beefs from their constituents relating to the competition of 16m films in various areas. Especially irritating to theatremen are the reports that rather recent film* such as “Sayonara,” “Anastasia” and "Carousel” are being shown in 16m versions in competition with commercial theatres. Both Theatre Owners of America and Allied States Asm.'have asked their members to file" complete reports so that appropriate ac¬ tion can be taken to bait this competition.' A tax on’the sale of newspaper, radio and television advertising is provided in a bill introduced in the Maine Legislature \>y Sen. James E. Coffin (D-Freeport). Proposed levy, which would be brought under Maine’s current three percent sales tax, would raise an estimated mil¬ lion dollars in revenue, and part of the money would be used to aid the state’s college students. Dino DeLaurentiis, Italian producer, doesn’t think too much of Rus¬ sian film productions. - “They have too native a quality—-no real expression,” he states. TacificV Albany Goal For Hard-Tickets: Eight Wks. Albany, Feb; 3. Northeastern New York premiere of “South Pacific” in TDdd-AO at the Ritz, the night of Feb. 19, will be sponsored by the Times-Union, for “the benefit of the Variety Club’s Camp Tiacher Fund. The regular run of the musical, probably at a $2.50 top, wfll start tiie, next day. “Hard tickets” will be sold during a hoped-for eight- week: engagement “South Pacific” advertising is slated for papers within a 60mile radius of Albany. Hollywood, Feb. 3. Lester Braunsteln and Howard Beck null produce Dale Van Every’* upcoming novel, “The Scarlet Feather” . .. John Ireland joined star lineup of Bryna’s “Spartacus” . . , Warner Bros, will make “Yellowstone Kelly,” starring .Clint Walker,, star of studio’s .“Cheyenne” teleseries, to be. djLrected by Gordon Douglas_ Burt Lancaster will tdo “Elmer Gaintry,” H-H-L production of the Sinclair Lewi* evangelical expose „ *. . Alfred Hitchco*ck gets away with Ms next Paramount produc¬ tion, “No Bail for. the" Judge,” April 15 . . Sara Shane snagged femme lead opposite Gordon Scott in Sol Lesser production, “Tar- zan’s Greatest Adventure” ; . . Kick Jason set “Beggarman TMef” as his Aric Productions’ first pic, with himself in star role . . . William Reynolds, film editor-pro¬ ducer, bought John Haase’s paper- backer, '“The Young Who Sin.” Albert Zugsmith set Charles Haas to direct his next Metro pro¬ duction, “Girl’s Town,” for which Mamie Van Dcren Is pencilled to star ... Associated Producers Inc., has added pair of properties to its upcoming 20th-Fox releasing sked: “Miracle of the Hills,” religious western by Charles Hoffman, and “Dog of Flanders,” by late British novelist Ouida . . . Constance Tower inked to one-a-year pact for seven years by Mahin-Rackin Pro¬ ductions and The 'Mirisch Co.; as result of her performance in their “The Horse Soldiers” . . . Kevin. Corcoran, moppethesp, takes over title foie in Walt Disney?* “Toby Tyler,** directed by Charles Bar¬ ton. Shpetner Productions’ “Tha Leg- end.of TomDooley” produced by Stan Shpetner - from his own. screenplay, ; will be . financed and distributed by Columbia Pictures, UncomradelyMann Draws NX Pickets Screen Directors .International Guild, union * of eastern 3ilin and telepix directors, threw 'a picket line around the; “Middle Of the Night” production, being* filmed at the Fox Studio* in Manhattan, ’ at 7 a.m. yesterday (Tues.). Action was taken after Delbert Maim, on the advice of the Screen Directors Guild in Hollywood, refused to join the local union. Efforts over the weekend of Commissioner J. R. MandeTbaum of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Serv¬ ice to bring about a settlement failed after lengthy talks. ; "■ “Middle of the Night,” Paddy Chayefsky’s film being, m&de un¬ der the Sudan Productions ban¬ ner for Columbia release, 1 .Was se¬ lected by the SDIG as part of its campaign to gain reciprocity with the Coast SDG. The eastern union efinges that when, its members wore on the Coast, they are forced to pay an initiation fee and join the Screen Directors Guild. As a consequence, they want . Coast directors to' be¬ come members of the N.Y. guild or for members of each guild to work freely in. each other’s territory. The SDIG claims that it has many months to establish a reci¬ procity agreement Nvith the.-SDG but the latter organization, has shown no disposition to Come to such terms. The strike against ‘.*Night” is the N.Y. guild’s second step in its drive for reciprocity. On -Jan. 20, it made Paul Stewart, • directing - the ‘Deadline” telepix series* for Pyramid Productions, a N.Y, outfit, pay a $1,000 initiation fee to join the SDIG. An SDIG spokesman stated that his group is still open to an ar¬ rangement with the Coast guild whereby directors can work* on either Coast without having to be¬ long to two unions. . Picketing aetijtm* of the eastern guild is ;nbt exported to, interfere with the production of “Night” since all. the employees are mem¬ bers of muons affiliated with the International "Alliance- of:*Theatri- cat Stage - Employees and are not expected, to fespeetthe picketing of tfie indie union.' ' * ; PICTURES Wednesday, February 4, 1959 26 picniMa _ ., K fv # j • m T * 6 f Katie- But greaiJr tafeifeif father. Mm Bwtfc A Persbtpf Jiagf SSSSSSSS 1 *• ;• . *, ; .: Every January, The Players to their NewYork cb&lmcse at dram- nings as to actor at I5; l?artisform- ercy Park* celebrate “Founders Night ” They salute the great Amcri- ing at 18 far CaEforma tod the can actor, Edwin Booth, who'gave the clubhouse in 1888, and lived mad gold* rash days where every theft h&’last years, The type of star , of which'Booth was the great playhouse and gamming, den was exejnpfttr. is now targety an exttoct phenomenon. £Te belonged to the t° the ever accessible bar. century of Lincoln, the great American Symbol * shot down by his Then his fir§t trials in the parts he brother, John Wilkes Booth, also an actor, as both brothers were sons was to make famous. And, leaping of an actor. Yet the fame of Edwin Booth does not dim. the years, the slow maturing of VJaa&rr E fts from the archives of The Players the remarks, made to his art tod the rise of anew star the- fullness of his own years and experience, by the longtime play- m tm (beams of tcrfcftt, George Middleton, farmer president of the Dramatists Guild atheatrg-^ooths ^e on^i endfrr IS yeam with the office of AUen Property. Department of greet, ' Partly culled, from c fuller spoken text, the following should be read ]“" Hfe Deep Emotion | uHthitrorigtnalaudience^theme mbereofaoeciagrobP-inmind. i B as three nightly recalls there must have hovered the most ten- f I hnTTtnr * - member of The wa ? to a correct interpretation of dear, and- ever poignant memory of - m wears after Edwin the- author's mesm&g. In any ob- Ms young wife,. Mary Devlin, and Book's. d«Si la 1893. It was thus store 1 passage* ol “Hamlet,” any per- thoughts- of their daughter, Edwi- ■ my privhege, on those early pl^dag sftttatiou, where the true ns, who-became the pride and con- : Fouflia's Nirhts to hear the course seems dfan and uncertain I solation of his later years. Often tribute* tod reminiscences of the should feel much more secure car he must have looked at Mary Dev- menwbo had inown or acted with to? way i* f-oilowmg the dramatic lin’s delicate portrait which still Booth: But time has almost run instinct and artistic guidance of an hangs where be had left it. Per- out on t£axn aO and only a few Edwin Bo f^ than toy board of haps there, one night, grew the Terrain who" ever saw him I did doctors, dissecting the resolve—which was to he carried STidof S in 1888 three P^ed page by the light of the out—that he be buried beside her. veazs before Ms ’last tonearance ^tu^ lamp.” The vivid reeollee- Then- there was'the tragic 'second » appearance ^ ^ performances in .marriage and much that he must - „^T v . . , ♦ , different roles ever remained wiffi. have shrunk from dwelling on. B^yodimpressdons fade quick- l*F ollette. He considered him the After Mary McVfcke^s' death the - T^f B reaiest »ctor he had ever seen— memory of the other Mary con- : whi te‘s d oublet he wore as Iagq, ^ did! many of his generation. tanuaily filled, his -thoughts. -Per- ■ Wednesday, Fefeaary 1959 Hollywood Prodiiclion Poise ALLIED ARTISTS Starts, ThtoYear .- 2 This Data* last Year. **.■« 3 "THE BIG CIRCUS'" (Saratoga Prods.) (Shooting at Metro) Prod.—Irwla Allen. Din—Joseph. Newman “ Victor Mature, Red Buttons^ Rhonda* Fleming, Kathryns Grant, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Gilbert Roland, Adele Mara, David- Nelson' (Started Jan. B) "BEATSVILLB" Prod.—Earle Lyon Dir.—-Gene Fowler Jr. . . George Palmer, Kathleen Crowley. John. Lupton, Vlkki Dougan, Collette Lyons, “Smoky"’ Whitfield, Edward Platt, Barbara Drew (Started: Jan. 19 ) COLUMBIA Starts, This Year _..... 1 This Date, Last Year . .3 antrms grwron&jromnpn^t smrer **nrs^ -1 —an old mam in tonearance “5* 131 this \tolQd very litths has though'not yet 6ft—he stopped at owL* 3 Stoyfpi$ of aftjr. actor’s technic a bouse in-,Dorchester and asked h^ttHatfon. The drawings the tenant whether he iftight look: 311 eariier century or the pfaof- -about, as he onee bad lived there. ■ dte tographs only portray moments of; He went upstairs into the bedroom: gone from Ms house. arrested attitudes; they do not re- —and closed the door. When; he »' is testimony of his dramatic yeal the actors intonation, the left he explained that his wife, power that he had so deeply etched pantomime* the sigh,- the twinkle whom he had deeply loved, bad himself upon the memory of a lad, which made the dialogue live, the died in -feat room, wtofira? began a lifetime of thee- ianreM ng toekttet belied The caprieioos ttfchs, of memo? afinfw toother reeoHecUoo. of Booth yeas later. Indirect, hut were v bortt afresh at each new per- -glgS JfgJif. .SfJgg personal R is the ompie ^ory of formtoce, Aspired by each new University stu- audience. What would we not give dent whb, in 187SL won an Inter- to have a v&eel record of how address, on. h^o. it was publisfiea siaa, hfe by-play that gripped more in iMnUnn- thiw TSt "THE LAST ANGRY MAN" • (Fred Kohl mar Pi*od.> PtekL—F red; Kohlipar A * Dir.—Daniel Kan* . Paul Mimi, David Wayne. Betsy Palmer; Joanna Moore, Joby Baker, Nancy Pollock, BIBy Den WaMiama, Clandla McNelL David Winters, Jame* G’Rear, Luther Adler, Dan Tobin. Robert asmoni Godfrey M. Cambridgie, Paul Langtott, ChaneS Herbert (Started Nov. 10) "MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT*' CShootktjg in New YoriD Prod,—George Justin Jar.—Delbert Mann Kim Novak. Fredric March, Glenda Farrell, Lee Grant, Albert Dekker. Lee PhflUjM, f^Be AC ta& Betty Walker, Martin: Balaton. Edith Meteer, Jan Norriss (Started Jan, 5V METRO Starts, this Year. .. T This.pate. Last Year...*.. 4 "THE BIG OPERATOR" (AJ Zugsmlth Pro<L-Frytnan EntJ • Prods.—AI Zmcanfith. Red DoS . Dir.—Charles Hate . • Mickey Rooney, Steve Cochran, Mamie Van Dbren* Bay Dauten, Dick Haymea. Met Tonne. Jim- Backus, Joey Forman, 2 avn Rodathn. Ray Anthony, Larry LWbkln, CharBa Tkapltfi Jr.- (Started Jan, 2 J> "THE BIG FISHERMAN" ’ (Rowland V. Lee ProdJ (For Btaena Viatel* Prod.—Rowland V. Leo Dir.—Frank Boxzage * Howard Keel* ' Susan c Kohner» John Saxon*. Herbert Lomy 'Beulah Bondi; Alexander Scjmrby,, Rhodes* Reason, Henry Brandon, Brian Hutton. Martha Hyer, Ray Stricklyn, Donald Curtis. Marian Seldes, Mark Dana. Charlotte Fletcher. Marianne Stewart* Jay Barney (Started Oct. 1> ""THE HEADLESS GHOST" (American International Piets.) Prod.—Herman Cohen - Dir.—Peter Graham Scott. _ ^ Richard Lyon, Lillane Sottane. Davra Rose, Clive ReViS, Jack AUen. John Stacy, Carl Bernard, Alexander Arch- dale, Mary Barclay, Patrick Connor (Started Dec. 1W y ‘ "SUMMER, OF THE I7TH DOLL" (Hecbt-Hill-Lancaster fcJr UA> (Shootine. In Australia) Prod .-Dir,—Leslie Norman. - . Ernest -Borgnine; Anne Baxter, John Mills, Angela Lansbury. Vincent Balt (Started Dec. 29) ""THE UNFORGIVEN" (Hecht-HaB-Laimastei? for VAX (Shooting in Durango. MexJ Prod.-=James HU1 Dir.—John Huston Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn, Audio Murphy, John Saxon, Lillian Gish, Charles Bickfbfd,' Jos^hfr Wiseman, Albert Salmi, June Walker, Carle* Rivas. Kipp Hamilton; Doug McClure (Started Jan; 12) . . „ * . "THE NAKED* GOODfeSS" ^ ’ (Shooting at Carthay Studios) Asset. Prod.—Rickey Newberry Prod.—Rex Carlton Dir.—William Hole Jjr. Linda. Christiai^ kobert AMs, An* Paige. Ariadna Welter, Jeanne Car¬ men, NeU Hamilton (Started Jan. 19) "ON THE BEACH" (Kramer Prods, for TJ43 (Shooting in Australia) Fred.-Dlt.—Stanley Kramer . Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire; Anthony Perkins, Donna Anderson _ started Jan. 15) . "OPERATION PETTICOAT" (Granart Prod.) (Shooting in Key West, Fla.) FTod.—Robert Arthur Dir.—Blake Edwards . Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Arthur O'Con¬ nell, Gene Evans, Dick Sargent ;• (Started Jan. 19) BRITAIN ’ Booth, save two*] booksimpi wblXe playing irr Mactt- reeoFdi^ of Ma voice. ’ , (SbI ^ ^ ^^ ering abmit the ' Harvard Rost Cb^ltoTOtis Skinner, wxung : UtaFSi & et S: Me IJW* teat : liSjjc 2 'Bmilfcflf. .cf^^6er, Mrs, Edwiua presStof of The Blairs; hss WJuffiro iny VfcWS afiu in sit tf v i ifiSt i wax : least ofie^ariSculto for the futhre bo* ft . Vdmn Booth could SeMonr for-'; I gftwff utoy fhe character a s you .u i^, ~A*m**ea rv tto g€ft the tragedy* of his brothers , harewi^teit- teed. Theie must ever Bare,' What Barrett said was caretoDy 8«*te*i»sente- ss^Tjrtss^- 'SESS^Jsssz retted, -If yoa ^Stt^d me* SLS S ' lb on e PC fe h sS nax« vndtt^iat^i will poTtt S?£ liDS ^ ett 5® W £ $ ayi “ g In bo? library. And if yon will with Booth and T6a *2 r ay on £ send, me as extra: copy marked- nrw- Walter hbuo- ^ one a carriage tor the park for Mr. Booth—, 4 ’ The page of the Abraham Lte- : diary is torn. But years latex* spoken the we hstened to* by st : T c J ay< ^5^' had recently whaa my father-in-law fearaed SSSw heen He saw- no one tfaafcl w**a menifeer of The Blay- QfiSSrs-2ory eSfea “at With fore head he gazed ers* he fold me he had sent Booth had on ^ sorrowM face. Theft be the copy. I found it in his library Ss’/^r Wdfftiiat a from hisbufton bole upstairs. Oo the upper corner was- >r 811,1 placed it at the. martyred the BeGHF* stamp- to* bdew • ^ .. . , _ , PreridenTs feet: 'When he reached was written “with compliments he fumed and made R. M. La FoUette, Madisto* Wis” *** ccgogo 1 ^ How gesture Whfeh said everything ,--—--- . ^ .rich to iaphegtionl How mysteri - (that was hi hfe heart He 1 drove I , h Shakespcageto [ ous, too, that through- Edbon’s away. He never knew that a ymmg 1 masMon ms because Senator £2****^ keasd BoOth’fe woi^sjnot lad, who had met Booth at fair La Ed&e&m himself was a keen ^ very bed he had ched fatfierThorne, had recegrrized him. stodeot to* appraiser of an actor's 48-year* before! And WaL And so tlas story wasF told here, art He *iw ev#ry outstaoding.actflr htt fcne on - a - Founder's Night, ,25 years of his generation, when he Was in \ a ** him^ that Booth lad made .ago. 1 -I do <sot r know whether 1 ’ St. WJshington, » a Member of the t3 * 0#e reeortings in that same tJaodens, who had beeii a mem- House. Si BeptesenteMvb s> he and ****" her, ever heard it Msh. tk- 3^Sette the. train Beetotfev f went up alone to In recalling the anguish of every 'Bight fw Be&fenore id see leoth’s room on the third floor those d^s, however. Booth’s Boom during his - engagements where he l&*d bis final five years, mind may have tamed to another there;- for, a$ your know. Booth He- odtad it nes^ fas the tree- night, when many months after 1 never toted-. In Washington; after tops of Gtewiercyr I gsrtd out Lincoln’s. ajfeassiBaticHi his dpbts Lincoln’s aggagoinotinr. bg ^ window; for some new had forced him to return to' the broom; Jem WSkes Booth. apiemovnt thsBmngs is the back' stage. Booth did fiot know flow he It WemsSe ofEcft read ~msc&£* igrouttd^ &ee endowed Park ftself would be received. Newspaper no- to Ms family and friends; bolding remains much the same as Booth trees bad threatened reprisals; but in Ms delicate hand the leather saw it—though now there stands he had to go through with it. Be botod prompt copy —, now pre- in. the Center the pensively beam* ;knew there could be nothing so served in the La Follette Papers tiful statue of Booth himself as cruel as a c ro w d. When the curtain- —which William Winter had edit- Hamlet —• a masterpiece, by our rose on the. -Danish .court. Booth ed for Booth. At Lawrence Bar- Edmond Quinn. He is facing the idid not make an entrance* He was retf& suggestion- L* FoUCtte, after CJufafaotwe and, peihapB, looks up "discovered^ seated there dressed yews of study, r bad prepared, his tw eateh a glimpse of the window ;in Hamlet’k somber costutne; At leeSnre on “Hamlet,” which he often ithe livim? Booth looked out from first the audience was slow to Tec- gals at universities and on chau- so often, in those sleepless nights iognize.. him. But soon the &p- ] tauwia circuits. In it he empha- wkich he called his “vulture plause started, and grew tod grew si 2 *d that Shakespeare construct- homs^* __ riintitthe whole audience sprang to ed Ms playa-for the stage* not for , T tried te wonder what his it? feet in one of the wildest ova-' the library. He considered hfe char- ■ thoughts could have been. Nostal- tioffe 'ever recorded for m Ector! aemto “from the actor’s side of lgfe- is the natural affiction of age. Booth’s eyes were damp with the footlights and I submit,* kV; hot oHen its consolation. Surely tetos. He hesifcited^ Then he slow- saiff “with a& respect ts tSa aeu» Eofn- in 1833, must have Iy rose mid bowed' Very deto¥ mCtt of the ; professor and erSQa dSselt'on-Tfe rugged, boy hood days, and sank back into, hfe cb&*. He Of Bterature, that, the diving spark la., the* little- MaryUmd village kaew nothihg Itt the World could of the actor’s genius-, wili efito** when? ke^wto born; callow days he so crtol ja a Crowd—nor SO witfe ShafaTqyacr* better HgH theitiut ftttowed trith hfe highly cr-fkind. ' : paramount . Starts, This Year.... . .;.. 2 This DafSt fmt Year.f ^OlNI-ErEIS JACKS" ‘ G^iteebteer Protfs.) E^^^^Prods.—George Glass, Walter- iTod.-—Prsdc' P. Rteenbeix mae*. roar Jurado, Ptea JStHicer. Ben Jolmsec. Slipi . Piekeii*^, TSinettay .Carey, Ray TeaL Sadi'CMaft -Larry .-Doras, Uy* Ltf, John Dlerkte, Mickey Piunu WH- lKm Forrest, Clem Harvey, Henry . WiH» • (Started Dee. 2)' i "THE JAYHAWKERS" (F^nsnia-Frank) Prod*.— 1 Noniflan Panatiur, Mrfvin Frank - Dir.—a>Mahri». Frank. Jeff Chandler, F%s* Parker, Nicole Mata-ey, Henry Silva, Herbert Rud- ley, JtanoKy Carter, Shari Lee Berumth; Don Me^onan. Leo Gordon (Started Dec, 10 ) n»UT HOT FOR 11(1" S- Prod*.—WiHdaan Perlb«rsVGe»*e Seaton Dir.—Walter Larue Clark Gable,. Orrell Bafcexv Lffil Pairnel*, - Lee J; Cobb, Barry Coe* Tboniax Gtfmez, Helen Jay, Torn Dngtan, Charle* Lase^ WeneeH Hofinex (Started Jan. 12 > ■ "HELLER. -WITH. A GUN". PrtKiS>—Carlo Pfflnti, MatteDa Glrosl Dir.—George i CoHsor Sophie Loren. Stev* Forrest, Margaret . p*Brfep. Anthony Qninn, EBeen. Hedcart, Edmund Lowe (Started- Jajk . 19 ) 28 tlt CENTURY-FOX Staffs; Thi&Yedr .*1 This Dat% Latf Ywcrf....*, 2 Dir.—Henry Hathaway Susan Hayward,; > Stephen Boyd, iten i ®ott. Barters ^Nichole, Denai* Hohne*,_• James Pbllbreek, Joaaxs - ^Hayer, Theodo?e Bikel- ' . (Started Dee. )) "Say ©ns Poirwi* j Ptodl—Frank Taiblln Dir.—Frank Taridin Bin? Crosby, Debbie Reynold*, Robert Warner, Connie GUchriat, Ray Wat- *ton, Frank MeHOgb, AMn*. Munray, Lea TremayneKsNina Sfaiptean , 1 StelfeJ Stevens, Basket St*ohen«» Hank. Mann, i Mlnta Dtzrfee, J(rtfy Harriet, Harpy 1 _CarteF, HeAry Armstronc. (Started-Doc. : 15)- '"Thb TjtoMwmr irtDERSrpfiB Pro d.-Dir.—Normally Jtdmsdft Leslie Caron,, Henry Fonda, -Cesare DSnoVa, : Myron MeCormlclr, Conrad Nagte> Jtereel Dalle, JtfuW KrWUuka. wwi*ft Hank Htnryw Niaa. Sbipman, Fred Cady (Started Jan, 5) INDEPENDENT Stmhr Ttt* Year ........ .10 Tkk OMe, tost rear...,; X7 ^CBhboUttE,^* Sjwi YutRTynnN^ GJny LplMbrielda, • Sander*.; Mariter Pktafr (Started Sept ?i5>-. .. Wednesday, February 4, 1959 RADIO-TELEVISION 27 P'SstiE^rr Its Danny Against the Field (All Others Have A Horse In ’Em) With the exception of Danny Thomas, the whole new Nielsen Top 10 (first January report) is monopolized by, natch, westerns (or variations on a horse). There is, however, one “daytime in¬ trusion,” this being NBC-TV’s Rose Bowl special on New Year’s, ' which copped a whopping 33.7. Here's Nielsen’s AA (average audi¬ ence) Top 10: Gunsmoke (CBS) . 41.2 Have Gun, Will Travel (CBS) .....38.0 Rifleman (ABC) ..:.... 35.0 Wagon Train (NBC) . ... 34.2 Danny Thomas (CBS) ... .32.8 Real McCoys (ABC) . ...31.9 Wells Fargo (NBC) .. ... 31.7 Maverick (ABC) . 31.6 Wyatt Earp (ABC) . 31.4 Zane Grey (CBS) . 29.4 Ruth Lloyds Taped Castros Gives WNEWa Shot in the News Ann Radio tape recordings of Fidel 4- Castro’s voice have proved to be * a form of currency in southern parts of the western hemisphere as well as a means by which WNEW, the N.Y. radio indie, has gained fast-spreading recognition of its new 12-man internal news de¬ partment. Martin Weldon, who formed the staff during the Dec.-early Jan. newspaper strike in N.Y. hired a nicely fashioned, veteran femme correspondent, Ruth Lloyd, to round out the department. By Jan. 3 he had her in Cuba to follow Castro’s Cuban takeover. Not only did the first tape she made with the symbol of the July 26 move¬ ment get her through Cuban road¬ blocks on many occasions but it got her past Customs in Miami and subsequent tapes have been ex¬ changed^. .as real currency might have been, by WNEW for tapes on other topics from other news sources. BBC “exchanged a Mount- batten • for one of Miss Lloyd’s Castro’s”, said department head Weldon, as though he were describ¬ ing negotiations among moppets for baseball player cards. Radio Press, a new radio service Jo sta-: tions, “offered one Flynn tape for one Lloyd tape.” Perhaps in furtherance of a much-disputed journalistic state¬ ment, that “girl reporters can often get places and get stories where men can’t,” Miss Lloyd, armed with I a six-pound tape recorder, became j a close companion of Castro from the day she shouldered her (Continued on page 54) Ed$els 270G For Circus on ABC-TV „ Edsel has bought the entire 60 minutes of an ABC-TV circus spe¬ cial scheduled for Monday, March 9, in the 7:30-8:30 slot. ABC has lined up “highlights” from the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey circus, to be telecast from the large arena in Charlotte, N. C. Time and talent cost to the car manufacturer for the one-shot will be in the vicinity of $270,000, with slightly over $100,000 of the sum going for program rights. The network has had the pack¬ age on the market for several weeks, and one' of the agencies which showed early interest was Leo Burnett, for its part of the Procter & Gamble account. But Burnett withdrew and Kenyon & Eckhardt bought the whole deal for Edsel. WBAL (AM & TV) Split Baltimore, Feb. 3. Thomas S. Carr and Brent O, Gunts have been named managers of WBAL Radio and WBAL-TV, respectively. They begin officially on Feb. 16 at the Hearst-owned outlets and report to. D. L.-Pro¬ vost, general manager of Hearst’s radio-tv division. Leslie H. Peard Jr., who has not announced his plans, was boss of both stations here. TV Cap & Gowners * Chicago, Feb. 3. Payoff of educational tv here is reflected in the fact that seven cap-and-gowners in the current Chi Junior College graduating class got virtually all their credits- and tutelage electronically. Seventeen oth¬ ers had taken from one to as many as 16 courses on WTTW’s (Chi’s ed station) tv credit, program. The tv college program be¬ gan on the station in the fall of 1956. At close of the first term, tv teachers said the tele¬ students were earning higher grades on their exams than their campus classmates. ABC-TVAwaits GF Decision On Daytime Shows General Foods, backbone of ABC-TV’s relatively new daytime programming, is slated today (Wed.) at its headquarters in White Plains, N. Y.; to review whether to quit or stick with “Operation Day¬ break.” Sponsor, which owns about 20 of the 65 spots sold on the ABC lineup, has called in Young & Rubi- cam for thl big decision. It was Y&R which originally gave -impetus to the entire ABC daytime plan, which kicked off Oct. 13. As a matter of fact, it is widely held responsible for initiat- I ing the “Operation Daybreak” idea. Meantime*.other sponsors In the ABC-TV “Daybreak” lineup are mulling their continued sponsor¬ ship—principally, it is reported, General Mills and Bristol-Myers, latter another big bankrolled BM is expected to move out, but it is not anticipated that formal notice one way or the other will be forth¬ coming before sponsors actually have to. ' That’s at option time, toward the end of February. BM has at least 12 spots in “Daybreak.” While there is still a question as to what decision GF &' BM will do about renewing “Operation Day¬ break,” a spokesman for General Mills stated the food firm had no intention of cancelling their par¬ ticipations in the ABC daytime plan. 'Business is handled out of Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample shop. Competition has made much of the fact that ABC has failed so far to get 25% of sets-in-use for “Daybreak,” which v it reportedly promised General «FoodS and others. Last Trendex week was over 18% sets-in-use for ABC, and if network can hike the audience tally in the next two-and L a-half [ weeks, when option renewals are [due, it figures it has a chance of 1 holding on to most of the present¬ ly unsure bankrollers. + By GEORGE ROSEN When Danny Seymour, the tv factotum of J. Walter Thompson, maneuvered the major coup of the season in wooing over Perry Como for a full hour “Kraft Music Hall” showcase Wednesday nights 9 to 10 on NBC-TV next season, the vibra¬ tions could be felt up and down Madison Ave., affecting more than half a dozen sponsors, and setting ip motion NBC-RCA chain-reaction of events that may be felt for months to come. Como* in one of the unique deals in tv annals which, from all ac¬ counts, will make him the “dairy man of the century” with a consid¬ erable stock interest in National Dairies (it’s all set but the actual signaturing) will' take over the two half-hours currently occupied by Milton Berle (for.'Kraft) and “Bat Masterson” (for Sealtest)—both National Dairies subsids. As far as Como’s concerned, it suits him fine. Being essentially a family man, he can now stay home weekends, free of the strenuous weekend rehearsal and Saturday night performance chores. It also puts him smack in the middle of NBC’s hottest night of the week, with its “Wagon Train,” “Price Is Right” round-robin of attractions (and frees him from the now for¬ midable competition of CBS’ “Perry Mason” show). But conversely, NBC needs Como Wednesday like it needs a hole in the head, or like CBS needs a re¬ placement show for “Gunsmoke” or “Have Gun.” Where it needs Como is precisely where he’s al¬ ways been—8 to 9 Saturday night, as the network’s Gibraltar of week¬ end programming, as RCA's bright and shiny tint showcase and as the lure for something like $12,000,000 jn time-and-program billings from no less than six participating spon¬ sors. (And it’s the kind of business where the advertisers don't even earn a discount.) ■ ' But with Como romanced away from a good going thing, it knocks the props from under NBC’s Satur¬ day prosperity. RCA alone among Como’s multiple sponsors can be figured as “safe” to remain “in the house.” Bereft of Como, such cli¬ ents as Kimberly Clark, Noxzema, Sunbeam, Polaroid and Dairy Insti¬ tute of America are now shopping. Sunbeam has already shifted alle- giance to CBS for “What’s . My Line” and Kimberly Clark has bought CBS-TV’s “Peck’s Bad Girl” for next season. Knocked out of the Como box, the others may go the Sunbeam and Kimberly Clark way and identify themselves else¬ where. It’s for this reason, among others, that NBC prexy Bob Kintner tried to stave off the Como shift to Kraft. In fact, the opposition was such that it finally was taken to the 53d- floor high command at RCA—for the parent company’s stake in Como (RCA Victor disks, weekend tint personality, etc.) is measured in terms of big business. But Como’s—and Kraft’s—deci- (Continued on page 52) HUNTLEY EDITORIAL INVITES A FORUM “Chet Huntley Reporting” pro¬ gram on Sunday (8) over NBC-TV will be preempted for a special feature designed to clarify Hunt- ! ley’s editorial remarks anent the National Assn, for Advancement of I Colored People made on the NBC News special, “Second Agony of j Atlanta” last Sunday (1). Rebuttal I Show will be seen at 6:30 p.m. J Huntley at conclusion of last ; Sunday’s program dealing with the school crisis in Atlanta suggested that NAACP present leaders step down in order to ease tensions over school segregation issues. Huntley win read the editorial. This will be followed by comment < from NAACP officials as well as statements from Southern moder¬ ates and segregationists. Tor Whom The Bell Tolls Biggest Move-Around Since Normandy Beach Here We Go Again St. Paul, Feb. 3. Lee Kuluvar, Minnesota conservation department fire¬ arms safety coordinator, charges that a 700% increase in the state’s handgun acci¬ dents between 1953 and 1958 is due to television western’s influence. The rise in such accidents coincides with video’s whole- scale plunge into the horse operas, according to his re¬ port. Last year’s victims include ll “quick draw 5 ’ practicers, the report reveals. And 10 of 1,947 1958 firearms acci¬ dents were mainly due to tar¬ get and home shooting. NBC-TVs Sunday Switches; Steve Moves Bp to 7:30 ♦ Yellow cab stock will undoubt¬ edly zoom to new heights when cast and crew start taxi-hopping between CBS-TV studios during the heavy rehearsal schedule and taping session, of “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” the Ernest Hemingway saga of the Spanish Civil War scheduled for airing on “Play¬ house 90” Thursdays, March 12 and 19. . yhe first of tv’s three-hour, two- pact productions, with Fred Coe as producer and John Frankenheimer as director, calls for five weeks of rehearsal and eight to 10 days of taping with all concerned working out of Studio 61 at First Avenue and.75th St. and Studio 58 at 9th Avenue and 54th Street. Produc¬ tion schedule, in many respects,- will resemble the logistics em¬ ployed during the storming of the Normandy beaches. Virtually all “Playhouse 90” pro¬ ductions, in the past, originated from the Coast, but in this instance Coe and Frankenheimer moved baggage to the east taking along with them Walter Scott Herndon, their Coast set designer. One of the chief reasons for originating the drama from Gotham was Jason Robards Jr., currently appearing on Broadway in “The Disen¬ chanted.” NBC-TV is doing some Sunday night program overhauling in a bid] to bolster its ratings. Steve Allen, j longtime 8 to 9 tenant, moves up to 7:30, the change going into effect 1 the second week in March. At that time RCA is also moving into the sponsorship picture, underwriting alternate weeks of the show. Shift to 7:30 gives Allen a half-hour march on CBS’ Ed Sullivan and permits him to go to the 7:30 post with ABQ’s “Maverick.” Going into the Sunday night 8:32 to 9 period will be the “Arthur Murray Show,” which moves over from its present Monday night 10 o’clock berth on behalf of P. Loril- lard and Pharmaceuticals. And getting the Monday at 10 slot will be the Ralph Edwards show “It Could Be You,” dropped from the Thursday night program lineup. What happens next fall will, of course, depend on how Allen and Murray, fare in the revised lineup during the balance of the season. Sees British Advertisers In Demand for Lower Rates on Commercial TV Hollywood, Feb. 3. British advertisers and agencies will band together in an attempt to force the commercial networks there to revise their rates down¬ ward, it w r as predicted here last week. Peter Lome, chairman of McCann - Erickson International’s European marketing committee, said the Independent Television Authority racked up a “fabulous profit” and that “this won’t be allowed to continue, obviously.” Lome was here to participate in an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences global tv forum. He said that McCann’s current television billings in England run about $4,- 250,000 and comprise 50% of the agency’s total billings there. He said McCann allocated 20% of its billings to television right at the start of commercial tv, this repre¬ senting one account,^ Standard Oil, which wanted to be in television there at the start. Since then, tv billings have been doubling them¬ selves every year, and overall bill¬ ings have gone up at the same time. Lome said he expected the ratio of tv-to-total billings to continue to rise. < Yancy’ Get* Renewal S, C. Johnson renewed the “Yaney Derringer” series on CBS- TV Thursday evenings. Series is headed up by Jock Ma¬ honey and written by Richard and Mary Sale. Renewal order was placed through Needham Louis & Brorby. Frankenheimer said this week that Robards, in his opinion, was the only actor who could play the part of Robert Jordon in “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” The young director said that Hemingway char¬ acters are usually difficult to cast r and that the movies as a rule choose Gary Cooper. “I don’t think Cooper is a Hemingway leading man,” Frankenheimer said. “I think he bas as much passion as a block of granite. And Rock Hudson is perfectly ridiculous. Robards, on the other hand, is so’whoppingly alive, a damned fine actor, and I had to have him in this role.” Maria Schell, due in N.Y. this week to begin rehearsals in the part of Maria, was picked by Frankenheimer firstly because she’s a brilliant actress and, sec¬ ondly, because she’s European. Frankenheimer opined that no American womarf could play Maria. “I’d have to put an Amer¬ ican actress through a 10-month psychoanalysis to play this part and then she’d most likely louse up the role,” the director said.- Hemingway’s Okay Hemingway, now in the states, is said to have approved the casting of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and A. E. Hotchner’s. adaptation of the novel also got an immediate nod from the author. Hemingway re¬ portedly was far mOre pleased with Hotchner’s tv adaptation than the film version under the Paramount (Continued on pa«e 55) ‘Pete Kelly Blues’ L&M’s Fall Entry NBC-TV is in the final stages of shaping up its fall Tuesday 8 to 9 period with Liggett & Myers pres¬ ently negotiating to keep the pe¬ riods. L & M currently has an affair going with the Jack Webb Mark VII Ltd. shop. The ciggie company will chalk off Eddie Fisher and his martial difficulties in favor of the Webb produced “Pete Kelly’s Blues” in the 8 to 8:30 time period. The Chesterfield brand will pick up the cheek on this skejn. The 8:30 to 9 period is still up in the air with Hie decision nar¬ rowed down to either George Gobel (who alternated with Fisher this year) in half-hour format or the recently purchased NBC “Black Cat,” series. Network last week concluded a deal with Webb for “Cat,” which has a mysterioso- adventure format. On the 8:30 pro¬ gram, L & M and RCA will bank¬ roll whichever program Is selected. 28 RJUH8-THMISI8N f&RIEfr Argeatiie TV, Radio Still Under State Control, Iikefy to Stay Hare Buenos-Aires, Feb. 3. Radio and tv are still firmly under State ownership and control here, and prospects of any change are dim. The opposition politicians are constantly in clamor over fail¬ ure to break up the radio and tv monopoly setup under Peron, but Congress failed to find time to de¬ bate radio and tv legislation, or the dispersal proposed by the Provi¬ sional Aramburu Government, be¬ fore handing over to President Frondizi The official party evi¬ dently is reluctant to go ahead with dispersal, while there is any pros¬ pect of what it calls “subversion” —and while it remains definitely unpopular with the people. A general strike sparked by mal¬ content unions on the eve of-Presi¬ dent FrondizTs trip to the U.S., led to shuttering of LS5 Radio Riva* davia, one of the few outlets now in private ownership (established under Aramburu). The opposition rightly describe this as the first at¬ tempt to muzzle freedom of expres¬ sion. Nevertheless, the muzzling does not extend to newspapers and magazines, which are numerous and vociferously criticize the government, with complete im¬ punity. Rivadavia’s suspension for 30 days (the. outlet may broadcast music or programs, but without any commercials), stemmed from broadcast of a talk by Opposition Radical Party leader. Dr. Ricardo Balbin (a Presidential candidate in the last election), despite a Com¬ munications Ministry instruction to all outlets to refrain from union er_ political comment, news, com¬ muniques, etc. while the state of siege continues. The authorities rlairn this measure is designed to avoid agitation, safeguard peace and public order. As Rivadavia (unlike what used to happen under Peron) was able to publish statements on the sup¬ pression in all the daily news¬ papers, the public impression gains ground that as far as radio and tv are concerned, there is no freedom of expression, with the conse¬ quences that whenever anything untoward happens, all sets are tuned to Uruguay’s ‘.‘Radio Colo- nia” (as in Peron’s time),'in efforts to learn what is really going on. This just points up the stupidity of censorship. Once Congress reassembles after the President’s return from the U.S. this Radio Rivadavia incident will spark an even more fiery de¬ bate on the future of radio and tv in Argentina. Generally considered still to be the Grey Eminence running radio is Dr. Isidro Odena, a close friend of President Frendizi’s, whom the Opposition parties suspect of wish¬ ing to stifle radio freedom and re¬ tain control of fell three big net¬ works. Dr. Odena favors having three commercial webs, with own¬ ership of provincial affiliates under each mam outlet. .His opponents want the wets broken up as far as ownership is concerned, arguing that single ownership can create monopolies apd is politically dan-1 (Continued on page 50) | CBS-TV Yanks love or Money Another giveaway show was ap¬ parently hooted into oblivion; when CBS-TV last Friday (30) gave: “For Love or Money,” fashioned; by Walt Framer Productions, its exiting papers. The charge was that someone (no gremlin, he) had tinkered with the decimal machine on the show to rig the size of cash given to contestants. “For Love or Money” was slot¬ ted in the 1© to 10:38 a.m. Monday- through-Friday period. “Mermng Playhouse,” a filmed drama series replaced “For Love or Money” a$ of Monday (2). Hubbell Robinson Jr., exec veep In charge e£ network programs, said the Framer package was dropped 'as soon as management learned that the.decimal machine was n 0 &. *Tjjee. fropi jcontroL” He said that “at the direction of the in- (Conttoued on page 50) 4 —-:-:- MoreHawtide’ Coin CBS-TV’s “Rawhide” Friday night oater continues to 'attract both national and regional adver¬ tisers. ' Latest to ink for the western skein is Boyer Labs Hair Arranger which inked a regional deal for one-third of the program alternate weeks. While Gulf sponsors the series In the East, Boyer will be its coun¬ terpart sponsor in the West. NBC-TV Shuffles Daytime Sked; ‘Baggis’ Booted “Queen for a Day” and “Truth or Consequences” are changing time periods on the NBC-TV day¬ time lineup on March 3D. “Queen” is being moved into “Truth’s” 2- 2:30 p.nu slot, to get it away from ABC-TWs strong Dick Clark “Bandstand" competition, and “Truth’’ will move into “Queen’s” current 4 p.m. anchorage.-* Exchange is being made' with Procter & Gamble cognizance. Sponsor, which has roughly half the 2 pjn. slot buttoned up, is go¬ ing to stay at 2 despite the pro¬ gram exchange. Incidentally, P&G’s option comes up at,the end of this week for renewals in the NBC 3 to 4 strip, which contains a brace of soapers. On'Friday, the soapery will decide whether it’s go¬ ing to ride another 13 weeks. In another daytime .move at NBC, network has decided, finally to cancel “Haggis Baggis,” now in the 2:30 period, and replace it (probably in April) with A L. Alex¬ ander’s “Court of Human Rela¬ tions.” Ben HecEtShow Axed Suddenly; lad cf dent, Anfieuce Interest Blamed WABC-TV, ABC’s N. Y. flag;, cancelled Ben Hecht’s local late- nighter rather suddenly over the weekend. Hie nightly strip did not return Monday (2) after about four months oifthe air, where with¬ out steady sponsor support or a large enough audience to satisfy the station’s management; it stirred up frequent controversy. I- On Thursday, Hecht interviewed Alexander King, former Time Inc. staffer and author of “Mine Enemy Grows Older,” and the inter¬ viewee, temporarily assuming Hecht’s mantle of controversy* made several statements, some of which are said to have antagonized : certain religious groups within the city. Station asserted that Hecht was not cancelled because he or any of his guests were con-! troversial but only because the talk Stanza wasn’t pulling any com-; merdal weight, and because Mike ; Wallace’s Newsmaker productions,; which owns the show, failed to: come up with format changes, in a management meeting on Wednes- : day last, to kindle additional ; homescreen interest. NBC-TV "SITTING 7 ON HUDSON THEATRE NBC-TV is hiding its time on the Hudson Theatre for at least, a while longer. The fromer legit house on Manhattan’s 44th ' SL-, from which Jack Paar’s la tonight stanza moved this week, has- only j one show coming from it at the m omen t , that being the daytimer ’Trice Is Right.” Hudson is one of the three out¬ side facilities which NBC owns out¬ right. But before considering a lease or sale to somebody else, the network says it is awaiting the- specifics of NBC-TV faR^pcogram- ming plans, to see if the theatre cast again be put to use on. a fglf- time basis. Paarishow- on. Monday, <2) started from studio 8-H in the- main 30 Rockefeller Plaza building. { Wednesday, February -4, 1959 META KHASNCH 3NEW PROGRAMS META is ushering In three new] programs this week over its WPIX facilities. A Monday'series from 3: to 4 poa. on “Personal Finance”' will be presented by Jerome B. Cohen, professor of economics at the School of Business of CCNY. This course, dealing with insur¬ ance, home-buying, stock market, etc., replaces “Latin America: Challenge to USA.” Today (Wed.) Henry M. Magid, associate professor of philosophy at CCNY, hows in with a series on “Social Philosophers of the West-. em World.” Course will be tele¬ cast from 3 to 4 p.m. AM-FM-TV Stereo Sound Studied Washington, Feb. 3. An industry committee has been set up to study methods of broadcasting stereophonic sound by AM, FM and TV stations, Electronics Industries Assn, announced. New committee will be comprised of six panels of technical ex¬ perts who wfll sift problems of stereo transmission free of inter¬ ference with regular broadcast services. Topics to be scrutinized include application of proposed stereo systems to transmitters and receivers,: problems of stereo in rela¬ tion to network broadcasting and’field testing of signals as means of uncovering interference factors. Committee is brainchild of Dr, W. R. G. Baker, Director of EIA Engineering Dept, Vice President of Syracuse U. Research Corp. and a retired v.p. of General Electric. Chairman is C. Graydon Lloyd of General Electric. George H. Brown of RCA is vice chairman. Donald G. Fink, of Philco Corp. heads Coordination Committee" which will handle panel assign¬ ments. Dr. Baker chairs Administrative Committee, charged with policy : direction. “META Presents,” a calendar of Gotham’s cultural events, will be presented on Fridays from 2:30 to 3 p.m. Moderator will be John Mac-, kenzie Cory, chief of the circula¬ tion department of N. Y. Public Library. His guest on Friday (6) will be Robert Beverly Hale, cur¬ ator of American Paintings and ! Sculpture at the Metropolitan Mu¬ seum of Art. Program will include film, interviews and art objects. 2LaborMFs0n & Mean Business London, Feb. 3. Two Labor MP’s, who have been leading a widely publicized attack on commercial television, partic¬ ularly in relation to the insertion of advertising, are to raise the mat¬ ter in Parliament after submitting, their case to the top brass of the Independent Television Authority. Shift Rating Hearing To D.C. Scheduled To Start In Early March; Questiqiinaires Are Mailed Out Bauer and Black Division of. Kendall Co. bought 52-week day¬ time sponsorship of an alternate-: Friday quarter-hour segment of “Concentration’’ on NBC-TV. This is the fourth advertiser to place new or renewal orders for daytime shows during past two weeks. Other purchasers were Edi¬ son Electric Institute, Gold Seal and Corn Products. Ex-Home’ Studh hto Tape Center Washington, Feb. 3. The iongtalked-ahout; often-post¬ poned' Senate Commerce Commit¬ tee (Communications Subcommit¬ tee) hearings on television ratings apparently will start in early March. But in a new shift of plans, they’il be held in Washing¬ ton instead of New York and Chi¬ cago. The change in location, revealed to Variety by Sen. Mike Mon- roney (D-OklaJ, sparkplug of the ratings probe, is to accommodate subcommittee members wanting to remain in Washington. | Effect of Washington setting would indicate longer hearings are in the offing. ' Here, Senators would have no apparent-desire to hurry up testimony. But when Senators conduct hearings out ol Washington, they are often anxious to get finished and return to their other duties in the national Capl¬ in a statement after their meeting with Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick and Sir Robert Fraser, chairman and direc¬ tor-general of the ITA, they sug¬ gested that the Authority was be¬ ing very weak and urged that it should be . stiffened, carpeted by the Postmaster-General or simply replaced. ' The two MP’s, Christopher May- hew and Donald Chapman, re¬ leased their statement after a 80- minute session at the ITA and de¬ clared that they had parted ixr to¬ tal -disagreement They charged the ITA with interpreting the Tele-i ision Act in a way unduly favorable i to the program contractors and; advertisers, without proper regard \ to viewers* interest. i In an earlier written statement, \ the two Laborites protested that: breaks in programs were being; artificially manufactured -and that-: commercihls in excess of the time permitted by the Act were being: screened. CBS Rolling Pilot On *Woman in the Case’ Pilot film of new CBS-TV series, ; “Woman in the Case,” will be made in Hollywood starting Feb. 16. Series, planned for this year, will be co-produced by CBS-TV and Tarafilm Producions, -headed up by Maureen O’Hara and her brother, Charles Fitzsimons. Miss O’Hara will emcee the se¬ ries and star to one-third of them. Tony Randall will play opposite her. First script will be done by J. P. Mijler. New faces Washington, Feb. 3. New faces dominate the Senate subcommittee which works closest with radio-tele vision legislation, the Communications Subcommit¬ tee of the Senate Commerce Com¬ mittee. Of the group’s eight members, five are new to it Sen. John O. Pastore (D-RX) continues as chairman, and Sen S. Ifflce Monroney <D-Okla.) and J, Strom Thurmond remain ns members/ New ones added in¬ cluded Sens. Gale McGee <l>Wyo. ); R, Vance Hartfce <R- NBC-TV officially is going to enter video tape production on a fulltime basis, beginning next week. NBC Tele Sales, which for five years has handled the net¬ work’s closed-circuit video opera-' tions and the little tape, stuff there has been the past several months, is moving along with its 10-man ! Staff up to the large, former “Home” show studio on Manhat¬ tan’s West €7th 5>t. where it’s set¬ ting up a permanent tape produc¬ tion centre. This step coincides with CBS’ formal entry into-tape production. It was heretofore thought that NBC wouldn’t break for sometime yet with tape plans on any large scale. But the combination iff hav¬ ing a -large, empty studio, which the network must still include as part of its operating expenses, and the probability of increased tape production work from the ad -agen¬ cies reportedly brought the NBC move on more rapidly than antici¬ pated. NBC JTele Sales is headed by David Lown, who may shortly be. quitting the company for a post as: head of an international tape video < operation. Lown has not decided yet on his personal course of ac-i tkm, but for the time he remains! manager of the closed-circuit and j tape department.' Moving from: 30 Rockefeller Plaza up to 67th St,! with him, will be four “producer- 1 sales me n,” two unit managers and: three clerical-administrative peo¬ ple. The 67th St. locale is being re¬ named the NBC-Teletape Center. TfcnperY ‘Now We Are 6’ Baltimore, Feb. 3. “Romper Room” is getting so old it may not qualify any logger as the “kindergarten of 1 television,” per its billing. The live, nationally syndicated kiddie klatcir .celebrates its sixth birthday Thursday (5) with a “litQe spec” on Ike home station, WJZ- TV' here. * “Romper” will be seen on a giant; screen in a shift from studio to the: Stanley Theatre, with about 2,800 moppets expected and the Heart: Fund as beneficiary. Post-“Ro*n- per” feature wall be a half-hour of oartoons, followed by ^‘teacher” Miss Nancy (Rodgers) appearing with Kmg.lheshow’s mascot, along From the time the hearings were originally planned last- summer, the intent had been to hold them in New York where virtually all witnesses to be called live. Chi¬ cago. was a late addition after Monroney expressed a desire to explore if ratings played a part in cancellation of live network tele¬ casting from Chicago. Th subcommittee, which is chairmaned by Sen. John O. Pas- tore (D-R.I.), has mailed a de-. tailed questionnaire on ratings to all major advertising agencies as a preface to the hearings. 145GIibelAwanl Vs. Fulton Lewis Washington, Feb. 3. A U. S. District Court jury here has awarded a Seattle woman $145,000 damages in a libel suit against commentator Fulton Lewis Jr. It is the largest libel judgment ever made here. " Lewis’ attorney said he would appeaL Mrs. Pearl Wanamaker, who won the suit, claimed she was libeled in a Jan. 6, 1856, broadcast by Lewis, when Lewis was charged with incorrectly -using her name in speaking of a woman whose broth¬ er ducked behind the Iron Curtain renouncing U. S. citizenship. Mrs. Wanamaker was formerly Superintendent of Public Instruc¬ tion in Washington State. Her suit was split between Lewis, Mutual Broadcasting Syste m and Wash¬ ington radio station WWDC, theft a Mutual outlet However, Lewis is reported to have an agreement relieving the network and affiliated stations from loss. The jury found Lewis had not acted with malice and awarded ho punitive damages in handing down its verdict Saturday (31). More Uies Join Ml£ Three indies have joined Mutual. KEVE, Minneapolis, becomes an affiliate Friday 09), six days prior, to v its‘ change from a daytime to a fulltime operation., WMA X,Grand Rapids/ Mich., and. WKLZ, Kala¬ mazoo, Mich, will join effective Feb. 14. Ind. L Clifford Case (R-NJ.l, Nor¬ ris Cotton (R-N.H.) and Hughl Scott CR-Pa.). With games and sing-songs. Admisrion^.by ticket, is through a tieup with Read’s Drugstore here. 29 Wednesday, February 4, 1959 PfatlETY RADIO-TELEVISION ’59-’60: SITUATION COMEDY YEN ABC-TYs 10-Ft Tall Nielsen ABC-TV racked up some fresh and imposing laurels with the release this week of the latest Nielsens (first report for ’59). Over¬ all it was the network's most impressive showing to date, high¬ lighted by ABC’s No. 1 position in first place half-hour wins in a breakdown of the 42 half-hours that span 7:30< to 10:30 p.ra. seven nights a week. The score: ABC 15; CBS 14; NBC 12. Also based on average audience ratings, ABC took the lead from both NBC and CBS four nights of the week within the 7:30-10:30 prime time framework—Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. And in the Top 10 sweepstakes, ABC and CBS. led with four apiece; NBC two. Fund For Republic Evaluates Role of TV Critic & Rates ’Em Previewing, as a style of tv criti-- cism, may supplant after-the-fapt criticism” in terms of profits, num¬ ber readers, and influence,” accord¬ ing to Patrick McGrady who re¬ cently finished a seven-month study of “The Role of the TV Critics” for the Fund for the Republic. McGrady, who spoke at the Radio & TV Execs Society luncheon (28), thought the previewing meth¬ od was a great influence on viewer preference. He said surveys re¬ vealed that program mention or non-mention by a previewer does influence ratings by as many as nine points. He cited the rapid in¬ crease of newspaper subscribers to such services. He said the chief practitioners of this service were Steven H. Scheuer, Richard Klein¬ er and Marie Torre and that “even staid European journals have be¬ gun the practice recently.” “It is not inconceivable that after-the-fact reviewing will go the way of the free lunch and the nickel beer: both dandy ideas, but In the end commercially passe,” he observed. “Right or wrong, how¬ ever, the trend is that way.” After interviewing 44 of the top tv critics (only two critics, Jack O’Brian of the N. Y. Journal and Nick Kenny of the N. Y. Mirror, refused to see him) in the country, including trade press, wire serv¬ ices, several magazines and a num¬ ber of ad agency veeps and broad¬ casters, he came up with what he Considered the top 10, those with the most impact on tv generally. » Gould Tops Slate McGrady was certain of the first three or four on his list “but shaky about the last ones.” He rated Jack Gould (N. Y. Times) upper¬ most in influence. The others in order were John Crosby (N. Y. (Continued on page 54) Another 52 Wbs. For Gillette files GUlette Co., which has been sponsoring the Friday night fights for more than a decade, has re¬ newed the ‘time period with NBC- TV effective July 1, in a 52-week deal signed by the razor company and NBC. Production .costs on .the bouts are estimated to be in the neigh¬ borhood of $1,300,000 yearly .not counting time charges. Deal was concluded through the Maxon agency with the network. Instead of dealing with the International Boxing Commission, which has been* ordered to disband, Gillette will conclude its deal with execs Of Madison Square Garden. For ’Geo. Borns Show’ Although Colgate is cancelling out on the NBC-TV Tuesday night ‘‘George Bums Show” in April, the sponsor is committed* to the 9 to 9:30 time period until July 31 and is currently mulling a replace¬ ment to fill out the remaining 13 weeks, , l At the moment -it looks like “Californians,” recently cancelled by Singer and Liptdn in the - Tues¬ day, at 10 slot, wiUvbe reactivated, for.Colgate for the'-balance q£ then cycle. Mritfr Colgate IBuying half of 1 that-and also taking sik “Blaek Saddle” segments. 7 Jack Sobel Exits GAC Jack Sobel has resigned as vee- pee of General Artists Corp. radio and teevee sales to go into busi¬ ness for himself. He’s forming Jack Sobel Associates which will represent tele packagers to agen¬ cies and networks. Sobel had been with GAC for about seven years and was given v.p. chevrons about two years ago. No successor has been named at GAC, although Art Price has taken over some of Sobel’s duties. Looks Like Congress Itself Will Tackle Thorny Spectrum Issue Nothing Finah Than Dinah On Identification •Hollywood, Feb. 3; Westerns, to nobody’s surprise, continue to achieve relatively low sponsor identification among view¬ ers, even in cases of single spon¬ sorship, while the “personality” shows, headed by Dinah Shore, rate high identification for adver¬ tisers. That’s the gist of the latest Trendex sponsor identification sur¬ vey. Dinah heads the list with a rat¬ ing of 87.3%, meaning that of the viewers surveyed, that percentage could identify the singer with Chevrolet*. Another Chevy person¬ ality, Pat Boone, scored nearly as wqll, with an 80.8. Lawrence Welk scored for Plymouth with 76.0, and Tennessee Ernie Ford for Ford with 74.4. Bing Crosby, with only one Oldsmobile special under his belt, still achieved a 68.7. And Ed Sullivan pulled down a 55.3% rec¬ ognition for Mercury but only 23.3 for Eastman Kodak, Westerns are topped by “Gun- smoke,” with a 45.6% rate of rec¬ ognition, and “Maverick,” with 44.7. “Wagon Train,” though one of the highest rated, managed only a 16.0. “Have Gun” reached 22.4, “Restless Gun” 24.8 and “The Texan” 19.2. “Trackdown” hit 16.8%. Jack Benny tops the comics with a 71.2 for American Tobacco; the “I Love Lucy” reruns manage only a 20.0, buff the new “Lucy-Desi” specials pull down a fat 53.3% for Westinghouse. Others include 46.4 for Danny Thomas and General Foods, • 48.8 for “Father Knows Best” and Scott Paper, only 18.3 for “Dragnet” and ’’Benrus.” As to the Chevy impact, Camp- bell-Ewald radio-tv veep Philip L. McHugh attributes it to three fac¬ tors. Miss Shore’s been repping Chevy for seven years; she never plugs another product and refers to Chevy in every guest and per¬ sonal. appearance;, and she inte¬ grates references to Chevy in every show, including the. indispensable signoff kiss and Chevy theme song. MORT NUSBAUM TO WEVT Rocheste r, Feb .'3. - Mort Nusbaum joins WYET Ra¬ dio here: as/a morning; deejay ef¬ fective March'.-SP* ; Hft succeeds George! .LiButU who. was named, sales account' exec.-*?.</. - * Nusbamn was previously sales manager -for'WQQW; Washington-, ahtf deejay bir WBBF hete. For better or for worse, spon¬ sors have written off the balance of the season. Their prime con¬ cern—eight months in advance of October premiere time—is “what about ’59-’60?” The clients are not only shopping—they’re buying. Network execs say that not within j recent memory can they recall such j frantic scrounging about oh the part of the advertiser so many • months ahead of time. (Usually at this time they start to think about the summer programming lineup, but they’re hardly giving that a thought—so concerned are they over next season’s prospects.) 'They’re looking at everything that’s available for ’59-60 and, surprisingly enough, the situation comedies are getting a play. (It’s been several seasons since spon¬ sors have had a real yen for this type format.) This week Kimber¬ ly-Clark put in an order at CBS- TV for half of the new “PecFs Bad Girl” series starring Patty Mc¬ Cormack. This followed by a week Kellogg’s pacting of the new “Den¬ nis the Mena'ce” situation comedy series, with Kellogg going for the full sponsorship at a $5,000,000 tab. CBS-TV doesn’t'start shooting its pilot until next week on the new Cy Howard “World Of Little Julius” situation comedy series starring Gregory Ratoff, Sam Levene and Eddie Hodges, but already sponsor interest is red hot. Fourth situation comedy series, “Father of the Bride,” based on the Metro feature click, looms on the General Foods ’59-’60 roster, with GF footing the bill for the pilot. Still a fifth series, “Hennessey,” with Jackie Cooper, looms as a Lever Bros, entry with the client picking up the ta’b for the pilot. All about a naval doctor. The eight - months - in - advance sales activity isn’t being re¬ stricted to situation comedy. Lever Bros, has put in an order for CBS- TV’s “Blue Men,” based on the N.Y. police force. P. Lorillard is shelling out coin to reactivate “This Is Show Business,” with Dick Clark helming the stanza. (How¬ ever, this may kick off as a summer entry on ABC-TV.) Marlboro has a ’59-’60 entry tucked away— Keenan Wynn’s “Troubleshooters” out-of the UA-TV shop. Even in the area of specials, sponsors have that ’59-’60 gleam. Equitable Life has committed for the one-a-month “Biography” dra¬ ma series on CBS-TV with a $5,- 000,000 budget. CBS-TV Ups Tom Ryan Thomas H. Ryan has been named a general exec in the CBS-TV pro¬ gram dept. Ryan will report to Harry Om- merle, veep in charge of network programs and to Hubbell Robinson Jr., exec veep. Ryan previously was with the business affair s dept, of the Veb. ABC-TV STILL HAS A WALLACE GLEAM Though Mike Wallace has noth¬ ing appearing on ABC, especially now that the network’s N. Y. owned & operated outlet has cancelled his production, “The - Ben Hecht Show,” the network hasn’t lost in- , terest in using him next season. In hopes of keeping him on, ABC- TV is underwriting a Jape pilot of “Take a Good Look,” with Wallace as emcee, 0 . “Look,” which has panelists guessing at the identity of once- famous faces, goes before the cameras" this week. Irving Mansfield and Wallace’s Newsmaker Productions, which produced Hecht on W ABC-TV, are partnered in latest venture, backed by network coin. Wallace’s $100,- 000-a-year contract with ABC ends in April. In all likelihood, even if “Good Look” were sold for fall on ABC* TV, Wallace andthe network .wbqld not renew their exclusive contract for his services. There is a chance that he wiU recbpimenc& his Inteiv viewing on one of the local: N. Y. stations, WNTA^TV being the hot¬ test -prospect at the mqmenV.it.is reported. \ : • Wallace- has rejected NSd-TV^l bid Jo make hiar the new* “Ellery- ,• Queen.?. • tl: - L&M Blows Up Brighter Trendex Smoke on NBC-Hf The once grim faces of tv execs at McCann-Erickson who worked feverishly on the Liggett & Myers account are breathing easier these days as a result of the latest Tren- dexes which put L&M’s shows on NBC in a more favorable light after a shaky start. Ciggie company started out the ’58-’59 tv season with “Brains & Brawn” and Ed Wynn, which be¬ fore they got knocked off the air had a combined rating of 19, with Wynn getting a Trendex of 9 and “Brains,” doing a hardly booming 10 rating. “Black Saddle” which went into the NBC Saturday at 9 slot for¬ merly occupied.by “Steve Canyon” has piled up an impressive 28 rating. A second replacement show, “The D. A.’s Man” which got a berth -in the “Brains & Brawn” slot on NBC Saturday at 10:30 has upped the ratings in that t : me period by some 10 Trendex points scoring an 18 as compared to “Brains' ” 10. The third change had “Steve Canyon” going into the Ed Wynn spot and the 9 Trendex Wynn was getting was upped to a respec¬ table 17 “Canyon” receives in that time period. Instead of the 37 combined total the replacements and changes in time periods has added 26 rating points to the three shows and they now have a combined total of 63. ’3D COMMANDMENT’ SEG GETS RCA COIN RCA will pick up the tab for: “The Third Commandment” on ■ “NBC Kaleidoscope” Sunday (8) over NBC-TV. i Teleplay by Ben Hecht will have ’ Arthur Kennedy in principal role, that of a disillusioned" newspaper¬ man who becomes a Coast gag writ¬ er, then fake ^evangelist. Others in the cast are* Anne Francis and Fay Spain. Jess Oppenheimer will produce. ’Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ As Carney-Baird Spec Minnesota Mining is close to a decision on its second ABC-TV spectacular, with the most likely candidate at the moment being an adaptation to video of Dukas’ “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” music. However program choice is not final. What seems to be definite is the use of Art Carney and Bil Baird’s puppets. Date pencilled in is April 5. ABC executives are in the mid¬ west now talking to the prospec¬ tive client. Carney and Baird were involved in the production of the MM-sponsored “Art Carney Meets Peter & the Wolf.” By LES CARPENTER Washington, Feb. 3. Congress itself may take the troublesome spectrum space bull by the horns this year. This do-it-ourself attitude on Capitol Hill would mean junking previous plans for setting up a Presidential commission to explore a new division of the spectrum be¬ tween commercial and educational (and possibly pay) television on one hand and the military on the other. Nothing is firmly' jelled yet. But present indications are that Rep. Oren Harris (D-Ark.) may want his House Commerce Committee (which he chairmans) or a subcom¬ mittee of it to tackle the thorny spectrum problems after the com¬ mittee concludes its pay-tv hear¬ ings, now slated ,to start in late February. There is aiso a possibili¬ ty, however, that a joint House- Senate committee could be created for the spectrum study. This is considered less likeiy. Networks and the tv industry generally are expected to react with lusty applause to a Congres¬ sional group undertaking the spec¬ trum study rather than have it carried out by a White House com¬ mission. There has always been a strong suspicion within the tv industry that a commission of the executive branch of government might be over - sympathetic with military needs (to the point of reducing present VHF channels available to the public). Congress, on the other hand, is composed of politicians sensitive to voters who want more (not less) tv on channels which bring them best reception. While Congress, of course, has the re¬ sponsibility of satisfying military requirements within the spectrum, legislators could be expected to require Defense Dept, officials to justify completely its need for every channel. By nature, the law¬ makers lean toward the wishes of the public generally. First hint of the new Congres¬ sional attitude came in a recom¬ mendation contained in the lengthy recent report of the Harris Legis¬ lative Oversight * Subcommittee (after its sensational ’58 probes of the Federal Communications Com¬ mission and other regulatory agen¬ cies). In the report, the Harris group said: study of the use of the entire spectrum and a determina¬ tion as to its allocation and use is urgently needed. This technical job requires the authority of a spe¬ cial Congressional task force, since 'Continued on paee 55> ' TARZIAN'S FM OUTLET ■ Washington, Feb- 3. : Federal. Communications Com¬ mission hasawarded new Bloom¬ ington;'Ini, FM Outlet to SafkeS Tarzian Ihe.' Tarsia* already has Wl v TV (TV) 3dd-WTT3: AM.rintib iff Blooming-, ton. * - - . CBS Bags Some Daytime TV Coin CBS-TV daytime biz was plushy this week with several programs bragging SRO or virtually SRO status. General Foods and Toni bought quarter-hour Sh^ts on the Jimmy Dean afternoon series, leaving open only me quarter-hour availability on the five-a-weeker. Ed Friendly recently took over the show reins as producer. General Foods and Toni also bought into soapers “Edge of Night,” “Love of Life” and “I Love Lucy.” Sales staffers, at this mo¬ ment, are crowing at SRO status' of five daytimers, “Verdict Is Yours,” “As the World Turns,” “Edge of Night,” “Secret Storm” and “House Party.” On the other daytimers, both Arthur Godfrey and “I Love Lucy” reruns are reportedly showing strength with both shows averaging seven out of 10 quarter hours sold. In a nighttimer dicker. Equitable Life Assurance Society of U.S. paeted ah alternate quarter-hour of Doug Edwards’ newscasts. Quaker Oats tiffs week J|lso latched, on to the soaper, “As the World Turns’! on a alternate quar¬ ter-hour basis. TF-FKJttS 30 Ksasn feknify 4, l0^9 Poses Problem for ^Hr. Skeins Short story market, which has- been the major 1 scarce of story' material for half-hour rldpic an¬ thologies Is ‘‘virtually depleted.” This is according to Bill Sackheim, the executive produce* of “Alcoa- Goody ear,” who said that tv origi¬ nals must become the “salvation” ©f anthology series. Only .trouble with that* accord¬ ing to Saskhelm, who is east this week to shoot' the first “Alcoa- Goody ear” in New York, is that there is a premium on good orig¬ inals. Fifty percent of “A-C” has been made up of originals,. Sackheim ex¬ plained, but “practically all the top short stories have been adapted by now.** The producer, who is also director of programming for Screen Gems In Hollywood, said that there are still 'opportunities for a few adaptations, “but how many maga¬ zines today are there to draw from?” He estimated that over the last five years at least 200 short stories per semester have been adapted for video anthologies of the 30- . minute variety. “Hurt’s at least 1,000 in five years, plus all those that never get on.” Sdckheim explained that "out of every 30 shows in each anthology series, there are eight to nine dis¬ asters . . . shows which don’t pan out in adaptation and never get on the air.” The longer tv anthology series, of which only the 90-minute “Play¬ house 90” remains; according to Sackheim, have a broader area in which to search for adaptable ma¬ terial. “If you have a 90-minute show,” he observed, “the producer pan draw on novels, novelettes, and plays. But when you’re doing a half-hour for television; you simply don’t have the space necessary to torn a long story^into a short tele¬ vision program.”* In passing note on adaptations of short stories for television, Sackheim recalled that the normal (in addition to scripting) price for story rights was from $750 to $1,000 and producers paid as high as $2,000 for a much-wanted short story, but that was “rarely,” Sack¬ heim added. This week, under Sackheim’s aegis, a Screen Gems production crew is making an original called “Finch Finds a Way” in New York. Show left its Hollywood production base for the east so that Walter Slezak could appear in the role written especially for him by three writers, Sol Saks, Peggy Chan tier and Bill Ccwley. The lea£ is ap¬ pearing currently in the Broadway comedy, “The Gazebo,” . and couldn’t take time out in Holly¬ wood for tv. "Finch” is being shot on a four-day schedule at the down¬ town Biltmore Studios, (aifstar SpaiSd F»r Greene & Rouse Hollywood, Feb. 3. • Clarence Greene and Bussell Rouse, who wrote, produced and directed “Underworld” as their first teleseries for Screen Gems, will do a second series for Colum¬ bia Pictures subsid, tabbed “Gang¬ ster Squad.” Paitners’ deal with SG calls for two series annually for next three years. British Equity To BBC-TV: Humbug’ London, Feb. 3. BBC-TV is accused of “humbug” by * British Actors’ Equity. The - union makes its charge because of the network’s statement that it was doing all it could to stimulate pro¬ duction of British films for televi¬ sion. Although well over 1,200 tv films have been made in Britain since .1953, the BBC, says Equity, has played no part whatever in this development. At the time when vidpic production began: to expand, the BBC withdrew from negotia¬ tions between Equity and the pro¬ ducers for a standard contract “presumably because it had no in¬ tention of making any such films.” Equity’s general secretary, Ger¬ ald Croasdell, points out that while commercial tv is order a statutory duty to play a proper proportion of British material, there is no sueh formal obligation upon the BBCL Nor is the BBC prepared, as the Independent Television Authority is, to discuss this .matter with the trade unions and other interested organizations. Buckeye Acquires Flamiiigo, Pyramid In Show Biz Yen Buckeye Corp., mid western firm with diversified interests ranging from farm implements to garden furniture, is ndw in shqw biz. The Springfield, * Mo., headquartered outfit has acquired Flamiiigo Tele¬ film Sales, Pyramid Productions, and property rights in five tv-se¬ ries held by Essex Universal. Under the deal, present manage¬ ments of Flamingo and Pyramid remain intact. Putting the Fla¬ mingo* distribbery and Pyramid un¬ der the roof of one overall manage¬ ment gives Flamingo a production arm. Understand that Flamingo, with the fresh capital resources of Buckeye, plans to expand its field sales force and add further prod? uct to its catalog. Buckeye’s newly-formed enter tainment division also plans to en¬ ter the field of tv commercial pro¬ duction, as well as the filming of industrial and education shows. Negotiations for. such a tie are said (Continued on page 54) Daysfor’s ‘Sbre & Share Alike Te Ww Talent . Hollywood, Feb. 3. Day star. Productions, new indie pic-tv-legit production outfit head¬ quartered at 20th-Fox Studios, will lens, within the next month, two pilots for projected teleseries in which contributing writers will be offered a degree of ownership. Policy, to he continued for all projects-attempted by the new out¬ fit, is envisioned as a trend that will be adopted by many other Other telefilm producers this sea¬ son, according to Stanley Colbert, proxy of Daystar. Thistrend will result this year in the greatest influx ever of writers and stars from other media to tv, Colbert maintained, adding that, because writers now only playing on the periphery of tv will begin to break .through, tv will have a “new look” next season. “With the exception of 20 top stars, all others will come into the tv fold,” Colbert declared, ampli¬ fying that new material of top writers, who will be spurred by the promise of ownership and greater income, enabling, them to operate under an “umbrella of financial security,” will bring about the star’breakthrough. “Scripts, rather than revenue, will attract the top stars,” Colbert stated. ’ Daystar will enter into a series of personal and contractual asso¬ ciations with writers, preferably those now writing exclusively for other media, according to the exec. Writers will be offered not only the degree of ownership, but a cre¬ ative atmosphere to work in. “Our deal with Martin Manulis at 20fh-Fox (under which 20th will finance and distribute, through William Morris, Day star-owned telefilms in return for a percentage of the profits) was revolutionary in that it was made without any specific properties in mind. It was predicated on the gamble that we were, going to create, and after only two sessions (with Manulis, Dominick Dunne, Colbert and Day- star co-owner and creative head Leslje Stevens in attendance), we (Continued on page 54) 19 Telefilm Series Tip Scales In TTs ’59 Giant Guessing Game Hollywood, Feb. 3. Syndicated filmbuyers will be playing a giant guessing-game be¬ tween now and August, involving a minimum of 19 telefilm series committed to production of 39 epi¬ sodes each. The guessing-game: how many of these, and which, will actually end up in syndica¬ tion? This unique state of affairs has come about through a pair of fac¬ tors: (1) growth of several large syndication houses with plenty of internal financing, enabling them to produce several full 39-show series without immediate place¬ ment into syndication to overcome the pressing need of coin recoup¬ ment; (2) the extension of the national selling season well into August and even September, pro¬ longing the period in which na¬ tional sales can be consummated. Fact that a distributor is willing to commit for a full 39-show series isn’t new—it’s been the traditional pattern in syndication. But the newfound financial strength of the syndication houses permits them to hold off on distribution of the product for an indeterminate length of time. In the past, the shot at a national sale was at best a fleeting one; the syndicator had to get off the ground with the series in order to start recouping costs and pay off his interest. Now, many syndication compan-. ies are in the enviable position of being able to hold off on a series. This, combined with the prolonged national selling season, finds sev¬ eral syndicators going full-steamr ahead on production but prepared to hold off on distribution until they’re certain they’ve exhausted every possibility of national sale —and that means holding the property off the market until Au¬ gust at the very earliest. ‘ For,the filmhuyer, it's a prob¬ lem. While he’s certain* that the majority of these shows will end up in syndication, he doesn’t know which ones they are. Meanwhile, other syndicators are going ahead with straight-syndication proper¬ ties; Screen Gems, for example, makes no hones about which shows it will syndicate and which it will sell nationally. Some companies double over into both fields; Inde¬ pendent Television Corp. is making several series of 39, some of which are clearly earmarked for syndi¬ cation while others are aimed at national. Filmbuyer’s problem is which to buy—if he goes ahead and buys the straight syndication property, he may be passing up a better show that couldn’t make a network sale hut Is still a superior syndi¬ cation entry. How long must the filmbuyer hold off on decisions when there’s a fall schedule to program on his station? Best symbolizing the new dis¬ tribution approach is United Art¬ ists Television, which has fullscale production committed on five se¬ ries, but Will try for network deals on each of them—in fact has only started to establish a syndication sales force. Califronia National Productions has a couple of at¬ tractive properties in “Ruditsky” and “Philip Marlowe,” tmt is hell¬ bent on national deals on these. ITC is propping “Tom Swift” and “Four Just Men” as network en¬ tries. Ziv is preparing seven series; but which will go network, which syndication, nobody knows—there’s even a possibility some may never go beyond a pilot, though Ziv tra¬ ditionally has gone all the way on a'property once it’s locked it in. ♦Even a straight-production setup like the Hal Roaeh Studios, in ex¬ pectation of. moving into distribu¬ tion, is committed all the way to two shows, “The Veil” odd the new GUy Madison series. And NTA has started “The Third Man” and will follow that with “High Noon/* though the latter may be confined to a pilot as a starter. A production bridge spanning the Atlantic is taking place, with telefilmeries shooting part of the same series in Hollywood and England. Climbing aboard the bridge are Gross-Krasne-SiDerman, which - will shoot a portion of the 39 episodes .of “Fate” on the Coast and in Britain; ditto Independent Television Corp;, with “The Best of the Post,” CBS Films, with “Rendezvous,” and National Telefilm Associates, with “Third Man.” Shooting part of a series in Hollywood and England has these advantages: episodes made in England usually are eligible to come in without any quota restrictions; sale in the Amercan market isn’t hampered/by the sole made-in-Britain label (syndicator can point tol the share of episodes made in Hollywood to ease that • criticism); for anthology series it offers a variety of backgrounds; and of no small consequence is the hope in many cases that the British telefilm producers will follow through on the lines set up in the episodes produced in the U:S. Syndicators Have a Cross to Bear: Decamenlaries O’seas WPIX, N. Y., which had a winner in “The Russian Revolution” plans to syndicate that one and three other historical documentaries,.now in preparation abroad. Station has' named film manager William Coop¬ er Jr., to handle the foreign syn¬ dication. Forthcoming documentaries planned include “The Secret life of Adolph Hitler,” “The Cold War and Berlin,” and “The Eva Peron Story.” “Russian Revolution,” which was aired nq Panadian Broadcast-:* ing Corp. web, now is being dubbed in Frenchfor telecasting in French-speaking Canada. NTA Enviskn^ $400,890 Gross From High Noon’ „ Who says there is a ceiling of $150,000 for a pic feature in tv syndication? On the contrary, National Telefilm Associates con¬ tends it will gross about $400,000 on “High Noon” in tv distribution. Gary Cooper starrer was one of three pictures bought by NTA from Stanley Kramer. The others were “Cyrano de Bergerac” and “The Men.” For the three pic¬ tures, on which NTA subsequently got copyrights, negative and vir¬ tually all other rights, NTA paid a high of $600,000. In October, ’57 it put “High Noon” along, with 57 other pix in its “Champagne Package.” Doing that, shuffling that Western fave with the others, how can it come up with a $400,- 000 figure? It’s in the-accepted accounting practice of allocating revenues on the pix in the package in proportion to the amount invest¬ ed in each of the features. “High Noon” is pulling the $400,000 tally, probably one of the top grossers of all the cinematics released to tv. The “Champagne Package” has been, sold in about 160 U. S. mar¬ kets, and the stellar Cooper starter has had a big whirl on tv overseas. NTA, incidentally, also plans to do a telefilm series, titled “High Noon,” based on the pic. There aren’t many “High Noon’s” around, but the' dollar pull of the pic puts a different complexion on the. tv potential for cinematics of comparable quality. There’s more gold in the airway exposure than initially acknowledged—especially today with the drying up of the pre-’48’s, referring again to the faves. FPA Renames Zucker Nathan Zucker, of Dynamic Films has been reelected president of the Film Producers Assn, of N. Y. Lee Blair, of Film-TV Gra¬ phics, has been named executive veepee, and vicepresidents. are Judd Pollack, of MPG Productions and Robert Crane, of Color Serv¬ ice. Secretary is Henry Strauss; iff Henry Strauss Co., while JEdwatff: ' JL Lamm, of Patheseope, becomes treasurer. More than one syndication sales exec is being confronted by grow¬ ing demands of regional and local sponsors for participations, rather than program buys of first-run and off-network properties: Problem, if it gains additional momentum, Could grow into a ma¬ jor headache for syndicators. Bed¬ rock of first-rim syndication, whether fresh properties or off- network skeins, lias been the sale to the Advertiser. That sale, on the regional and local leveT, has offered the better profit margin to syndi¬ cators. That sale; too, from the ad¬ vertisers point of view, has given the sponsor program identification and merchandising tie-up oppor¬ tunities on the local level. Major force in shifting, the think¬ ing of the advertisers riding the syndication bandwagon is the grow¬ ing participation trend on the net¬ work leveL If the major advertis¬ ers on the webs are riding high on spots, the regional add local adver¬ tisers find the trend intriguing and are going along—in growing num¬ bers. CBS Filins had to walk away from more than one. deal on "Bor¬ der Patrol” because the advertiser wanted a participation rather than a program 6uy. One syndicator sold a show in Philadelphia for $300 on a third participation, in a market keyed to about a $1,200 per episode price. Idea was to corral two other spon¬ sors far the added coin, but tedate the other sponsors haven’t been rounded up and the program is set to go on. the air shortly at that $300 bargain price. That’s an example of how the spot development can raise havoc on the present eco¬ nomics in the syndication field. The mor? successful syndication outfits are waiting it out, hoping the dust will settle down. But in a relatively slow period, as now, the more anxious houses are making quite a number of those participa¬ tion deals on first-runners in syndi¬ cation. The development, accord¬ ing to the vets in' the biz, could spell turmoil in the field, If it mushrooms from today’s ascen¬ dency. National Telefilm Associates, is set to reactivate its Famous Films as a rerun division of its feature distribution setup. Timing of the move coincides with the winduR of station licenses for many pix distributed by NTA. With the Hollywood well of pre¬ ss’s drying up—and* with replen¬ ishment froih major studio sources still a number of years .away— NTA’s move is a .forerunner of what other feature dislribs are go¬ ing. to do iii the immediate future. Famous Films Will come under the overall direction of Harold Goldman,. exec v.p. Involved in re¬ run operation will be pix from 20th-Fox, Stanley Kramer, vin¬ tagers Initially distributed by Para¬ mount^ and pix from major indie sources. That there’s rating life in the top of the barrel repeats- is shown week after week in Variety- FulseV feature film chart* VAs; to how. much* NTA wHI get/for anoth- . er turniruimdini-ticeiufirig il^ pix & ait-open., question At dhas point, 30% airef’age ti its briguiaf gross on the cinematics; W<*be«day, February 4, 195^ UtelEfr TV- - . The birth of Independent Television Corp„now just six months bid, is * ease .history in the surge toward bigness... From the British end, Associated Television wanted a distribu¬ tion outlet in the U.S. ‘which it could rely on. Associated Televi- sion’s past experience had rim along these lines, if it came in with a successful property, distribution in the U.S.. would function okay; if it had a clinker and the guarantee was hard for the dis¬ tribution organization to swallow, the distribbery would cut down * 'on its sales force and make further ATV property feeding un¬ tenable. f The Jack Wrath er Organization also wanted a stable outlet for its telefilm' properties. The two wedded in their plans and formed ITC, which bought Television Programs of America/giving ITC a functioning distribution organization . The Walter Kingsley-helmed distribbery, under the setup, pledges no guarantees to either Jack Wrathqr Organization or Britain’s ATV, the two firms being - essentially product feeders to ITC. The no-guarantee clause was stuck in so that ITC could have clear sailing as a distribution organisation, moving properties as quickly as possible. In the case ojt in unforeseen clinker, a high guarantee need not take the sales wind out of the organization, as happens so often with other' telefilmeries. ITC Just has its dis¬ tribution costs which isn’t small by any account. But the losses for a slow nr unpopular show, if there is any, will be assumed to a large measure by the product feeders. Jack Wrather Organiza¬ tion and ATV. : By June, FTC .plans to have a sales force of 70, moving proper¬ ties at the pace of one series every two months. Principal, in ‘Naked CHy’Waints Out So He’ll Be *Killed in Action’ ' For perhaps the first time in video annals the principal in a con-: ttouing telefilm' series , wfil be ’killed in action.” John Mclntire, who reportedly wants to leave the lead role of Det Lt. Dan Muldoon in the ABC-TV skein '“Naked City” to spend more time at his ranch and with his family in Mon¬ tana, will be written out -ip this unusual way for producer: Kelt Leonard on show’s 25th:balf-hbur. Episode will be shown In' mid- March or thereabouts. : As in such as the “Lassie” skein, old principals have been written out and new ones written in, but never-violently. Horace McMahon will take over for Mclntire, al¬ though he won’t play as formidable a part in the weekly proceedings as does “Muldoon” according to* Screen Gems, which Underwrites this Leonard package. Departure of Mclntire 1 ea ve S Jim Franciscos as the solefronter of the cop stanza. Sponsor Brown & Williamson So far has not todi- : cated any displeasure at the pros¬ pect of either Mclntire*s departure or the bloody (deHberately mur- dered) way in which s we hOt make. it Show will even have bis fix-i neral (on the air, it’s reported. Hollywood, Feb/3. With nine series rolling and lfi pilots in . the process, of bring . filmed,. Ziv Television is spiffing over the boundaries of Its ewn- atudfos and looking td tmtside'lris for rentals. Couple of weekxbebk, It transferred '’World of Giants”! over to the GoMwyn Studios,jfcofc- next doer to'the Zfv fyt, Lastweek/ it farmed a “Rough Bidets”, eeg? •ment out toCalifornia ,£tuidiosv with the possibility of -additional •fcgs moving here in the future. - Farmout process on production may worsen, as Zfv get* Into jdlot prod ucticm^Company has added three ptojectetbthe seven: alreaay. scheduled/ and Jm>,' gone? ahead on toditionriproductiouet one bf them, the Macdonald Ganey; “Loek-UP” stamoLOthriwia^ Aaee ' are tour network andfeursatodi- cetod shows shootin&Webtotrie* are ?Bef MastersoiC ”Brix«h Riders”, and >Tbmfcritoe Territory.^ s&rwficritod Airies ttee “Sea Bunt,” *%gfcw*y‘ - *litok»zfe’s ’Rridriae* • Venture’' ' Zfv'. about nine series.’"- Hyde’s &KHridies Hollywood, Feb. 2. Donald Hyde, Gross?Krasne Ltd. exec producer, arrived over the Weekend for series' of meetings With Jack Gross and Phil Krasne on the British G-K affiliate’s pro¬ duction plans for next season. Probability is that they’ll agree to start a second year of “Glencan- hob” production. Hyde’s now a permanent London resident, having been there for the past 20 months. He returns follow¬ ing. the sessions. Now Geared For Tape Syndication Although large-scale syndication of tape is seen about five years off, a growing number of markets are bring equipped with video tape in¬ stallations According to Ampex reports of installations, projected through the end of February, recorders will be Installed in 83 tv stations. (Three webs win account for 63 installa¬ tions, above and beyond the 83.) It’s a matter of costs and refine¬ ment* before tape makes a big im¬ pact in the syndication biz, as it already has made oh the web levri* A rundown of the stations, l«ii« cries by Feb. 28, most of the major markets in the U.S. will have one or more video tape installations, withN. Yr and Los Angeles lead¬ ing in the number of units. • Sere is a efty-hy-rity rundown; {Continued on page 54) ScktotVBNfote’; . Charles King has joined Bern-] ard U Schubert, Inc./as -v.p. toi thug* of syndicated sales. King! appointment follows that of Eu¬ gene C. Wyatt, as v.p. in charge •f network sales. AV-stme time* Schubert .reen¬ tered the live tv production arena, touting its initial -entry* ‘Rtind Date” in n hew format, Schubert property was of the first three: rimwa tetooast on ABOTV. Se*/ riri -petoeqri^ are ua-i derconrider*tfon tor the m.& role, Bm^fbemised format lari spot'jw*3- vritft ~Na~ HobalTeiefim Assoctotisi as dire* tor ctf rides of the NTA Mm Net*, Wrifc Beto a? vet- to the. syndica¬ tion and broadcasting firid. In the decade of television, never has there been a greater scramble as there is today among telefilm- cries— especially on the distribu¬ tion levri—for a major status In the industry. The scramble has these charac¬ teristics: the telescoping of one pro¬ duction - distribution organization into another; the shifting of top execs; and the growing desire of certain motion picture companies to get into the distribution field. Movement of top execs, within the industry has become so pre¬ valent that yesterday’s calling cards are like dated headlines. Rea¬ son forthe exec shifts is that the top business personalities are rid¬ ing with the tide. And the big cur-! rent today is a yen for bigness. It’s frit that telefilmeries are following the development of the motion pic¬ ture industry, which started with many companies, but shook down j to a comparative handful. Only a . distribution organization with a large sales force and an insured product supply can assume a com- mandingposition. The middle-sized companies, it’s forcast, wilL go by the wayside. There’ll always be some small companies around, but their imprint to the biz will be aa limited as their size. • The shift of George Shupert to Loew’s as V.p. to charge of televi¬ sion assures the entrance of MGM- TV into syndication. Twentieth- Fox, now busily engaged to pilot projects for networking, also plans to get Into syndication. United Artists Television already has hired Kurt Blumberg to become manager of its syndication arm. Columbia's Screen Gems, the vet of the motion picture companies to the biz, is engaged in expanding its syndica¬ tion operation. Michael. Sillerman, prexy of Gross-Krasne-Silterman, is set to jump over to National Telefilm As¬ sociates as director of NTA’s half- hoiufsales operation. The Sillerman move, of course, comes with NTA buyout of G-K-S (see separate story). Charles (Bud) Barry, for¬ mer head of MGM-TV, already has joined the gyrating NTA operation as prez of the NTA Mm Network. NTA, to an apparent move to ac¬ quire additional capital resources, will become a subsidiary - of the giant National Theatres circuit, un¬ der present plans to buy up re¬ maining NTA stock. Principal NTA holders, Ely Landau, Oliver Unger and Harold Goldman, already have made a deal to sell their stock in¬ terest to National Theatres, f Yesterday’s snappy Television Programs of America now is part : of the memorabilia of the biz. Com¬ pany has been swallowed by Inde¬ pendent Television Corp., owned [ jointly by the Jack Wrather Organ- I ization and Associated Television, of the United Kingdom. Milton i Gordon, TPA’s topper, and Manny Reiner*, film’s foreign v.p., have forihed a new company Galaxy At¬ tractions to underwrite, show biz properties. Including telefilm] i series. A bOw hat also Is bring worn by Sam Digges, now administrative v.p. of CBS Films. He moved over as station topper of WCBS-TV, .N.Y., On the call of Merle Jones, prez of CBS station operations, who" has expansion plans mappee for the CBS Films subsid. p A stake-out scramble for hew corporate images now 2s going on, With each company attempting to etch an image of bighess. | MANUUS DICKERS AUDREY Hollywood, Feb. 3. [ Martin Manulls, production chief: [of 3(Hh-Fox Televirion, Is confer¬ ring with Audrey Meadows anent La teleseries. \ l Miss Meadows- has just nixed a DBSTV bfTer to star to its “My Hiriri J^lerii 1 * sriles. Atof* TV Film News on togt 43 Ride lor 3 Networks; Corner Wf 0 Of Market With $29MM0Bi^s ‘Sfflokey’ Saks Hollywood, Feb. 3. “Where There’s Sraokey” is the tag of a new vidseries to be pro¬ duced jointly by producer-director Rod Amateau and Desilu Produc¬ tions. Pilot of the comedy series rolls Feb. 9 at Desilu Gower. Detroit tv comic Soupy Sales and Gale Gor¬ don have been set so far to series which stars Sales. Amateau is pro¬ ducer-director of “The George Burns Show.” Capsule Critiques On Pix Blasted Chicago, Feb. 3. The practice by the Chicago Sun- Times of tacking on capsule evalu¬ ations of Hollywood oldies in its tv log listings has a number of Chi station toppers piqued. As one lo¬ cal nabob put it, “We pay $6-8,000 for a film, and they damn it in words of one syllable. Whether the review be good or bad, I think it grossly unfair to wrap up an abso¬ lute comment in a little ball. Usu¬ ally there are too many considera¬ tions in any single picture to pass it off blanketly as Tousy.’” How much- the nutshell notices help or hurt a ratings is impossible to determine, but the station boys are convinced that more viewers are dissuaded by a comment of “dull drama” than are seduced by one that reads “a good onfe.” The objection is not against the gazette offering some kind of guide for feature film viewers but against an unconditional quickie assess¬ ment that poses as authoritative. By what standards, another tv programmer wants to know, does the newspaper rate the films? Peo¬ ple who like soap operas would probably like what the paper calls “corny melodrama.” However, that terse review has such a disparaging connotation that the tv log scanner looking for a picture to watch might bypass it for that reason, he says. 4 Oddly enough, the video chief¬ tains apparently have complained about the practice to everyone but the Sun-Times. A staffer who pre¬ pares program listings for the pa¬ per says he has never yet heard a discouraging word anent the cap¬ sule critiques. Clearly, he says, we can’t give the old features anything like a full length review. The Sun-Times man said that many of the laconic reviews were prepared “to the house” by pro¬ gram listers who recall some of the oldies, either from having seen (Continued on page 54) CHERTOK REVERTS ‘ TO OWE STATUS Hollywood, Feb. 3. Jack Chertok, currently filming “The Lawless Years” for California National Productions at Metro, has [ reverted to indie producer status. His two-year pact with NBC-TV.i under which he produced exclu¬ sively for the web and served as a program consultant, expired over] the weekend tod fee’s again operat- tog to rn indie, with MCA repping Mm on sales. j : Despite lapse of the contract, Chertok is going ahead with two! pilots, for NBC, to which'he was committed under the pact. One is an houriong western which A1 C. Wfrd will write tod which will go before the cameras in March. Other will be a 'half-hour property which the web hasn’t yet selected. * The three network telefilm sub- aids now .gross about $29,000,000 annually, the greater proportion of the sum coming from syndication. Included in the tally are the esti¬ mated grosses of CBS Films, which lewis with $15,000,000; NBC’s Cali¬ fornia National Productions, which follows with $9,000,000; and ABC Films, with $5,000,000. Patting it in perspective of the whole syndication biz, the three network subsids account for about 25% of the annual gross volume, no small feat considering that more than one network entered the syn¬ dication area half-heartedly. The biggest product power of¬ fered by the web subsids, with the exception of ABC Films, is the strength. of its rerun operation, successful shows put on the mar¬ ket-by-market trail following their web run, such as "Dragnet” “Amos *n* Andy,” ‘^loneymoon- ers ” et al. ABC Films at this point is pilot¬ less, with the shift of George Shu¬ pert to Metro as v.p. in charge of tv.- (Shupert organized the ABC Films operation to *53). That pilot¬ less situation won’t prevail for long though- ft has become too im¬ portant an operation for American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres. * Both CBS Films tod California National Productions are humming with plans for both the syndication mart and networking. CNF for the first time has entered the net¬ work pilot race. CNP titles al¬ ready inked include The Lawless Years,” “PMlip Marlowe” and "Outpost in Space.” CBS Filins, under the production reins of Leslie Harris, has “The Diplomat ” “Silent Sabre,” “Crimi¬ nologist,” “Rendezvous,” and a number of other properties, plus the upcoming tape project of Rob¬ ert Herridge, an offbeat, quality entry. Currently, the CBS subsid is out selling 'Border Patrol” and “Rendezvous” to the syndication mart. ABC Films, in addition to han¬ dling the half-hour series, has been distributing the feature pix coming off the parent web’s “Fa¬ mous Films Festival.” Another function of the subsids —a function overlooked time and again—is that often -the subsid bails the web out of what would otherwise be a poor investment. CBS-TV made 13 episodes in the anthology “Rendezvous” series but, for one reason or another, could not sell it as a web show. Subsid CBS Films picked up the expensive series and Sold it regionally to Rheingold to three cities with the (Continued on page 54) Par Library's Big N.Y. Openng Wk. The Paramount Week opening on WCBS-TV, N. Y„ followed the rat¬ ing pattern set by other CBS-TV o&o’s. The kickoff Bing Crosby- Barry Fitzgerald riarrer “Going My Way” on Sunday (25) drew an An* bitron of 20.0 tod 72.9 share of audience on the “Late Show,” which starts at 11:15 pmi. “Jack Paaris Show ” on WBCA- TV, usually the strongest competi¬ tor to WCBC-TV’s “Late Show,” had a tough time for the opening week. Monday (28) WCBS-TV’i “Two Years Before toe Mast,” reg¬ istered 12.8 with a 08.4 share, against Pair's 4X the nearest com¬ petitor. Tuesday's ^Skylark,” the weakest rater in the Par initial roster, drew a &5 with a 383 share. Pair drafting 4J, with a 27.6 share. WCBS-TV to Wednesday with “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” in tine customary “Late Show” slot registered a 9.7; and “EOad to Morocco,” a 15.7 with a 67.8 share. Wednesday', February. 4, 1959 AND IN CALYPSO-LINGO, THIS AU^IEANS / /% * CARIBBEAN DEFINITION 1 “DEVIL-MAY-CARE”! Sassy as a.calypso ballad! Romantic as a moonlit beach! A potent blend of suspense, mystery and international intrigue amid the feverish atmosphere of torrid Trinidad! ZIV’S NEW SE Explosive Action in the Colorful Caribbean! and introducing From the Florida Keys to Trinidad .... they find Ani/j^A/7?//r^/E in every port of call! Every week a sparkling half hour! Already signed to sell for advertisers in over 120 markets!. T 3 £ RABIO-TELE VISION Wednesday, February 4, 1959 That 3-Min. Sell Has to Translate Itself Into 1% Audience Purchase -On Other Madison Ave. Fronts By JACK BERNSTEIN . While television viewers have al¬ ways assumed that they are seeing their favorite program gratis, the same feeling is not shared by either the sponsor or the agency- men who have broken right to the dollar and cent programming cost and have determined exactly hciw many units of a product have 11 to be sold to pay for a tv program. Within the framework of a half- hour nighttime television show, says Don Blauhut, television-radio director of the Parkson Agency, you’ve got three minutes to sell. “When you boil down all your charges, for time, talent and pro¬ duction. the average commercial costs $35,000. “Let’s say your program,^ reach¬ ing six or seven million homes, or an average of about 20,000,000 people, and every 20 cents from the sale of your product is allocated to advertising. It's simple arith¬ metic to realize that you’re going to have to sell 175,000 units of your product Or, in other words, al¬ most 1% of your audience has to buy the product as a direct result of watching the commercial. Blauhut's figure is based on the fact that one-fifth or 20 cents of the dollar is invested in advertis¬ ing. He .is quick to poiht out how¬ ever, that the amount which is sunk into advertising .varies on the type of product the agency is handling arid in certain fields, such as drug advertising, more than one-fifth is spent in plugging the product. Blauhut states that the majority of items sold on television are in the neighborhood of one dollar but "obviously there is a tremend¬ ous range. Automobile would be at one end of the scale with tobacco at the other end.” He points out that in the latest spot ty survey, drugs were the number one item and most of these products cost less than one dollar. Automobiles were second, food and grocery products third, selling for approximately one dollar, and tobacco was fourth, coming in for way less than a dollar. Blauhut says that when it re¬ quires almost 1% of the viewers to buy the product as a direct result of watching the commercial, it ca-ls for tremendous creative ingenuity and the importance of creative sell¬ ing commercials. The agency top¬ per who is responsible for approx¬ imately from $15,000,000 to $18,- 000,000 in broadcast billings, points out that with the high cost of film (the average cost of producing a one-minute filmed commercial cost¬ ing $5,000 and upwards), tv blurbs have to be used more than once and they have to stand up for con¬ tinued use on the air. Blauhut is a firm believer in get¬ ting name performers to do the sales messages. When the per¬ former V gives the plug, says Blau¬ hut, the audience stays with you and its been proven that there is a ratio of more sales and better potential. “Our agency feels that aeUon commercials are better than ani¬ mated blurbs. Animated commer¬ cials are shorter lived, once you've seen them the novelty wears off. With- live commercials there is more for the eye to see than in a cartoon and the messages- can be repeated more often.” Shorts: Ted Bates and J. Walter Thompson have swept the honors for having the most shogrs in the top 25 listing of second December Nielsens. Both agencies have five of their programs listed in the first 25 shows rated. Similarly, both agencies have two skeins in the top 10. McCann-Erickson, Dancer- Fitzgerald-Sample, and Young & Rubicam each placed four of their clients bankrolled series in the top 25 listing. ' v With $3 considered by the agencymen to he a good cost per 'thousand, the Bates agency has scored more than a successful first-half television season. Sixteen out of the agencies 20 nighttime, shows were priced under the $3 cost per thousand mark. Six of these skeins came in for less than $2. Only four shows were budg¬ eted over the $3 mark. The Advertising Federation of America estimates that over $10,- 000,000,000 was invested in adver¬ tising in ’58. Some 70 firms spent J more than $10,000,000 and over 30Q I companies more than $1,000,000 each. Total ad expenditure repre¬ sents 2.5% of gross national in¬ come and about 1% of the total national volume of all sales trans¬ actions. Switches: Read H. Wight, veepee and radio-tv director of .J. M. Mathes, has resigned from the agency and is studying offers. Stan Osgood, ex NBCite and Paramount-Sunset, where he was involved in production’ is slated to join the Coast office of Ted Bates in a tv exec capacity. Peter Triolo, formerly associate media director at Dancer-Fitzger- ald-Sample, has joined Ogilvy, Benson & Mather as media super¬ visor on Maxwell \House Coffee. Also brought in to work on the ac¬ count was Edward D. Meyer, ex Young & Rubicam, who joins OB&M as assistant a.e. Bernie Spiro named production manager of Product Services. He was formerly with Smith/Green¬ land in a similar capacity. Marion Forster, research* account supervisor of Compton Advertising, appointed associate research direc¬ tor of the agency. G. M. Basford has appointed Wil¬ liam Schroeder and Charles B. Moore as account execs._ Lous Redmond, formerly vee¬ pee and creative supervisor at Ted Bates, has joined Ogilvy, Benson & Mather as group copy head. Sidney Alexander, former veepee and partner of Doner & Peck, to Ras¬ ter, Hilton, Chesley, Clifford & Atherton, as veepee and group su¬ pervisor. Lost & Found: Fletcher Rich¬ ards, Calkins & Holden named to handle the advertising of Rapidol Distributing Co., makers of Blen- sol Color Shampoo. Doyle Dane Bernbach has* picked up more of .the Schenley Industries account by being named to handle the billing for the Cream of Ken¬ tucky brand effective March 1. This is in addition to the- three Schenley brands currently handled by the agency—Ancient Age, Old Stagg and James E. Pepper. Lennen & Newell has been ap¬ pointed by E. F. Hutton & Co. to handle advertising for its western area of operations. , Anderson & Cairns has landed the billings of the Micchum Co., distributor of drugs and cosmetics, for its Produits Nina, Inc., a French-originated line of cosmet¬ ics. McCann-Erickson has landed the .Magnavox Co. billings formerly handled by the Maxon agency. Marsehalk & Pratt, McCann-Erick¬ son subsidiary, will handle the ad¬ vertising with Communications Counselors taking on thb jobs of publicity and sales promotion. Account is valued at $1,000,000. Chi Agencies- By LES BROWN Chicago, Feb. 3. Needham; Louis & Brorby last year racked up the second largest billing increase, in terms of coin, in its" 34-year history. Gain owes largely to "the acquisition in 1958 f of five new accounts, Thomas. J. Lipton, Renault, Peugeot, Okla¬ homa Oil, and Hertz Corp. Total billing for the year was $37,814,767, representing an in¬ crease of nearly $5,000,000 (or 15%) over 1957. Dollar volume was 'the highest in. the agency’s history. Net profit in 1958 is reported, at $203,403. Leo Burnett agency resigned Bissell Carpet Sweeper Co. ac¬ count, effective July 1, undoubted¬ ly because the Hoover account is imminent. ' . MacFarland, Aveyardj on a pro¬ motion spree, upped Walter C. Power to exec viceprez and general manager; Grant Atkinson, ex- Coihpton, to v.p, and director of radio-tv; David W. Stotter to senior v.p.; Merritt R. C. Schoen- PfotlEfY feld to veep; and Gordon Hendry to media director. Kenneth Fleming named direc¬ tor qf broadcast programming and i media for Chi office of' McCann- Erickson. - J Wayne Tiss replacing William R, Gillen as viceprez in charge of the Chi office of BBD&O, while latter transfers to New York as: assistant to the president! Frederick C. Williams named ac¬ count exec at Clinton E. Frank agency and Dale Fisher, ex- BBD&O, added to copy staff. William E. Matthews named v.p. and director of media relations for Young & Rubicam. Bill Lind, ex-Leo Burnett, now heading New York office of Derus Media Service. [ Reach, McClinton & Co. plucked the Candy Gram account London Agencies By ERNIE PLAYER I London, Feb. 3. H. A. W. Oughton, chairman of W: S. Crawford Ltd., is on a trip to Africa calling on the company’s associated agencies, clients’ repre¬ sentatives and publishing houses. Likewise Maurice Napper, joint md of Naper, Stinton, Woolley Ltd., who’s on an eight-week' business visit to South Africa. W, S. Crawford Ltd. has ar¬ ranged a tieup with Max Factor to help exploit a new Formica prod-, uct, Vanitory units for bathrooms and kitchens. This involves using closed circuit television, with a screen in the window* of Formica’s London showrooms... Same agency is launching a pilot campaign in the Nottingham area on Friday (5) for the Milk Marketing Board Three-month tryout also. involves the Coffee Publicity Association . . Joint committee of Interna¬ tional Screen Advertising Services and International Screen Publicity Assocation meets this week to com¬ plete preliminary arrangements for the 1959 International Advertising Film Festival at Cannes, June 9-13. Has Radio Had Its Fill . Of Bops Mnsie Experts? WJUf Back to Shows * Chicago, Feb. 3. Possibly a syndrome that the day of the deejay on radio may be com¬ ing to an end is the program over¬ hauling being given this week to station WJ1M, Lansing, Mich. In the new concept at that 250-watter the idea of a gabby man-about- records has been dropped in favor of program blocks. It is a competitive measure de¬ vised by station manager Howard Coleman to give the station a dis¬ tinct image in a smallish market. “If all the stations 2 re going with disk' jockeys,” he say, “then all are offering the same thing. From one time of*day to the next, it be¬ comes a matter of which station is airing the more popular personal¬ ity.” Feeling at WJIM is that the dee- jay vogue has run its course and that the public is now sated with bogus music experts who are handy with trite noSegays about this singer and that. To replace the jockey, the station is reverting back to an old idea—the show for¬ mat. The individual personality will have full identification, Cole¬ man says, but will be secondary to the block of time and what it rep¬ resents. Each program will have a : title but not will be named for the personality. Station is bolstering the now con¬ cept with news on the half hour and with increased use of network. NBC affil *will be taking on the web’s “News on the Hour,” “Band¬ stand” and more of “Monitor.” From ABC, with which it has a secondary affiliation, WJIM will pick up the Peter Lind Hayes show. ‘Open Kid’: Chi Version Chicago, Feb. 3. WBBM-TV here is mounting in effect a road company of WNTA’s “Open ^ End,” with Sun-Times columnist Irv Kupcinet picking Up the David Susskind role. The Chi opus will’ be called “At Random” and will run two hours or longer on Saturday nights fol¬ lowing the prime feature film, “Best of CBS.” Show starts Feb. 14. The local CBS-TV anchor is also creating a new early morning show (7 a.m.) with Ray Rayner that will employ hidden camera techniques on the city streets. Candid segs will' be on- vide(r tape. TV-Radio Production Centres : ■ IN NEW YORK CITY ... Salvatore Iannncci and Bernard Krause named to newly-created exec posts in CBS TV Network Business Affairs Dept. Iannucci will be di¬ rector of contracts, talents and rights, and Krause will be coordinator of program costs . . . Walter Latzko of Jack Sterling’s writing staff off to Switzerland next week to visit with his wife Marge who is on tour with the Chordettes . . . WCBS Radio director Walter Cheetam recov¬ ering from virus pneumonia attack in Astoria General Hospital . . . WCBS Radio’s Johnnie Ray off to England next week. His radio show for Saturday, Feb. 7, will be taped . . . Bill Wendell will be a member of the celeb jury of “Haggis Baggis” Tuesday, Feb. 10 . . . WCBS Ra¬ dio General Manager Sam J. Slate on three-week visit to CBS Radio Spot Sales in Chicago, San Francisco and Coast. Due back Fqjb. 25 . .. Mary Lon ^Forster to do voice on tv film commercials for Nabisco, Pop- sicle and Westpine. Irv Gitlin, director of public affairs of CBS-TV, and Larry Lowen- stein, director of special services, CBS-TV Press Info, inducted into Sigma Delta Chi, professional journalism fraternity . . . Mildred Tra- res in cast of "Berkeley Square” on NBC-TV today (Wed.) . . . United Jewish Appeal to honor CBS-TV’s Jack Benny for his years of service, at national inaugural dinner launching UJA’s ’59 campaign in Miami Beach Saturday (7) . . . Fred and Lynn Parsons back from a month in Acapulco * . . Ted'K qop, • director of CBS News and Public Affairs, Washington, addressed Univ. of Georgia Radio-TV Institute last week on “Washington: World News Center.” . . . Phil Silvers, Martha Raye, Jack Carter, Jack E. Leonard, Arnold Stang and Cesare Slept set to appear in “Trial of Milton Berle” which Max Liebman will produce for “Close-Up” shindig of Academy of TV Arts and Sciences at Wal¬ dorf-Astoria Saturday, March 7. This is first annual lampoon in Acad¬ emy’s history . . . Sid Walters, CBS-TV staffer assigned to “Verdict is' Yours,” on leave of absence to be artistic director of San Juan Drama Festival. . . CBS Public Affairs staffer Harry Rasky back from Mexico City and .Cuba holiday . . .. Singer Frankie Laine to do straight drama¬ tic role in upcoming “Perry Mason”'stanza on CBS-TV . . . Robert J. Drew ip “The Locket for “Frontiers of Faith” on NBC-TV Sunday (8). Mutual starts its 10th consecutive year of play-by-play major league baseball* when it. airs its first ’59 broadcast in its “Game of the Day” series on April 4. Veteran sportscaster Don Dunphy and John MacLean will handle major league contests in the East and Gene Elston and Joe Wilson will do games played in the west.. . Lee W. Swift Jr., formerly associated with Storer Broadcasting in Birmingham and Philadelphia, has joined the radio sales staff of Headley-Reeds N.Y. office . . . Na¬ tional Exchange Club cited MBS’ Bill Stem for '“influencing American youth against delinquency.” . . . Blair A.~Walliser, exec v.p. of Mutual and-general manager of the web, promoted to captain in'the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve? . . ..Leonard H. Goldenson, president of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, appointed ehairman of advertising, publishing and entertainment section of the 1959 N.Y. Red Cross cam¬ paign ... Sonny Fox vice Bud CoIIyer on ABC-TV’s daytime “Beat the Clock” when the latter‘vacations the weeks of Feb. 23 and March 2 -Eydie Gorme guesting on Feb. 9 Patti Page stanzt . . . Joseph A. Mehan, formerly a member of NBC Press, joins NBG-News as a staff news writer starting Monday (9). Douglass Parkhirst and Ellen McCrae have lead roles in CBS Radio’s current “Whispering Streets” short story dramatization . I . Marcel HUlaire into U.S. Steel Hour’s .Tolstoi’s drama, “Family Happiness” on Wednesday (11). Hillaire also set. for a spot on Phil Silvers Show over CBS-TV (6) .. . Elspeth Eric of. CBS Radio’s “Young Dr. Malone” is standby for Helen Hayes in Broadway production of Eugene O’Neill’s “A Touch of the Poet” . . . Richard P. Doherty, industry management consultant (ex-NAB) and wife depart this week on round-the-world trip. Doherty will meet tv execs in Italy, Turkey, Egypt, India, Ceylon, Thailand, Hong Kong and Tokyo . . . Carl Frank into cast of CBS Ra¬ dius “Young Dr.. Malone” . . . Donald Dawson signed for a role in NBC-TV’s “True Story” Saturday, Feb. 21 . . . Victor Jory into CBS Radio’s “Suspense” Sunday (8) . . . Roland Gammon, religious writer and public relations consultant, to assist 1 NBC producer Walter Mc- Graw in a ’Monitor” series on ESP. George Schaefer will direct the Hallmark Hall of Fame's produc¬ tion of ’Berkeley Square” on NBC-TV Thursday (5) from a wheelchair. No injury. Schaefer claims he does a better job from a wheelchair . . . Irving R. Levine; NBC and Variety correspondent from Moscow and author of just-published “Main Street, USSR” (Doubleday) is in cur¬ rent issue of Saturday Evening Post with an account of his wife’s prob¬ lems when she set up housekeeping in shadow of the Kremlin . . . Jerry Lanning is now a staff writer for CBS Radio, He formerly worked m Promotion dept.Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt guests on CBS * &£ 1 1 £„9 odfr c y Time ” today (Wed.) . . . BBC bought the rights to NBC-TV s “Meet Mr. Lincoln” for Great Britain airing Feb. i? j/ * J , 0 “P 1 ‘ >US,, plans to present Gian Carlo Menotti’s onera. “The Medium this month, marking third Menotti opera' on NBC-TV this season . . . Hugh Downs, Gene Rayburn, Bfll Wendell and Jack Les- g^est on NBC-TV’s “Haggis Baggis” Tuesday (10) ... Pat Hitchco*ck, will get'a role in her dad’s CBS-TV Alfred Hitchco*ck Presents” on Sunday (15) In a script “Morn- rni n ° f n ? e pnc ld 5p ? cl ^ €ddes will have the lead . . . Robert Culp of CBS-TV’s Trackdown’ penned an original script tagged Home-coimng which will be presented in an upcoming stanza. Nan- cy Asch (Mrs. Culp) will appear with her husband in this one. Jack SterUng^WCBS Radio’s early bird, will emcee the annual Con- fl^tors Industry s “Boys Scout-O-Ree” at Waldorf-Astoria today (Wed.) . . . John Aaron and director Bob Dailey to .Cuba to handle Person to Person* visit with Fidel Castro and his son in Havana Editorial associate David Moore and director Charles -N. Hill to Stock- *’ I , t « hand li visit w* th Nonn «* Rockwell . . . Johnny Borden taking time off from tv to appear in “Most Happy Fella” at AvZr B S? ara com P leted tv him commercials for N. W. Ayer and Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample for A.T.&T. and Oxodol. IN CHICAGO . . . Var ^ ty ’s; radio-tv staffer in Chi, vacationing a fortnight makin g 20-minute film at Niles Stu- °. f Surgeons ... Ray Rayner tapped for a cross-the-bom'd early morning assignment on WBBM-TV . WNBO installing a five-mmiite newscast after the Jack Paar show at ntidnight CWIm F r*f M UP ? ed i t0 asst ; *^ es Manager of WGN radio under ^ ly a PP? inted general sales chief . . . WNBQ’s m a ? ® ^cussion chairman this summer at Rosa- l SymposiUD i’ Report on American Culture” . . . Phil Bow- Sa^v^ffTn " laym » n feature on WMAQ’s “Chicago Moni- t° r afternoons . . . Bruce Lee up from Kansas City to take on^Breakfast ciSJ atCh *f * ‘ ‘ ^harlle Appiewhite spelling Dick Noel dStaffer^ 1 Ch * next week ’ 311(1 Nancy Wright returns as guest IN WASHINGTON ... Anastas Mikoyan[interview Jan. 18 has sparked an alltime high in dgmand for printed transcripts of “Meet the Press” programs. WRC- where show originated, reports HfcfiOQ, requests so far . v NBC/s Ask,, Washington” returns to tv cameras Feb. 8 as regular web i (Continued cm page 50) Wednesday, February 4, 1959 RABIO-TELEVISIOIV ss (Week Ending Jan. 18 ) Play of the Week—“Ten Little nigg*rs’ Take Your Pick ... . Wednesday Movie—“Vivacious Lady” . Sunday Night at the London Palladium Double Your Money . Television Playhouse—“Private Lives” Saturday Spectacular .. >.Criss Cross Quiz ..... Armchair Theatre—“Soundings” . .....(GRANADA) 74% . . .(GRANADA/ AR/ATV) l . . .(AR) f 70% } .69%. ..,.(ATV) 68% 66%. .... JATV) \65% .(GRANADA) "l 5 64%. NBC’s Turn: 'Marriage Racket’ Among Host of Items in Preparation as Web Steps Up News Specials Not to be outdone by,CBS News’ recent penetration of “The Busi¬ ness Of Sex,” NBC News this Week hinted that amo'ng its numerous news specials- on, the docket would be a far-from^romantic survey qf “The Marriage- Racket” under the • aegis of producer Chet Hagan. Oilier specials to be telecast over the next few months are an hour- long special on the Hawaiian 'econ¬ omy; a-long .look at the new taxes imposed 'i& several of the- states and a study of West Europe’s ma¬ jor problems. ■ Julius Goodman, Washington news manager* is also bringing* back “Ask Washington” to NBC-TV as a regular Sunday feature following the weekly bas¬ ketball game. It returns this Sun¬ day (8) with Bryson Rash as mod¬ erator. For the final News Dept. “Ka¬ leidoscope” of the year, David Brinkley with -John Chancellor of the London office will tour the Mediterranean tracing the places where this country’s origins began. Brinkley who will be detached from the nightly Huntley-Brinkley news from Feb. 27 through March 29 will go to Beirut, Cairo, Athens, Rome Marseilles, etc. Chancellor wilt help in putting the program together. While Chancellor is absent from London, his spot will be filled tem¬ porarily . by NBC News White House correspondent Ray Scherer. Reuven Frank, NBC News pro¬ ducer, is mulling over the possibil¬ ity of a film story op the* rebirth of industry r along the Rhine with camera work by Joseph Oexle r and Harry Thoess of NBC’s .German staff. This would be part of the Chet Huntley Reporting series. Also in the hopper is Huntley in¬ terview with Dr. John Anderson of the Brookhaven' National’ Lab on the scientist’s attitude toward pure research. Frank also is work¬ ing on a color film account of life (Continued on page 54) . . 1,§0 Jobless In Canada TV Strike Ottawa, Feb. 3. For more than a month, 74 tele¬ vision producers have been on strike in Montreal, crippling the French-language . network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Nor¬ mally, CBC’s French web averaged 60 live shows a week. Now, with broadcast times reduced; it airs at least two feature films a day, three on Sundays. Strike officials, seeking recogni¬ tion -for their union, have met in Ottawa with government and CBC officials and held separate meet¬ ings in serious attempt to reach agreement since the strike, while involving directly only 74 people, has left more than 1,000 jobless. There has been n o agreement. The strike bubbled over into Canada’s House of Commons where harsh words have* been tossed across the floor, principally on remarks by members as to the strike’s legality. (Continued on page 52) WCC0 CHANGES MIND ON SEX REBROADCAST . Minneapolis, Feb. *3. .. After • publicly announcing it would.rerun “The Business of Sex,” Ed Murrow’s program on prostitu¬ tion in business, WCCO Radio changed its mind and cancelled the rehroadcast at the 11th ’hour. ^ The rerun had been scheduled, WCCO gen, mgr. Larry Haeg? said,' because# many requests'fronj’per-* sons who h^d-missed fee program” bat had heard about it. 'Set for re¬ tiring last Friday, the show was scratched two days ahead of time. “We just couldn’t cleat all our commitments,” Haeg explained. Webs Must Drop Spot Sales Biz; Washington, Feb. 3. Federal Communications Com¬ mission looks for some squawks but no blood and thunder over its proposed rule la...bar networks from tv national spots sales repre¬ sentation (except for the web. q&o’s). • FCC’s notice of proposed rule- making Thursday (29‘ called for comments by Feb. 28 and specifi¬ cally asked for suggestions as to exact language and whether sim¬ ilar ban should be applied to radio as well. The move was k follow-up of Network Study Report which said that national spot and network tv are competing forms of advertis-. ing with:a potential, if.’not actual, conflict of interest. Since the webs represent rela¬ tively few stations for spot sales, the FCC rule-making is not expect¬ ed to light any. fires. A group of CBS radio and tv affiliates, led by John S. Hayes, WTOP-TV Wash¬ ington prexy, have already jumped the gun with a plan for taking over CBS Spot Sales to represent them as well as web o&o stations. NESTLE EXITING GALE STORM SHOW Whether or not CBS-TV will re¬ place Gale Storm before next fall with “Blue Men” has not been de¬ cided, but by March, the network will surely have lost the underwrit¬ ing of Nestle, which sponsors half of the Saturday-at-9 stanza. Net¬ work believes that Lever, the other Gale Storm sponsor, whose option comes up for renewal Friday (6) will stick it out (Lever is report¬ edly going to take “Blue” next fall in the same time slot.) CBS might have been able to hold onto the Nestle half-sponsor¬ ship if it were able,to guarantee production on “Blue,” by spring. But as of now the web has it pen¬ cilled in for next season. 78 Years Go Down the Drain In Killing Off Four Tearful Soapers Target date is July 1 for the pro¬ jected Radio World Wide network, which Has* received the tentative blessing of some of the major-old- line NBC-CBS network affiliates, blueprint of which was outlined at last week’s “secret” confab In Chi¬ cago by the Henry I. Christal sta¬ tion rep • outfit. One of its major sparkplugs is Vic Sholis, of WHAS, Louisville, numbered among the bigtime and longtime a fills who apparently have become disen¬ chanted with the status quo of AM network operations, in his case CBS. If 25 station^ pledge' allegiance by kickoff date, (and a number have already signed “letters of in¬ tent” ) the network will- tee off with lines for. a. 12-hour-a-day start. The lind costs for 25-stations will be £400,000. The program- serv¬ ices will cost $1,800,000; adminis¬ trative costs $200,000, for a grand total of $2,400,000: (If 50 stations sign , in, the additiohal line . costs will bring the total to $2,700,000.1 Subscription fee: Thirty times the highest onerminute station rate multiplied 52 times. At, say, $70 per uninute, that would represent an approximate $109,000 payment tq.fhe network. Not all at the secret session were in accord on the effectiveness erf -such program service. Sorae.| felt,: as- outlined* it was a^reiurii to oldhat live radio, a. throwback to the Happiness Boys—-Silver Masked Tenor days and perpetuat¬ ing the HhcL of live fadlo that came a cropper on ARC not too. long back.'i } , •> -*rV " * As a program service,-(and that’s the.sole intent of the projected Radio World Wide), it breaks down into three categories. One would be a news service to include an early morning 15-minute wrap- up; an early-eVening 15-minute Washington wrapup; a mid-evening 30-minute news show; tW'O 30-min¬ ute news panel ; shows such as “Meet the Press,” : etc.; plus a five- times-a-day five-minute news.story, human interest, * remotes," etc. Overtures have been made to tie in for news with such existing op¬ erations as Radio Press, UPI of ABC Radio NetWork. Understood latter has expressed deep interest in participating. For the news services; it’s estimated 5 the cost would be $500,000 a year.’ ' Section Two includes ‘shows taken from subscriber stations, providing 20 hours a week serv¬ ice! Type of programs. pre-her- alded: “Make Way % for Youth”; “Kentucky Bandstand”; “Mind Your Manners”; “Grand Ole Opry”; “Cleveland Symphony. Stations could take the shows off the line and use them at will. Cost of this service: $360,000 a year. . Third programming section would encompass creation of new shows to be built by network’s own program department for 10 hours a week of service. This would include a 30-minute person¬ ality variety show; two 15-minute soaps cross-the-board; one 15-min¬ ute advice to lovelorn cross-the- board; one 30-minute drama strip; one 15-minute storytelling strip. Cost of latter service: $850,000 a year. Advertising would be sold by the stations at their own rates. WCBS Radio’s 50QG Biz In a five-day. period starting Jan. 6, WCBS Radio, N. Y., brought in 11 sponsors with biz in excess of $500,000. Station signed Coca-Cola Bottlers for a flock of participations. c.nd feature minutes; Pepsi-Cola for 10- second station breaks; CBS-Hytron for newscasts and General Cigar Co. for co-sponsorship of the Bob Cooke Sports show; Additional biz came from Schae¬ fer Beer, Schlitz Brewing, Fanny Farmer Chocolates, Philip Morris, Ford Motor, Northwest Airlines and Florist Telegraph Delivery Assn. ALL-CANADA JAZZ SHOW FOR TIMEX " Ottawa, Feb. 3. Timex will bankroll an all-Can¬ ada jazz concert on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. television web at 9 p.m. Feb. 20. More than 75 Canadian musicians are set for the show including Oscar Peterson, a Toronto native, and Jack Kane who* cleffed the Steve Lawrence video stint last summer and fronts his. own ;tv stanza. Music Makers ’59,”- .on Canadian tv. Fred Davis will narrate the 60- minute show sponsored by Timex of Canada; Ltd. Peter Macfarlane will produce. Frank Peppiatt will script- and Phil MacRellan, emcee of the Canadian audio session, “Jazz Unlimited,” is researching. AP and UPI Seen ‘ Now it seem to be a race of sorts between the print services, Associ¬ ated Press and United Press Inter¬ national, to get in there with a major voice feed news service for radio- stations. AP has sent the stations, which buy their print copy, lettters asking what they think about voice feeds. Actually, the report is. that AP has already decided to go ahead with the plan, and is dickering with CBS for usq of the web’s lines in con¬ nection, with the new voice service. UPI, reportedly ahead of AP in the same area, is said ta have or¬ dered its staffers to hunt abroad for voices who might he hired. There was one story that UPI was set to launch a limited test opera¬ tion for New England broadcasters in three weeks, although this re¬ port has been disputed by execs for UPI. A Justice Department official said in Washington that he had been informed of the reported AP and UPI expansion, but would pro¬ vide no other comment. However, it would appear that an antitrust angle could be involved, especially in view of UP’s purchase of INS last spring. By JO RANSON Proponents of CBS Radio’s re¬ cently-introduced Program Consol¬ idation Plan will emphatically deny that they caused a wave of ano¬ rexia nervosa (syndrome marked by severed prolonged absence of’ appetite with loss of weight and other symptoms brought on from emotional conflict) among women in the third, fourth and fifth dec¬ ades of life when they kicked off “Backstage Wife,” “Our Gal Sun¬ day,” “Road of Life” and “This Is Nora Drake.”. *• To hausfraus long accustomed to listening to the aforementioned washboard weepers, the almost abrupt disappearance from 1 the air- lanes of the soapers produced Suffi¬ cient domestic shocks to reverber¬ ate around more sewing circles than Singer and Necohi could dream possible. A CBS Radio statistician has come up with the observation that the four tearful soapers had an aggregate life span of 78 years and amply stacked with domestic agony, amputations, separation, di¬ vorce, murder, mayhem, lust, preg¬ nancy and treachery. A psychi¬ atrist observed clinically that the relief from tensions afforded lis¬ teners to these sad ether serials ’was “analagous to the relief oh? tained when «ne stops heating one’s head against a wall.” Since listeners who follow soap¬ ers ore quick to.detect the slightest changes in .story liq.es and other modifications, the problem of how to ^discontinue the CBS Radio sudsers was a delicate one for all concerned . . . sponsors, ad agen¬ cies, seripter and the network pub¬ lic relations department.. Erd Was Easy “The decision to discontinue these sink-side soaoers posed cer¬ tain technicrl problems, for which the scriots themselves had a built- in solution.” a CBS Radio, wash¬ board warden said this week. “The secret of diytime serial longevity is the fact that at the peak of every major plot development, a subplot begins to unwind itself, and as the dominant plot approaches its con¬ clusion, tlie sub-dominant plot be¬ gins moving toward, its climax of action, so that last month’s minor (Continued on page 52) For BBC-TV Musical Cues an Equity Protest London, Feb. 3. British Actors’ Equity, while tak¬ ing no action to prevent the trans¬ mission by BBC-TV next Wednes¬ day (11) of the Ivor Novello musi¬ cal “The Dancing Years,” has reg¬ istered a* strong protest with the Ministry of Labor about the grant¬ ing of a work permit to the show’s star, Sari Barabas. When BBC decided that no suit¬ able British singer was available, it picked on the Hungarian opera headliner and in due course of pro¬ cedure the Labor Ministry asked Equity if there were any objections to granting a permit. The union said it thought a Briton could play the role, hut the Ministry neverthe¬ less went ahead regardless and gave the permit. Equity feels it would be “unjus¬ tified and inappropriate” to impose a ban to prevent its members work¬ ing in the program with **iss Bara¬ bas. The protest states its view¬ point and closes the matter so far as it’s concerned. Sarnoff Favors Pay-TV Testing Robert Sarnoff, chairman of the board of NBC, this week went on record as favoring pay-tv tests as recently outlined in Congressman Oren Harris’ resolution. Non-obiection was voiced In Sarnoff’s February letter to tv-radio editors. He said that the tests “may serve to satisfy the view held by many people of honesty and in¬ tegrity that some form of test op¬ portunity should be given the pro¬ moters of pay systems—and there may be some value in satisfying such a view, provided that the price does not involve jeopardizing the whole tv' system of this country.” Sarnoff made it clear that NBC’s basic attitude toward pay-tv hasn’t changed. He said NBC was “firmly convinced that a pay system of na¬ tional character would grow only by cannibalizing the present free system. And we continue to feel that broad-scale tests would so entrench subscription operations that the result would be tanta¬ mount to establishment of pay tv on a national basis.” If pay-tv gets a toehold, he said, “it can succeed and grow only by displacing free tv; and in the proc¬ ess, the great majority of the pub¬ lic will lose the enormous benefits which free tv now offers them.” Sarnoff concluded his editors’ epistle by stating that “so far as NBC is concerned, if the pay sys¬ tem develops, free tv as we know (Continued on page 52) M p mam V^nesday, February 4, 1959 I959's FIRST WMneiidayf February* 4? 1959 NIELSEN shows that of the j ■: three networks, ABC-TV is No. 1 most nights of the week, and has the most programs in the Top Ten. National Nielsen Average Audience I January Report, 1959. ABC TELEVISION t» tv-wlms . PSrEBF? Pl&ZlETt TELEPULSE CITY-BY-CITY PROGRAM CHART. 2K&&55 over the course of a year. Cities mill be rotated meekly. Tne Variety cnart is a compilation of data on syndicated films, as meU as network and live programs, in each market. Under the top 10 multi-weekly heading, the ( t) stands for local programming and the (♦) for network shows. Wednesday, February 4, 1959 BOSTON Stations: WBZ, WHDH, WNAC* TV Homes: 878,100. Survey Dates: 4 Weeks Ending, Dec. 14, 1958. TOP TEN NETWORK SHOWS RK. PROGRAM—DAY—TIME STA. TOP TEN MULTI-WEEKLY SHOWS RK. PROGRAM—DAY—TIME STA. 1. tNews, Wea. (M-F 6:45-7:00)...WBZ 2. ' tBoston Movietime (M-F 5:00-6:45)..WBZ 3. *G«iding Light (M-F 12:45-1:00)...-WNAC 4. *Se*rch Tomorrow (M-F 12:30-12:45) WNAC 5. *Lowe of Life (M-F 12:00 Nn-12:30).. WNAC f. tLate News, Wea. (M-F 11:00-11:15),WNAC 6. tNew*, Wea. (M-F 11:00-11:15).WBZ 7. ♦American Bandstand (M-F 4-5:30).-WHDH 8. ♦Captain Kangaroo (M-F 8-8:45 a.m.) WNAC 9. tEarfy Show (M-F 5:00-6:30)........ WNAC AV. TOP TWENTY SYNDICATED SHOWS RTG. RK. PROGRAM—DAY—TIME STA. DISTRIB. .WNAC 32.5 1. WBZ 32.5 2. WNAC 313 3. .WBZ 31.2 4. .WNAC 30.9 5. .WNAC 30.9 6. WNAC 30.9 WBZ 30.9 7. WBZ 30.5 7. WBZ 29.5 8. AV. io! RTG. ll. - 12 . 18.3 13. 17.7 13. 15.4 14. 15.1 14.5 15. 14.3 16. 14.3 17. 13.7 12.8 18. 12.3 Crusader (Thurs. 7:00). Gray Ghost (Wed. 7:00) Code 3 (Sat. 10:30). Twenty Six Men (Suit. 7:00).... Jeffs Collie (Mon. 7:00). Sky King (Wed. 6:30) —-- .WNAC.... MCA .WBZ.__CBS .WNAC-Hal Roach .WBZ..ABC .WBZ...... ITC .WNAC-Nabisco Boots & Saddles (Tues. 7:00)........ WNAC.... CNP Highway Patrol (Sat. 7:00).WBZ.Ziv Silent Service (Fri. 7:00) .WBZ...... CNP State Trooper (Sun. 10:30) .... .WNAC,... MCA Sheriff of Cochise (Sun. 6:30)..... ..WNAC.... NTA Badge 714 (Fri. 7:00) ...WNAC.CNP Casey Jones (Sun. 6:30).WBZ.Screen Gems Flight (Tues. 7:00)..WBZ.CNP Waterfront (Wed. 7:00).. WNAC.... MCA Huckleberry Hound (Thurs. 6:30).... WNAC..:.. Screen Gems San Francisco Beat (Wed. 7:30).WNAC.... CBS Whlrlybirds (Sun. 6:00).WBZ.CBS Superman (Fri. 6:30).WNAC-Flamingo Annie Oakley (Tues. 6:30).WNAC.... CBS AV. TO SH. PROGRAM 50 If You Had A Million. ) News, Wea. (Boston Movii ) News, Wea. :tition AV, STA. RTG. .. WBZ 13.2 .. .WNAC 18.5 ...WBZ 13.5 .. .WNAC 20.9 .. .WNAC 12.5 .. .WBZ 16.7 ...WBZ 16.3 .. .WBZ 18.5 .. WNAC . 12.5 .. .WNAC 19.2 ...WHDH 16.5 .. .WBZ 18.9 .. WBZ 21.5 ...WNAC - 20.2 .. .WNAC 21.9 .. WBZ 23.2 ...WBZ . 19.7 .. .WBZ 20.0 .. .WBZ 32.5 ...WNAC 19.4 ...WBZ 203 ...WBZ 19.7 ...WBZ 19.0 ... WBZ 19.7 SAN FRANCISCO Stations: KGO, KPIX, KRON, KTVU. TV Homes: 817,700. Survey Dates: December 1-8, 1958. TOP TEN NETWORK SHOWS 1. Gunsaneke (Sat. 9:00-9:30). .KPIX 33.5 2. 2. Maverick (Sun. 7:30-8:80). .KGO 32.5 3. 3. Cheyenne (Tues. 7:30-8:30). KGO 32.4 4, 4. Tales of Wells Fargo (Mon. 8:30-9) .KRON 30.9 5. 5. Lucy-Desi Show (Mon. 9:00-10:00). .KPIX 30.4 6. 6. Wagon Train (Wed 7:30-8:30). .KRON 30.1 7. 7. Have Gun Will Travel (Sat. 830-9) .KPIX 283 8* 8. Loretta Young (Sun. 10:00-10:30).. .KRON 28.2 9. Wyatt Earp (Tues. 8:30-9:00). .KGO 273 9. 10. Perry Como (Sat 830-9:00)....... .KRON 27.0 10. TOP TEN MULTI-WEEKLY SHOWS L tPopeye (M-F 5:15-6:00).KRON 2. ♦NBC Newa (M-F 6:15-6:30).KRON 3. tSkefl Newa (M-F 6:00-6:15).KRON 4. t« 0*0ock Movie (M-F 6:00-7:30).. .KGO 5. *CBS News (M-F 6:15-6:30)..KPIX 5. t Channel 5 News (M-F 6:00-6:15) .. .KPIX 6 . f News, Sports Desk (M-Th 11-11:15).. KRON 7. tAmos V Andy (M-F 6:00-6:30).KTVU 7. tBig Movie (M-F 10.00-Signoff).KPIX 8. •Prlee It Right (M-F 10-10:30 am.) KRON San Francisco Beat (Sat. 9:30)... Mike Hammer (Mon. 10:30)... - 11 . 12 . - 13. 13.6 14. 13.1 12.7 15. 12.6 16. 12.3 17. 12.3 18. 11.6 T9. 11.4 20. 11.4 10.0 Death VaOey Days (Mon. 7:30). .KRON.. .. .Ziv 23.2 40 People’s Choice. ..KPIX 14.2 .KPIX... ..CBS 21.2 34 Cimarron City ........ ..KRON 20.2 KRON.. .. .Ziv 19.9 37 6 O’clock Movie... . KGO 11.5 KRON.. .. .Ziv 16.9 46 Big Movie... . KPIX 11.9 .KRON.. . .MCA 16.7 47 Big Movie... ..KPIX 11.2 .KPIX... ..Ziv 15.9 31 Cimarron City.. . .KRON 183 ,KRON.. ...NTA 14.9 28 December Bride . ..KPIX 16.2 .KRON.. ...Guild 14.8 32 (6 O’clock Movie. ..KGO 13.9 1 High Adventure. . KPIX 17.2 .KRON.. ...CBS 143 27 Lassie ... ..KPIX 19.5 .KRON.. ...MCA 14.2 40 Big Movie. ..KPIX 13.5 .KPIX... ..ABC 143 25 Sea Hunt. ..KRON 23.2 .KRON.. .. .Screen Gems 14.2 29 Huckleberry Hound ..KTVU 12.5 .KRON.. ...NTA 14.0 35 What’s My Line. ..KPIX 17.9 .KRON.. ...UAA 13.6 45 (American Bandstand ..KGO 7.1 i Early Show .. . .KPIX 6A .itRON.. ...CNP 13.5 25 High Adventure . ..KPIX 183 . KRON.. .. .Flamingo 13.2 25 6 O’clock Movie.. - ..KGO 17.2 .KTVU... .. . U.S. Borax 12.9 20 Father Knows Best- ..KPIX - 24.9 . KTVU... . ..Screen Gems. 12.5 25 Rescue 8.-. ..KRON 14.2 . KRON.. . ..CNP 12.2 21 Boxing ... . .KGO 27 9 -KTVU... ...CBS 11.4 23 . .KRQN _ 12.7 \ NBC News. ..KRON 13.1 CLEVELAM) Stations: KYW, WEWS, WJW. TV Homes: 484,100. Survey Dates: December 1-8, f95B. TOP TEN NETWORK SHOWS Ganmfce (Sat 10:00-10:30)........KYW /:erry Gemo (Sat. 8:00-9:00).WJW . Wagon Train (Wed. 7:30-8:30)..KYW Cheyenne (Tues. 7:30-8:30) ..:.WEWS Wyatt Earp (Tues. 8:30-9:00).\ WEWS Lucy-Desi Show (Mon. 10:00-11:00).. WJW Danny Thomas (Mon. 9:00^9:30).WJW Loretta Young (Sim. 10:00-10:30) .. .KYW . Father Knows Best (Mon. 8:30-9:00). WJW Maveriek (Sun. 7:30-8:30).. WEWS TOP TEN MULTI-WEEKLY SHOWS tEariy Show (M-F 5:45-7:15) . tHome Edition, Misc. (M-F 7:15-7:30). tPopeye & His Friends (M-F 5-5:45).. ♦American Bandstand (M-F 4-5:15).. tSohle Reporter, Press Box (M-F 11:00-11:15) ... tilth Hour Nws, Wea. (M-F 11-11:15). tNews-Tom Field (M-F 11:00-11:15).. ♦CBS News (M-F 7:15-7:30). tNews-Tom Field (M-F 6:45-7:00)*. ♦Price Is Right (M-F 11-11:30 am.) 35.9 3. 343 a 34.5 !* 32.4 32.2 «. 31.5 7« 31.5 • 31.2 . 30C9 8 ‘ 30.7 - 8 . 9. :- 16 . 18.0 10. 17.1 io. 17.1 u 155 £: 15.4 13. 14.4 14. 127 15 1 O K If You Had A Million (Thurs. 7:00). .WJW.... ..CNP 24.2 50 Harbor Command .... ...KYW 13.9 .KYW... ..CNP 17.4 37 U.S. Steel Hour. .. .WJW 19.2 .WEWS.. ..CNP 163 36 I Love Lucy . ...KYW 14.9 .KYW,.. . .UAA 163 46 Football .. . .WJW 22.4 .KYW.... . .U S.* Borax 16.0 30 Playhouse 90..*. ...WJW 272 .WEWS.. ’..ABC 153 38 Masterpiece Theatre . ...WJW - 143 .KYW... ..CNP 14.9 35 Football ...... ..WJW 19.9 .WJW.... . .Ziv 14.5 22 Cheyenne . .. . .WEWS 32.9 .WEWS.. . MCA 143 33 [Early Show ...._ ...KYW 18.0 l Home Edition .. ...KYW 17.7 .WEWS.. .. ABC 143 27 Garry Moore .. ...WJW 23.4 .KYW.... . .Flamingo 14.2 27, .Bin Tin Tin. ...WEWS -20.5* .WJW- ..CNP 13.9 32 Paul WincheU_... . ..WEWS 14.9 • KYW.... ..Ziv 13.9 29 Silent Service. ...WJW 24.2 : WJW.... . .Ziv * 13.9 28 Leave It To Beaver_ .. .WEWS 24.2 .WEWS.. .. Interstate 13.7 ‘ 32 Early Show.. ...KYW 16.3 .WEWS.. 13.0 30 Home Edition . ...KYW 16.0 .KYW.... . .MCA ^ 12.2 20 Red Skelton.. ...WJW 293 .WEWS.. . ..Interstate 12.0 34 Popeye.. ...KYW 16.8 .WEWS.. ..Ziv 11.9 26 Garry Moore_*... ...WJW 24.5 .WEWS:. .. Interstate 113 18 Perry Como. ...KYW 34.2 KYW.... .. Nabisco . 113 45 Wrestling . .. .WJW . 8.9 Greenville-Washlngton-New Bern Stations: WITH, WNCT. TV Homes: 31,900. Survey Dates: December 1-8, 1958. TOP TEN NETWORK SHOWS 1 . - *- - 2 . Gunsmoke (Sat. 10:00-10:30) .WNCT 44.3 3 . Real McCoys (Thurs. 8:30-9:00).WNCT 44.3 4 Price Is Right (Wed. 8:30-9:00).WITN 44.0 J Wagon Train (Wed. 7:30-8:30).WITN 44.0 5 * Lassie (Sun. 7:00-7:30) . ..WNCT 43.0 & Zorro (Thurs. 8:00-8:30) .....WNCT 41.8 7. Have Gun Will Travel (Sat. 9:30-10) WNCT 41.3 a Loretta Young (Sun. 10:00-10:30)... WITN 40.8 , Danny Thomas (Mon. 9:00-9:30).WNCT 39.3 Pat Boone (Thurs. 9:00-9:30).WNCT 37.8 9. -:--- 10 . TOP TEN MULTI-WEEKLY SHOWS 11. ‘ --_ n# ♦CBS News (M-F 6:45-7:00).....WNCT 24.6 12 tEsso Reporter, Wea. (M-F 6:30-6:45). WNCT 23.4 ,, ♦NBC News (M-F 6:45-7:00)...WITN 22.6 . tPopeye (M-F 5:00-5:30).WNCT 22.2 M. ♦Mickey Mouse Club (M,W,F 5:30-6) . WNCT 21.2 15. ♦Edge of Night (M-F 4:30-5:00) .WNCT 19.8 ifi ♦Adventure Time (T,Th 530-6:00)... WNCT 19.7 •As Worid Turns (M-F 130-2:00)... - WNCT 19.3 ^ ♦Secret Storm (M-F 4:15-430)....... WNCT 19.1 ♦Brighter Day (M-F 4:00-4:15).WNCT 18.8 17, .WNCT.. ...Ziv 36.3 59 George Bums. .WITN. 24.8 .WNCT.. . :.mca 33.3 58 Brains and Brawn . .WITN 23.8 .WITN... ..NTA 32.3 51 Walt Disney Presents... .WNCT 303 .WITN... ..‘Official 31.3 53 Lone Ranges . WNCT 27.8 .WNCT.. ...ITC 28.8 51 Union Pacific-...... .WITN 273 .WITN... ..CNP 27.3 49 Jeff's Collie .. .WNCT 28.8 .WITN.., ..ABC 26.8 42 Ann Southern .. .WNCT 363 .WITN... .. Ziv 26.3 52 Man Without A Gun.... .WNCT 243 .WNCT.. .. .CBS 26.3 62 Master’s Three .... .WITN 163 .WITN... ..Ziv 24.3 42 Zane Grey Theatre. .WNCT 333 WITN... ..Ziv 23.3 51 December Bride.- .WNCT 22.8 .WITN... .. Flamingo 22.3 41 Your Hit Parade. .WNCT 32.0 .WNCT.. .. .Screen Gems 223 64 Cowboy Bob... .WITN 123 .WNCT.. ., .UAA 222 65 Cowboy Bob . .WITN 122 .WNCT.. ...ITC 21.8 65 Cowboy Bob ... .WITN 11.8 .WITN... .. Ziv. 21.5 43 To Tell The Truth-. .WNCT 283 .WNCT.. .. CBS 20.8 66 Cowboy Bob. .WITN 10.8 .WNCT.. .. Nabisco 19.8 64 Cowboy Bob .. .WITN 113 .WITN... ...MCA 19.8 35 Lawrence Welk. ..WNCT .36.8 .WNCT.. 163 70 Adventure In Hand Arts. .WITN 73 .WITN... ..Ziv 163 28 Lassie --- .WNCT 43.0 CHICAGO Stations: WBBM, V/BKB, WGN, WNBQ. TV Homes: 1,8 J 5,600. Survey Dates: December 1-8, 1958. TOP TEN NETWORK SHOWS BJL PROGRAM—DAY—TIME _ ST A. 1. Lucy-Desi Show (Mon. 9:00-10:00)... WBBM 2. Gunsmoke- (Sat. 9:00-9:30)., . WBBM 3. Danny Thomas (Mon. 8:00-8:30).....WBBM ' 4. Loretta Young (Sun. 9:00-9:30)..... .WNBQ S. Perry Como (Sat. 7:00-8:00)..WNBQ «. What's My Line (SuO. 9:30-10:00)... .WBBM 7. Garry Moore (Tues. 9:00-10:00).WBBM - «. Have Gun Will Travel (Sat 8:30-9) * .WBBM t. Rifleman (Tues. 8:00-8:30)......WBKB ‘ 9- Wyatt Eaip (Tues. 7:30-8:00).WBKB . , TOT TEN MULTI-WEEKLY SHOWS ' RK. PROGRAM—DAY—TIME STA. 1. tNews Roundup (M-F 10:00-10:15).. . 2. tBuas Bunny <M-F 6:30-7:00)....... , 3. tNews-Bentley (M-F 6:00-6:15). ; 4. tfnTown Tonight (M-F 10:15-10:30). I. Has New* (M-F 6:15-6:30)....._ «. tSokSn’s Show (M-F 44Mkt:30>:.-.*.. 7. *Jaek Paar Show (M-F 10;15-Signoff). S. *Mkkejr Mouse Club (M.WF'5^0-6). .«. tCUftou Utley, Wea, (M-Th 1Q-Hhl5). TOP TWENTY SYNDICATED SHOWS TOP COMPETITION RK. PROGRAM—DAY—TIME STA. DISTR1B. RTG. SH. PROGRAM STA. 1. Sea Hunt (Sun. 9:30). ..WNBQ ..7-Ziv 21.9 35 What’s My Line. ....WBBM 2. -MacKenzie's Raiders (Wed. 9:30). ..WNBQ ... Ziv 202 35 U.S. Steel Hour. ....WBBM 3. Superman (Tues. 6:00)- ..WGN.. ... .Flamingo 18.2 40 (NewS-Bentley . ....WBBM ( CBS News. ... .WBBM 4. San Francisco Beat (Wed. 9:00)... ..WGN.. ...CBS 16.9 26 This Is Your Life.... ....WNBQ 5. Twenty Six Men (Wed. 8:00). ..WGN.. ...ABC 16.2 24 Kraft Music Hall.... ....WNBQ 6. Wild Bfll Hlekok (Wed. 6:00)..... ..WGN.. ... Screen Gems 15.9 38 (News-Bentley ..... ... .WBBM 7 CBS News... ....WBBM 7. Annie Oakley (Fri. 6:00)....... t. ..WGN.. ...CBS 15.5 38 f News-Bentley . ... .WBBM * ) CBS News.. ...WBBM 7. State Trooper (Sat, 9:30). ..WGN . ... MCA 15.5 27 9:30 Theatre. ....WBBM 8. Highway Patrol (Fri. 9:30) ...... ..WGN.. ... Ziv 15.2 23 Person To Person.... ....WBBM 9. Mike Hammer (Thurs. 9:30) ..WGN.. ... MCA 14.9 23 Playhouse 90 ... .WBBM 16. Bugs Bunny (Moru-Fri. 6:30)-- ..WGN.. ... UAA 14.8 28 Wagon Train .. ....WNBQ 11. Cisco Kid (Mon. 6:00). . ..WGN.. ... Ziv 14.5 25 (News-Bentley . ....WBBM 7 CBS News. ....WBBM 11. Mr. District Attorney (Tues. 9:00). . .WBKB. ■■■?&, 14.5 22 Garry Moore . ....WBBM It. tMovletimfc USA. (M-F 10:00-10:45). 'Silent Service (Tues. 9:30).....;....WNBQ-CNP Paris Precinct (Sun. 11:30)..WNBQ.... Guild Burns and Allen (Tues. 6:30)....WBBM.... Screen Gems Target (Wed. 9:30)...^,........WGN.. .Ziv Death Valley Days (Tues. 9:30)-WGN.. . U.S. Borax Honeymooners (Sun. 9:00) WGN..;.. .CBS •36 fNews-Bentley ...WBBM ) CBS News ...- .WBBM 21 Garry Moore .,...WBBM 47 fMages Playhouse .•<... .WGN i Late News ..WGN 23 Cheyenne* . WBKB 23 MacKenzie's Haiders ....WNBQ 19 Garry Moore ..WBBM 19 Loretta Young .WNBQ ST. LOUIS Stations: KMOX, KSD, KTVI. TV Homes: 570,000. Survey Dates: December 1-8, 1958. • TOP TEN NETWORK SHOWS # Lucy-Desi Show (Mon. 9:00-10:00).. .KMOX Gunsmoke (Sat. 9:00-9:30) ...KMOX Wagon Train (Wed. 6:30-7:30).KSD Danny Thomas (Mon. 8:00-8:30).KMOX PhB SHvers (Fri. 8:00-8:30)_.KMOX What* My Line (Sun. 9:30-10.*00>... *KMOX Alfred Hitchco*ck -(Sun. 8:30-9:00).... KMOX Maverick (Sun. 6:30-7:30) ... .KTVI - Ann Southern (Mon. 8:30-9:00)-... ;-KMOX Hive Gpn Will Travel (Sat. 8:30-9). .KMOX Red Belton (Tues. 8:30-9:00)........ KMOX TOP TEN MULTI-WEEKLY SHOWS 116 OClock News, Wea. (M-F 10:00-10:15)KMOX tEye On St Louis (T-F 10:15-10:30) KMOX +S. S. Popeye (M-F*4:00-4:30),...... .KMOX • tLate Show (M-F 10:30-Signoff) Death Valley. Days (Sat. 9:30)... Highway Patrol (Thurs. 9:30)...... State Trooper (Tues. 9:30). Frontier Doctor (Thurs. 10:00)- Popeye (Mon-Fri. 4:00) ...KMOX.. TJAA U. S. Marshal (Wed. 10:00)..KSD...... NTA Whirlybirds (Tues. 10:30)..KSD... .. CBS Annie Oakley (Sat. 3:00).KMOX.. I. CBS .KMOX.. .. U.S. Borax 28.5 53 To Marry A Millionaire. .KTVI 15.5 .KSD.... .. Ziv 22.9 38 Playhouse 90 . .KMOX 27.2 KSD.... . MCA - 21.5 36 Garry Moore . .KMOX 29.2 .KSD.... . . HTS 20.5 43 (10 O’clock News. 7 Eye Oh St Louis. .KMOX .KMOX 22.0 17.7 KSD.... ..CNP 19.2 35 U.S. Steel Hour.. .KMOX 25.0 ;KSD.... ., MCA 18.7 43 (Eye On St. Louis..,... 7 Late Show...... .KMOX .KMOX 18.3 17.7 .KMOX 21.8 10. Sheena, Queen of Jungle (Sat. 2:30) ..KMOX.. ..ABC 16.2 KMOX 18.0 10. .Sheriff of Cochise (Mon. 9:30)...... -KTVI... . NTA 16.2 .KMOX • 17,5 U. Colonel Hack fSun. 9:30)... .KSD.... .. CBS 15.2 .KMOX 14.6 11. Sea Hunt (FrL 9:30) ..............;. KTVI... -:Ziv 15.2 KMOX 14.3 12. 1 Search For Adventure (Thurs. 6:30). KSD... : Bagnall . 14.9 KMOX 13.9 13. Jeff’s Collie (Wed. 6:30)'...... .KMOX..' ,. ITC 14.5 KSD 13.8 13. Popeye (Sat. 12:30)..... KMOX.. ., UAA 14.5 .KMOX XM 14. Woody Woodpecker (Tues. 5:30)... .KSD.... .. Kellogg 14.3 .KMOX 12.6 15. Rescue 8 (Mon. 9:30)... .KSD... .. Screen Gems 14.2 .KMOX 12.4 16. Star Performance (Tues. 6:30). .KMOX.. .. Official 13.9 57 American Bandstand ..,. KTVI. 39 (10 O’clock News . t.... KMOX 7 Eye On St. Louis.KMOX 39 j 10 O’clock News .*...... KMOX l Eye On St. Louis.KMOX '54 St. Louis Hop .KSD 53 (Football . .*.KSD { Football Scoreboard «v.H5D 25 Lucy-Desi Show ..KMOX' 27 What’s My Line.-.KMOX 23 Person To Person... KMOX 28 I Love Lucy...-....’KMOX 25 Wagon Train .. ' 54 Football 42 Early Show ... 22' Lucy-Desi Show 30 Cheyenne ....v...:KSD .KSD .....KMOX .KMOX ....KTVI COLUMBUS Stations: WBNS, WLW-C, WTVN.. TV Homes: 180,400. Survey Dates: December 1-8, 1958. TOP TEN NETWORK SHOWS Gnnsmake (Sat. 10:00-10:30)... Cheyenne (Tues. 7:30-8:30). .: ._ DatfnyThomas (Mon. 9:00-9:301; ... Wyatt Earp (Tues. 8:30-9:00),. Real McCoys (Tues. 8*3<L9:00)., ... Lucy-Desi Show (Mon. 1Q:00-11:00). Have Gun Will Travel (Sat 9:30-10) Maverick (Sim. 7:30-8:30). Perry Como (Sat. 8:00-9:00) Wagon Train. (Wed. 7:30-8:30)___ .WBNS .WTVN WBNS : WTV N : i WTVN - .WBNS .WBNS .WTVN .WLW-C .WLW-C TOP TEN MULTI-WEEKLY SHOWS tNews-Pepper, Wea. (M-F 11-11:15) WBNS tLooklng With Long (M-F 7:00-7:15) WBNS ♦CBS News (M-F 7:15-7:30)....WBNS tSanta Sho.w (M-F 4:30-4:45)...WTVN . ♦Amer. Bandstand (M-F 4:45-5:30).. WLW-C tFUppo Show (M-F 5:00-6:00) .WBNS tAijnchair Thea. (M-F ll:15-Signoff) WBNS ♦As World Turns (M-F 1:30-2:00) .. .WBNS ♦Mickey Mouse Club (M,W,F 5:30-6) . WTVN - tExplorer (M-F 6:00-6:30)..WBNS L Sea Hunt (Mon. 7:30)-...... WBNS . . .Ziv 29.9 52 Name That Tune. . .WTVN 2, Death Valley Days (Sun. 9:30). ....WBNS... ..US. Borax 26.2 ; 40 Sid Caesar . ..WLW-C 3. Casey Jones (Tues. 7:00) ... WTVN.. . Screen Gems 22.9 . 41 'Looking With Long.. ‘ CBS News . ..WBNS a. WBNS 4. San Francisco Beat (Wed. 7:00). WTVN.. ..,C£S t 21.2 40 Looking With Long.. CBS News . . . WBNS 4. Woody Woodpecker (Tues. 6:30) ..I WTVN.. ..Kellogg 212 52 News, Sports NBC News . ..WLW-C ..WLW-C 5. Highway Patrol (Wed. 8:30). .,. WBNS.. .. .Ziv 20.5 ; 31 Ozzfe and Harriet.. ..WTVN 6. State Trooper (Fri. 7:00). ...... WTVN.. .. .MCA 193 43 (Looking With Long.. ) CBS News ..WBNS ..WBNS 7. Whirlybirds (Thurs. 7:00).... .....WTVN,. :. CBS 18.9 38 ( Looking With Long.. 7 CBS News ..WBNS ..WBNS 8. Boots and Saddles (Sat. 10:30).. ,. i.. WBNS.. ...CNP 17.9 37 Something Different .. ..WTVN Roy Rogers (Sun. 6:00)....... WBNS.... .CNP Annie Oakley (Fri. 6:30).WTVN.... .CBS Jeff's Collie (Wed. 6:30) . WBNS!.. "lTC Judge Boy Bean (Mon. 6:30).WTVN.Screen Craft Our Miss Brooks (Sun. 6:30) .WBNS;... CBS MacKenzie's Raiders (Thurs. 7:30).. WBN S-Ziv Superman'(Wed. 6:30).. WTVN... .‘.Flamingo Crusader (Tue§. 10:30).. WLW-C... MCA Buccaneers (Fri. 6:00). .. WTVN..:. .Official Cisco Kid (Tues. 6:00) .j.... WTVN . Ziv Huckleberry Hound (Thurs. 6:30)... WTVN.Screen Gems U. Si Marshal (Fri. 10:30) ....' WTVN.NTA 48 Best of MGM .WLW-C 44 Sky King .WBNS 41 Superman ..WTVN 39 Traffic Court .. ...WBNS 38 Lone Ranger . WTV N 29 Leave It To Beaver..WTVN 37 Jeff’s Collie .WBNS 30 Garry Moore .WBNS 45 Explorer . . .WBNS 42 Explorer .WBNS 39 Gray Ghost .WBNS 24 Person To Person.WBNS BIRMINGHAM Stations: WAPJ, WBRC. TV Homes: 153,200. Survey Dates: December, f-8, TOP TEN NETWORK SHOWS G.E. Theatre (Sun. 8:00-8:30)..WBRC I’ve Got A Secret (Wed. 8:30-9:00).. .WBRC Gunsmoke (gat. 9:00-9:30).WBRC Have Gnn Wlii Travel (Sat. 8:30-9). . WBRC Millionaire (Wed. 8:00-8:30)...WBRC Alfred Hitchco*ck (Sun. 8:30-9:00)... .WBRC Yancy Derringer (Thurs. 7:30-8:00). .WBRC Zane Grey Theatre (Thurs. 8:00-8:30).WBRC Ed Sullivan (Sun. 7:00-8:00) ...... WBRC December Bride (Thurs. 7:00-7:30).. WBRC Highway Patrol (Sat 9:30-10:00).WBRC TOPTEN multi-weekly shows ♦Edge of .Night <M-F 3:30-4:00) ..WBRC ♦Secret Storm (M-F 3:15-3:30)........WBRC ♦Brighter Day (M-F 3:00-3:15)..WBRC tDance Party (M-F 4:30-5:30):... . . .WAPI f Circle 6 Ranch (M-F 4:00-5:00).... . WBRC ♦Mickey Mouse Club (M-F 5:30-6).. .WAPI ♦NBC News (M-F 6:15-6;30)..WAPI tAlabama Newsreel (M-F 5:30-5:451 .WBRC •CBS News TM-F 5:45-6:00)........ .WBRC •Big Payoff (M-F 2:00-2:30)..:.... . .WBRC tNews, Sports, Wea. (M-F 6;00-6:15LWAPL. 1. Highway Patrol (Sat. 9:30)--- • ..WBRC.. . Ziv 392 74 Brains and Brawn... ...WAPI 13.8 2. Target (Thurs. 9:00)... ..WBRC.. . Ziv 33.8 59 Groucho Marx. ...WAPI 23.5 3. Sea Hunt (Thurs. 9:30)... .. WBRC.. .. Ziv 322 61 Mike Hammer. ,:..wapi 20.3 4. MacKenzie's Raiders (Thurs, 8:30). ..WBRC.. .. Ziv 31.8 52 Ernie Ford . ....WAPI 29.3 16 5 11. 15.8 15.6 12. 15.5 13. 14.9 14. 14.8 14.7 15. 14.6 16. 14.6 16. 14.5 16. 14.5 16. Silent Service (Tues. 7:00)... WBRC ... CNP Twenty Six Men (Fri. 9:30).....-WBRC.ABC Sky King (Fri. 6:00)..WBRC-Nabisco State Trooper (Fri, 8:00).. WAPI. - ,. MCA Whirlybirds (Thurs. 10:00) ......WBRC-CBS Sherlock Holmes (Tues. 9:30)-.... WAPI -Guild Yon Are There (Tues. 6:30) ....... WBRC.CBS U. S. Marshal (Fri. 10:00) .... WBRC.... .NTA Boots and Saddles (Thurs. 6:00) . ..WBRC..-.. CNP 'Superman (Tues. 6:30)...WAPI...;. Flamingo Dial 999 (Sun. 10:00) ......... w.. WBRC.... .Ziv Union Paeific (Tues. 6:00)...WBRC-.UAA Inner Sanctum (Tues. 10:30) --WBRC-CNP Danger Is My Business (Wed. 9:30).. WAPI.CNP •Huckleberry Hound (Thurs. 6:30).. . WAPI.. ,.. Screen Gem? Mike Hammer. (Thurs. 9:30)........ WAPI,,.. . MCA Panic (Wed. 10:00),.. .WBRC...CNP . . 51 George Gobel.WAPI 57 Boxing . WAPI 67 (News, Sports, Wea.WAPI 7 NBC News .WAPI 47 Phil Silvers .WBRC 65 Naked City.WAPI 48 Garry Moore .WBRC 53 Superman .WAPI 57 (Boxing .WAPI )M Squad .WAPI 64 j News, Sports, Wea. . . .WAPI { NBC News .WAPI 47 You Are There . WBRC 58 World’s Great Movies .. .WAPI 52 ( News, Sports, Wea. .. .‘.WAPI (NBC News .WAPI 51 77 Sunset Strip. WAPI 39 U.S, Steel Hour.WBRC 46 Lone Ranger ...WBRC 39 Sea HUnt.WBRC 49 Pat Boolie ..............WAPI P’Snifffr Wednesday, February 4, 1959, .1 /fitiil> In / t hru/tr>; jiroyrams of Kjtt’na! h)t< rest In m t ifoitr ^ ^ -igr g # n ho hx' v < n r v/tiif : You’ve probably said that at one time or another. Perhaps it was when you read the headlines about Anastas Mikoyan on “Meet the Press .” If It happens to all of us. It happens par- ticularly to people who are not regular TV-viewers, and do not consult daily program listings, if The following list is designed to alert you to those February programs about which, if you - were to miss them, you might indeed echo the words of our headline: 96 If I’d only known....” If These Special programs cover a wide range of entertainment and public affairs. Music, comedy and drama, education, history and science. They re¬ flect a philosophy of programming upon which the entire NBC schedule—regular programs and Specials alike—is based. That is, totality of program service...rewarding television for every program taste * HallmarkHall of Fame presents “Berkeley Square” (February 5, 9:30-11:00 pjru) John Kerr, Jeannie Carson and Edna Best star, and Janet Munro makes hej^bneri- can debut, in this modern clas^ about an American who inherits an ancestral Lon¬ don home and is transported to the year 1784. In COLOR and black and white. The Phil Harris Show (February 6, 8:00- 9:00 p.m.) Dean Martin, Alice Faye and Betty Hutton join the ebullient Mr. Harris in a special hour-loUg program of musi¬ cal-comedy-variety entertainment In COLOR and black and white.' Wisdom (February 8, 2:00-2:30 p.m.) Premiere of a new series of Conversations with Distinguished Persons. Today, Miss Edith Hamilton, authority on Classical Gvilization, discusses with Huntington Cairns, Secretary of the National Gallery of Art, the similarities and differences between the civilizations of the Greek Empire and atomic-age America. NBC Kaleidoscope presents “The Third Commandment” (February 8, 5:00-6:00 p.m.) Charles Van Doren is host, and Arthur Kennedy stars in Ben Hecht’s first full-hour play for television. It is a mod¬ ern morality play—an iconoclastic comedy about a newspaperman who becomes a false evangelist... and thus violates the Third Commandment The Bell Telephone Hour presents “Ameri¬ can Festival” (February 10, 8:00-9:00 p.m.) A panorama of American music and musical artists, with Rise Stevens, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and-his orchestra. Martha Wright, Russel Nype, Grant Johannesen, the New York City Ballet starring Jacques D’Amboise and Melissa Hayden, and Donald Vcorhees THE NBC TELEVISION NETWORK Wednesday, February 4, 1959 PS&teFy 41 ' ''^''''ys'\&&$++ -- V/J^ ^ \5^* v\\ N \v ',Y ' >/• V,' V i ',-■>■ > A ^ '* l' s?- s i *' ' i< > : /' '■” v" -Y /=-i>' s > - {YYYY'l,’’;' y..:\' Zgs +| V'xVv ' + ' >•.<■OY^" Y ^Y-Y*\C}•-*YT' f ^ YY -v.YYY'J ; -Yi %'/ Y •VY' v -*u Y s -" s - x v - ^ '• - - Y <*&¥>>* -SW> 'v^ ->Y'^ -'•- 'V'YVt^ , '"* / '*• and the JBefl Telephone Orchestra. In COLOR and.Black and white. The Bob Hope Show (February 10, 9:30- 10:30 pjn.) Mr. Hope alights just long enough to provide an hour of humor ranjpng irom ultra-urbane wit to una¬ bashed gag. Maureen O’Hara, Danny Thomas and Carol Haney are guest stars. Continental ’Classroom (Every Monday through Friday, <5:30-7:00 a,m.} The first national college-credit television course in Atomic Age Physics is conducted by Dr. Harvey £. White of .the University of GaHomia at Berkeley, February 11 marks the opening of the second semester, during which six Nobel Prize winners will deliver guest lectures. Meet Mr. Lincoln (February 11,8:30-9:00 p.m.) On the eve of thfe nationwide cele¬ bration of his 150thbirthday anniversary. NBC Special Projects brings Lincoln and his era to life with new camera techniques that create a sense of motion in still photographs, prints, posters and draw-, ings of the period. The script is almost wholly in the words of Abraham Lincoln and his contemporaries. An Evening with Fred^Astaire (February 11,10:00-11:00 p.m.) Thousands of peo¬ ple who missed the original telecast of this* show wrote in to ask for a repeat performance. This is it Astaire joins with the Jonah Jones Quartet, David Rose and his orchestra, and Barrie Chase, to bring you ’an evening whieh the N. Y. Times called “unforgettable.” In COLOR and black and white. The March of Medicine presents a special repeat performance of “MD Interna¬ tional” (February 22, 5:00-6:00 p.m.) Filmed in Korea, Hong Kong, Sarawak, Burma, Nepal, Lebanon, Ethiopia and India, this report on American doctors serving in the far comers of the world shows them not only as medical practi¬ tioners hut as unofficial U. S. ambassa¬ dors. In COLOR and black and white. Pontiac Star Parade (February 28, 9:00- 10:00 p.m.) Louis Jourdan is host, as the tender passion of love gets a good- humored ribbing in this special musical revue. Guest stars: Marge and Gower Champion, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, and special guest star Ginger Rogers. In COLOR and black.and white. NBC IN NEW YORK IS WRCA-TV- 4 42 Wftoday, iRelmry 4* 19S9 Ya*dcty’s toeefcly tdtart, bated on ratings furnished by Pulse’s latest reports on feature films and their competition covets 155 markets. Each week, two different marketrvnti be listed, with the IB top rated features tabulated. The tabulation excludes features , and their ratings, telecast tip to * pjm. during the midweek. Their exclusion is dictated by Poise's method of reflecting daytime midweek rating data. Factors which tooul d assist distributors, agencies, stations and advertisers in determining the effectiveness of a feature show in a specific market have been included in tins Vasott chart. listed below is such pertinent information regarding features as their stars t release year, original production company and the present distributor included wherever possible along with the title. Attention should be paid FEATUBE CHART to such factors as the time and day, the high and low ratings for the measured feature period and share of audience, since these factors reflect the effectiveness of the feature end audience composition, i.e„ a late show at 11:15 p.m, would, hardly have any children viewers, but its share of audience may reflect dominance in that time period. In the cities where stations sell their feature programming on a multi stripped basis utilizing the same theatrical throughout the week a total rating for the total number of showings for the week is given, the total rating not taking into account the duplicated homes factor. Basking unscheduled switches in titles the listed features for the particuldrly rated theatrical filmed show are. as accurate as could be ascer¬ tained. Under Time . Slot* & O. stands for Sign-Off, - CHICAGO TOP It FEATURE FILMS 1. THE PURPLE PLAIN”— Gregory Peck, Win Min Than; Unite! Artists; 1955; UAA 2. TANKER DOODLE DANDY”— James Cagney, Walter Houston; Warner Bros.; 1942; UAA 3* "MAVERICK QUEEN”— Barbara Stanwyek, Barry Sullivan, Scott Briefer; Republic; 1956; HTS i TELLS OF ST. MARY'S”— Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman; “RKO; 1945; NTA 5. "REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM”— Shirley Temple, Randolph Scott, Jade Haley; 20th Century Fox; J£38; NTA 6. TONG'S ROW”— Ann Sheridan,' Ronald . Reagan, Robert Cummings; Warner Bros.; 1941; UAA .. Stations: WBBM; WBKB, WON, WNBQ. TV Homes: 1,815,600: Survey Dates: December!-8, 1958. PULSE RUN TIME SLQT . AVERAGE RATING ffiGH N LOW AVERAGE fiWAtt TOP COMPETITION STATION AV. EATINGS 1st Ron . Movie 5 Sun. Dec. 7 10:00-11:30 pjn. WNBQ . - 241 25.7 21.7 48 News .. ...WBBM .190 Sprats, Weather..... _ WRKM .. .163 / Mages Playhouse—“Night Unto Night” (Repeat) .... ..... .10.5 1st Run Best of CBS Sat Dec. 6 103d pjn>S.O. WBBM 18.1 20.7 . 14.7 , 41 Shock Theatre—“The Invisible Man's Revenge” (l*t Run)..... ... WBKB. v.: ..W,ll,l 1st Run Movie Time UJ5JL «' Uoo. Dec. 1 1030-1135 pjn. WBKB* • 17,0 18.7 14.7 87 News Roundup.. Tn Town Tonight.. v , WBBM • • ...... 21.7 .153 Jack. Paar Show. ...WNBq .. 1st Run Festival Stirs Thors. Dec. 4 1030 pjm-S.0. WGN mi 18.7 ; 12.7 85 News Roundup...... In Town Tonight.... Jack Paar Show........... ...WBBM w...23.0 ...WBBMk.14.7 ...WNBQ ........ 13.5 1st Run Shirley Temple Movie * Sim. Dec. 7 15.1 - 16.3 13.3 80 Lone Ranger..... T.»<ari».. ...WBKB .. ...WBBM .. ......183 530-730 p.m. WGN Maverick.. .... ...WBKB .. 263 Repeat . Motion Picture • Academy 123. 14.7 9.7 29 News Roundup.. ...WBBM .. ,,.. .22.3 .Jack Paar Show.. ...WNBQ ., .;:..:i4.2 Tues. Dee. 2 10:00 pm.-S.O. WGN 7. "THE BIG SHOT”— Hmnphrey^Bogart, Irene Manning, Richard Travis; - Warner Biros.; 1942; UAA Repeat Feature Film Sun. Dec. 7 . 113 12.3 10.3 31 Omnibus . . Meet the Press... .-. WNBQ ... S, .. WNBQ .. .’7? .. .10.4 ?r: 9.5 - 4:00-5:30 pin. WGN ‘ 8. "INVISIBLE MAN'S REVENGE”— Universal; 1944; Screen. Gems 1st Run Shock Theatre Sat. Dec. 6 10:00 pjm-S.O. WBKB 11.1 133 93 25 Best of CBS—"Yankee Doodle Dandy” (1st Run).. ..WBBM'. .,-18.1 9. “NIGHT UNTO NiqHT”— Ronald Reagan, Viveca Lindfors, Broderick Crawford;, - ; * f Warner Bros.; 1949; UAA “ Repeat Mages Playhouse ‘ Sun. Dec. 7. • 10:00-11:45 p.m. • WGN 10.9 13.0 8.3 "■ 23 Movie 5— T “Purple Plain” (1st Run).. Paris Precinct. ..WNBQ ..... ..WNBQ. .. .24.1 . • 44 7 14. *HOMRSWEET HOMICIDE”— Randolph’Scott; Lynn Bari, Peggy Ann Gamer; 20th .Century Fox; 1946; NTA -Repeat Your Movieon Demand • Sun.Defc.7 1:00-2:30 pjn. WGN 10.7 4 113 103 r .37 . Picture for a Sunday Afternoon—“Seven . ; Sweethearts” (Repeat) Abbott and CosteRo... ..WBBM. ..WBKB’.... . ..,’73 ...113 COLliMBlIS, OHIO Stations WBNS/WLW-C, wtvn. TV Homes: 180,400. Survey Dates: December 1-8, 1958. 1. “CHAIN LIGHTING”— . . * Humphrey Bogart, Eleanor Parker, Raymond Massey; Warner Bros.; 1950; UAA . 1st Run Something,' Different ^*. - . Sat. Dec. 6 . ... 1 .10:30 pjn--S.<X WTVN && 4 ' ”?4-7 *; 2Q4 53 Boots and Saddles-.... Amos ’n* Andy..... Gold Cup' Theatre—“The Kissing Bandit” (Repeat).. ..WBNS. ..WBNS ..... ..WLW-C- ...173 ...12.2 . .. 83 a 2. “YANKEE DOODLE DANDY”— James Cagney, Walter Houston; Warner Bros.; 1942; UAA . 1st Run Lex Mayer’s Theatre Sun. Dec. 7 10:00 pjn.-S.O, WTVN C 17,0 19.3 - 15.3 45 Loretta Young...... What’s My Line. Sunday News Special. News—Norman Dohn... Academy Award Theatre— • “Casanova Brown” (Repeat) ..WLW-C .... ..WBNS . ..WBNS ..... ..WBNS ..wbns 4*. ...283 ...22.5 ...183 . v-lQ-3 5.7 3. “REBECCA**— Joan Eunfeine/ Laurence OlivieiV Judith Anderson^ United Artists; 1940; NTA 1st Run Armchair Theatre • . Fri. Dec. 5 11:15 pjh.-S.O. WBNS 16.8 17.7 15.7. •51 - News, Weather. Jack Paar Show.... ..WLW-C ..WL^C .... ... .12.7 ...11.2 4. “REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM”— Shirley Temple, Randolph Scott, Jack Haley; 20th Century Fox; 1938; NTA 1st Run Shirley Temple Movie Sat. Dec. 6 1:00-2:30 pjn. WBNS 153 15.7; 14.3 ' 3Jf ‘ Sports Page.- Football— Miami vs. Oregon.... .. WLW*C .... ..WLW-C . .:.13.7 ...19.3 5. “PURPLE HEART”— Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, -Farley Granger; 20th Century Fox; 1944; NTA Repeat Sunday Showboat Sun. Dec. 7 12:30-2:00 p.m. WTVN 14.5 15.3 13.7 39 Star Commonwealth. Football— Cleveland vs. Philadelphia. ,. WBNS ..... ..WBNS ..... ... 4.9 .. 29.1 6. “CLOSE CALL FOR BOSTON BT,AI :i41 Chester Morris, Lynn ' Merrick, Richard Lane; Columbia; 1949; Screen Gems Repeat Best of Hollywood Sat Dec. 6 6-00-7:30 p.m. WTVN 13.2 143 12.3 27 Football— Baltimore vs. Los Angeles. ..WBNS ..... ...223 7. “CHAD HANNA”— Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Dorothy Lamour; 20th Century Fox; 1940; NTA Repeat Armchair Theatre Tues. Dec. 2 11:15 pjn.-S.O. WBNS 12.8 143 11.7 52 Jack Paar Show.. .. WLW-C 7?v« «.3 8. “WAR PAINT”— > -Robert Stack; United Artists; 1953; UAA Repeat Armchair Theatre Mom-Dec. 1 11:15 pjh.-S.Oi WBNS 123 143 - 10.7 54 Jack Paar Show. % - ..WLWrC .... ... 7.4 9. “A SOUTHERN YANKEE”— ' Red Skelton, Arlene Dahl, John Ireland; MOM; 1948; MGM-TV Repeat Best of MGM Sun. Dec.*7 6:00-7:30 p.m. ; WLW-C* 12.2 13.3 10.7 -27' Roy Rogers... Our Miss Brooks.:..;. Lassie...... /. WBNS ..... ..WBNS ..WBNS . ...173 i.463 ...26.2 10. "FIGHTING SEABEES”— ■Jbfm^Wayfce, Susan' • Hayward, Dennis O’Keefe; Republic; 1944; HTS* Repeat Armchair. Theatre' . Wed. Dec; 5 , - 11:15 p.m.-S.Q. . . . WBNS - ■* 113 13.3 10.3 : -x . 52 - 1 Jack Paar Show.. . ^ WLW-C_ ... 73 TV-FILMS 43 W- edneaday, February 4, 1959 1^&RU£TY The Battle For The Tape Buck McMahan Indicts Infant’ Status Of Uil Blurb-Makers Harry Wayne McMahan, a vet¬ eran in the blurb-making business, has recently returned from Europe, armed with what he considers are topflight European-made film com¬ mercials and simultaneously with an indictment of American blurbs and blurb-makers. After lauding “the more ingeni¬ ous concepts," “the sophistication" and the “memorable” qualities of so much of. the foreign stuff he saw recently as the only American judge at the Venice fete, he ac¬ cused Americans of falling down on the. job of selling via tv. Mc¬ Mahan, these days a consultant and a former veepee in charge of video blurbs at Leo Burnett, said these things to Variety, shortly before reiterating many of the same opin¬ ions before a group of agency and production execs who viewed 40 European commercials at a presen¬ tation sponsored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Gotham chapter. “The Continent is way. Way ahead of us in making the creative advertising message,” he declared. “American agencies are not us¬ ing our creative film producers enough,” McMahan charged. “While agency interest in improv¬ ing tv commercials is increasing, the advertising men must be cau¬ tioned that fewer of them than now do should get into the act” The former Venice judge said that the great number of Madison Avenuers who get themselves in on all phases of commercial pro¬ duction tend to dissipate the blurbs* impact. Actual producers, he said, “who know how -to tell a story, are being overlooked.” “There are just too many people at the agencies involved in dotting the *i\ They don’t get the con¬ tract producer in there soon enough to help them out.” He pointed out that American. still commercial photography is quite far advanced, as. opposed to most tv film commercials, simply because the admen let professional shutterbugs alone to do the work they know best European — meaning French, Swiss, English, et aL—commercial- makers “are better at visual con¬ cepts,” according to McMahan. “They are able to tell the story without all the’ words we use.” Twenty-two of the blurbs McMahan brought back' with him use hardly- any words at all, except, in some cases, at the dose of the com¬ mercial. -■ McMahan said that the absence of vocalistics in foreign-made ma¬ terial is due by and large to-the fact that many sponsors have to communicate in ’ many languages and hence "try to tell the story in a picture that most always is more ■ memorable than words.” “Moreover* I believe that many advertising people here, after see¬ ing these prints, would agree that these are more successful at sell-, ing impact than the run of our commercials.” Impulse’ Added To G-K Roster Hollywood, Feb. 3. * Second Gross - Rrasne series slated for filming at the company’s California Studios this year is “Impulse,” show created by actress Maria Palmer and dealing with the motivations for acts of crime. Se¬ ries will be distributed by Gross- Krasne^Sillerman, K-G’s distribu¬ tion affiliate. For past couple of years, G-K has confined production activities to overseas, despite the fact that they own the leasehold and oper¬ ate the California lot. First do¬ mestic series, “Fate,” is slated to roll $hortly for G-K-S syndication. Jack Gross will probably produce both series, with “Impulse” rolling in early spring. Miss Palmer,- whose latest stint was featured role in national com¬ pany of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” has the cooperation of the American Psychiatric Society and* the L. A. Police Dept, in the ven¬ ture. She’s already done a couple of scripts for the series. By ART WOODSTONE Role telefilm commercial pro* ducers'will play in video tape pro¬ duction is not clear—even to the production companies. Beset by union, budgetary and facility prob¬ lems and the sudden upsurge of network interest in competing for the video tape dollar, the situation has become difficult for the mem¬ bers of the Film Producers Assn, of N. Y. and for their Coast coun¬ terparts. . Advertising agencies are show¬ ing extreme timidity in throwing what limited, tape blurb produc¬ tion there is to the film producers. Instead, they reportedly are turn¬ ing to CBS-TV and NBC-TV, which are absolved at least of the facil¬ ities and most of the union problems. Working rapidly, FPA says that it is on the way to solving one of the more pressing issues. Its rep¬ resentatives met last week to iron out differences with the Inter¬ national Alliance of Theatrical & Stage Employees. FPA said that the union understands the prob¬ lems and the two groups will meet again next Friday (6) in a further shot at straightening the diffi¬ culties that have become apparent in the past several months and which came to a head two weeks ago in an intra-union jurisdictional squabble. CBS and NBC have accelerated plans of their own to get into full- scale production, to take advan¬ tage of the indecision forced upon the film men. The intra-union IATSE situation, really nothing more than a peculiar symptom of the overall issue between the film producers and the IA, is said to have in part influenced NBC to jettison its cautions about starting fulltime in tape and instead to make immediate plans for a pro¬ duction centre devoted entirely to Max Cooper to Tape Caban Baseball League For U. S. Winter Ride Chicago, Feb. 3. Max Cooper’s big idea for tele-, vision depends on whether Fidel Castro can make Cuba safe for winter baseball in 1959. Cooper, wjw heads a Chicago public rela¬ tions firm, has purchased the rights from the Cuban Baseball League to televise next winter’s games in the U.S. by means of videotape. It’s Cooper’s belief that baseball buffs don’t tire of the sport when the U.S. season ends but instead begin speculating on the forthcom¬ ing year. With six major league ballplayers allotted to each Cuban club in addition to a number of topflight minor league prospects. Cooper feels the south-of-the- border games will be watched with as much interest here as the in- season stateside games. Immediately as the 1959 ,U.S. baseball season ends. Cooper is go¬ ing into production with a 26-week series of Cuban baseball to span the gap between the end of one gringo baseball season and the be¬ ginning of the nfcxt. Last one in the skein, 'but natch, will be the championship game. The schedule is for one a week. Cooper says he has devised a technique for editing tape in film fashion by which each game could be pared to an hour’s length al¬ most without eliminating a pitch. This is done by snipping out [the unnecessary incidents that tend to slow down a ball game—staring contests^ walks to ~ the dugout, changes of field, etc. A pilot tape of a complete game played in Cuba this season is cur¬ rently making the rounds of net¬ works and ad agencies. Failing to get a network bite for the series. Cooper says he will put it into syn¬ dication. A1 Heifer did the play-by- play on the pilot. Working title of the 'taped ball- casts is “Winter TV Baseball.”] Fact that the U.S. gazettes don’t cover the individual Caban Leagues games, Cooper feels, keeps a Mon-] day or Tuesday outing fresh in tills country when it is played back on‘ tape the following Saturday. Although-his business is public relations primarily. Cooper had produced a local tv-er with How¬ ard Miller several years back j tape production (see separate story). Film producers are bothered by problems; of which IATSE is only a part, of such variety and range that one producer expressed them as “maybe insoluble.” Most of the FPA producers tabulated don’t share that opinion, feeling that in time everything will work out, but at the same time, some of them are cognizant that they cannot con¬ sume too much time establishing jointly with IA a tape modus oper¬ and!, for fear that NBC and CBS will become too well entrenched in the field. First there are the union prob¬ lems, with IATSE and its various parts and with SAG and AFTRA. While FPA feels it can come to terms with the IA. the SAG-AFTRA jurisdictional dispute, which seems to strike more directly at the film producers than it ever has at the networks, still faces a series of. legal maneuvers over an indeter¬ minable period of time. There are for the film producers, too, the problems of sufficient fi¬ nancing to buy tape studio space, tape equipment, live camera chains, and, perhaps most important, the unresolved need to establish a crystal-clear method of perform¬ ance ns video tape producers. Tape is a mechanical method far more resembling live production tech¬ nique than the film methods pro¬ ducers are used to. It is this latter problem that has created—far more than any minor intra-IA squabbling—the issues that FPA and IATSE are now trying to solve. Two weeks ago, the intra-IA mat¬ ter cropped up and it is said to have increased agency indecision about the use of the FPA in tape blurb-making. Actually, it was a narrow issue, which, while it is taken as symptomatic of the over¬ all trouble between IA and FPA, Plot to Kill Fuller One of the pass-this-around- the-table-takeoffs-at a Savoy- Hilton Hotel (N. Y.) luncheon last week was a photograph based on “The Plot to Kill Stalin” given tiis season by “Playhouse 90.” The feed was in tribute to Robert; Fuller, leaving WCBS-TV to become publicity director of CBS Films. Hotel's bulletin board listed the event as given by— WABC-TV. IMPOSING ARRAY OF ‘SA 7’CLIENT BUYS Despite the growth of syndica¬ tion advertisers seeking participa¬ tions as opposed to program buys, there remains a wide array of ad¬ vertisers going along the tradi¬ tional route. Case in point is MCA TV's sales lineup on “SA 7." On top of the regionals of Lucky Strike Cigarets and Genesee Brewing, MCA TV has clicked. off 16 additional mar¬ kets for a variety of sponsors. New sales include Tareyton Cigarets for 10 markets and Donovan Coffee for two Alabama markets. Other buys include Ballantine Beer, Columbus, O.; Dixie Electric for one market in Louisiana and Blue Plate Foods for another Louisiana'market. Each of the sales was for a February start. Success Story Hollywood, Feb. 3. Four Star Films will pour over $800,000 into 20 half-hour telefilms for seven series during the next three weeks, a record activity pace for the Hollywood telefilmery, ac¬ cording to production head Frank Baur. Included in the production activity is lensing of the first stanza of Four Star's new Singer anthol¬ ogy series Feb. 16. Series is hosted by David Niven, produced by Vin¬ cent M. Fennelly. Other telepix to be filmed in the three-week period are three for “Rifleman”; three for “Dick Pow¬ ell’s Zane Grey Theatre”; four for “Wanted—Dead or Alive”; three for “Trackdown”; three for “Black Saddle”; and three for “Richard Diamond, Private Detective.” did not offer any genuine cause for ad agency alarm. Instead of the usual one, there were two pro¬ ducers involved, one from FPA (which is signed with IA local 6441 and one (dealing only with IA men employed by two N.Y. tv stations and Who are not 644 members). This two-ply production deal caused the problem by and large. Bigger IA problem Involves the guarantees the FPA producers feel they can afford or cannot afford to make to the union as to the staff¬ ing and training of crews. The cur¬ rent meetings are basically on these points. FPA appears to want the union to train its film techni¬ cians in the live manner and also wants the right to pick from the trainees the men FPA members feel are most qualified to make the shift from film to live. (It’s much more than merely training them to use cameras effectively; it is, ac¬ cording to some FPA’ers, a matter of training them in the more in¬ volved techniques of live camera maintenance.) IATSE naturally wants FPA to first hire permanent staffs with the producers then undertaking the re¬ sponsibility of training. Because nobody on either side really can foretell the extent and monetary worth of video tape production and because few of the FPA producers want to underwrite costly tape facilities additions before tape really gets moving, the IA and FPA are confronted by serious problems. CBS and NBC are signed with IBEW and NABET, respectively, and since there is neither any dis¬ pute as to which union is to handle the various network tape jobs noi is there any problem of converting film technicians to live work (NABET and IBEW are historically “live tv” unions), the webs are thought to have the edge for the moment in this battle for the tape buck. “Yankee Doodle Dandy’s’ Star-Spangled Trendex In Providence, Elsewhere “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is turn¬ ing the rating tables on the posi¬ tion that old-time musical features don’t ring the rating register in their tv exposure. WJAR-TV, Providence. R.I., which plugged heavily for the Warner Bros, pic, starring James Cagney, scored ? whopping 42.5 Trendex oh Tues. (27), between 8 and 10 p.m. The hoopla paid off hand¬ somely for the sole sponsor Sun¬ beam Bread, which plunked down about $5,000 for the one-shot pres¬ entation, the figure including the advertisers share in promotion: Other ratings elsewhere are not nearly as dramatic, hut they do in¬ dicate the musical’s strength. Ac¬ cording to the Variety-PuIs e Fea¬ ture Chart in this issue, the ’42 cinematic being distributed by United Artists Associates, scored second place in the Chicago mar¬ ket with a 18.1, and a 17.0 in Co¬ lumbus, O., again hitting second place. KTTV GRABS OFF KELLOGG BILLINGS Hollywood, Feb. 3. KTTV pulled a nifty mid-year coup last week by grabbing off some $3,000 a week worth of Kel¬ logg billings which had been riding on KABC-TV; the ABC o&o here, since the start of the season. KTTV pulled away three of Kellogg’s big four spot-booked shows, “Woody Woodpecker,” “Superman” and “Wild Bill Hickok,” which KABC- TV was awarded when Kellogg de¬ cided to go spot after having aired the shows on the ABOTV network. In addition, KTTV grabbed some extra business, with Kellogg ink¬ ing to sponsor “Topper” on the station as well. Shift from KABC- TV starts Dec. 22, when “Woody” goes into a Sunday at 6 slot; "Su¬ perman” and “Hickok” go into Wednesday and Thursday at 7 the same week, and “Topper” rides Saturday afternoons. Scranton Corp. In Payroll Crisis At Roach Studios Hollywood, Feb. 3. Bloom may be off the rose ot the Scranton Corp.’s wide-ranging show biz plans. A temporary crisis last week at Hal Roach Studios, one of the Scranton subsids, was the tipoff, as the studio for some time was unsure whether it would he able to meet its payroll. As it turned out, the payroll was met, and will be met next week, but nobody could predict anything be¬ yond that. Payment for production person¬ nel was slated for last Thursday (29), and by that afternoon Roach execs were phoning the unions ask¬ ing them for wage waivers, for permission to delay wage payments by one week. They told the unions that money had been held up in .New York, due to a shortterm fi¬ nancial squeeze that would shortly be overcome. Late that afternoon, word arrived from New York that money wou’d be forth¬ coming, and Friday afternoon everyone was paid off. Whatever the nature of the squee?e on Scranton’s resources— and Hal Roach Jr. was the only studio exec with any knowledge of the problem, and he was in New York raising the coin—fact remains there’s grave speculation over the studio’s future here, as well as con¬ siderable wonderment as to the di¬ rection in which Scranton’s mov¬ ing. The financial squeeze was pre¬ ceded by rapid expansion, what with acquisition of Mutual, of Dis¬ tributors Corp. of America, of Roach’s Rabco assets, along with talk of acquisition of a telefilm dis¬ tribution firm. There were also income, from Roach’s sale for $2,- 000,000 of ’the “Oh Susannah” se¬ ries to Jack Wrather’s Independent Television Corp. At the same time, though, there came the William Morris agency lawsuit for $311,000 in comm'ssions allegedly due on sale of the “Su¬ sannah” show, along with reports that operating funds at the studio have been chronically low for the past several weeks. Roach execs explained that operating funds for payroll, etc., aiv forwarded from New York each week. Nobody knows the future of the studio, but bets are that Scranton will curtail its expansion-acquisi¬ tion program sharply to reappraise its show biz investments. Mean¬ while, studio is operating as usual. “Susannah” is the *how cur¬ rently shooting; “The Veil” has laid off for a couple of weeks; pilot of the Guy Madison show is in the cuttingrooms. “Dennis O’Keefe Show,” which is a rental, is slated to start within the next week for United Artists Television Fremantle Inti Into Yidpic Prod. London, Feb. 3. Fremantle International~of New York is entering the vidpic pro¬ duction field for the first time with a series to be lensed in Britain. Details wers disclosed last week by the company prexy, Paul Talbot, during a stopover in London as part of an extensive continental tour. The series will star Harry H. Corbett, who is best known here for his “Sooty” puppet character, which has been widely featured on British tv. The skein will be partly puppet and partly live action and the pilot is now in an advanced stage of preparation. The series will run to 39 half-hour films. During his London visit, Talbot also announced the appointment of Douglas Jackson as Fremantle** UK sales manager. Jackson was formerly with the George Newnes publishing house in charge of the sales promotion department and in that capacity produced a num¬ ber of tv commercials. Angela Cuthbertson, who is a director of Talbot Television Ltd. (the British subsidiary), continues to handle the I sales of Fremantle films on the continent, operating out of the I London office. TRUEVISION REVIEWS SHAKESPEARE .WITHOUT TEARS With Frankie Howerd, Terence Longdon, Georgina Ceoksen, Joyce Carpenter, Bruce White- man, Wilfred Carter, others Director: Eric Miller Writer: Reuben Ship M Mh&: Wed., 8:40 pan, BBC-TV, from London Frankie Howerd. is one of Bri¬ tain's best and funniest stage and tv drolls. But he is such an offbeat individualist that he is not easy to slot into any given formula. A Howerd role has to be tailored rather than-simply glibly written. Nevertheless, as- with any come¬ dian, it’s a help if the script is well written- and based on an en¬ gaging idea. Reuben Ship created just such a script in “Shakespeare Without Tears” and it provided Howerd with a very amusing 30 minutes of tv comedy, with good gags and some slick visual situations. Wheth¬ er or not - the -. Ship script was written with Howerd in mind it certainly came off. The wffole tfripg jelled, and.it.is to be hoped that the two will get together in future excursions, into the tricky realm of television comedy. . Billed as “an .episode'in the life of the laughingstock .of television” it had. Howerd as an out-of-work, frustrated Shakespeare-crazy small- part actor. When he is fired from the coffee-bar where he is picking up a doubtful living because of a tendency to' drop plates and then blame the customers in a spate of florid Shakespearian rhetoric, How¬ erd is delighted when he is sum¬ moned for a job at the Old Vic. But it turns out that he has been hired as dresser to an irascible Shakespearean;.actor, played with panache by Terence. Longdon. From then on misunderstandings flow,' Howerd had- a chance to masquerade as tear in front of a female admirer and, among- other situation, to deputize as _ Lkertes in "the hammiest performance of “Hamlet” yet seen. Howerd’s mournful face leered triumphantly through' the 30 minutes in which he Was backed by a very good sup¬ porting cast which included glam¬ orous Georgina Cookson, Bruce Whiteman and Wilfred Carter and a number of walkers on breezily .handled by director Eric Miller. _ • Rich, - THE CRIMINALS ' . U[ith Stanley Baker, Raymond Huntley, 4*tan Cntfebertson, Frederick. Hartman. Dermof Kelly, Pet$r Swabwick, Fred Kitchen, Angus Lennie, Ronald Fraser Writers: Malcolm A. Hnlke, Eric Price Producer: Sydney Newman Director: James FeTman - 65 Mins., Sun., 10:05 p.m. ABC-TV, from Manchester Film actor Stanley Baker made one of his rare, tv appearances in this fair thriller written by Mal¬ colm A. Hulke and Eric Paice.. Plot, although riddled with innu¬ merable twists had a familiar tang about it which, because of some heavy.handed production, became even more obvious and predictable. Nevertheless. “The Criminals” made for sound tv entertainment, especially so since its theme cen¬ tred round New Year’s Eve revel¬ ries. Acting was generally good, with a performance by Baker which was better than the role deserved. Action took place in the base¬ ment of a London firm—the base¬ ment backed onto the vault of the hank next door. Baker, an escaped convict, conned four execs, who were celebrating the New Year at the office, into helping him break through the wall and get at the loot. Moral Of the piece appeared to be that every man has his price. Barg. THE EXILES (The Bird Laughed) With Brian Peck, Llewelyn Rees, John Maxim, James Hayter, George Roderick, Richard Car¬ penter, John Forbes-Kobertson, Iris Baker, Wendy Hutchinson, Jerold Wells, Laurence Hardy, Janies Copeland, Aithna Gover Director: Gerard' Glaister Writer: Lynn Foster 90 Mins.; Sun. (25), 8:45 pjn. BBC-TV, from London ‘The Bird Laughed” was the first in a cycle of four plays spe¬ cially written for tv by Lynn. Fos¬ ter under the overall title “The Exiles,” and which are ha : ng given peak Sunday vi^wm* time BBC- TV on its nat:0:i” 'd? r.ebv- The quartet will soon a ncr'o* 35 years in Australia from 1873, al¬ though the tintepiaod® covered only three years. ./ Miss Foster i$ m t Jmagtnriive and courage*** writer, who has tackled a big subject with «m-; cerity and authority. The basic idea behind the four plays is to tell the story of the development of Australia in terms of one par¬ ticular family, a story n£. jEhe pioneers who went out in searah of fortunes at a time when the colony had recently been regarded as a penal settlement. The central .character'. bjL the initial episodb.-Tis a young clerk withambitious ideas of prospecting, for gold, but-iffco is tricked into becoming a “dafrttny” sheep farmer for unscrupulous operators ih Syd¬ ney. The plot developed with.maxi- mum human interest and an ample; measure of dramatic suspense. -Gerard -Glaister -has.; coped- with Miss Foster’s wide panvas to give the subject breadth- and .^atmo¬ sphere. His direction earned the stamp ofautheptieity, and he was always .in full control of his cast. Brian Peck and Wendy .Hutchinson essayed the romantic leads with authority, James',- Hayter and Llewellyn Rees made the two cfalty big town characters credible, [ with' Jerold Wells, Ins Baker* and Aithna Gover "fending admirable support - V. . Myra THE SENTRY With Lee Patterson, Harry H. Cor¬ bett, Michael Balfour, Tom Nay¬ lor, James Dyrenferfh, David Graham, Percy Herbert, Peter Boeeski, Lome Cassette, Ryck Rydori Writer: John Gay Producer: Sydney Newman. Director; William Koteheff 65 Minis., Sun., 10:5 pjU. ARC-TV; from Manchester Sydney Newman’s . production and William • Kotcheff*$ direction of a Civil War drama, allied to a standout job in the design depart¬ ment and a eOuple of, sensitive performances, Tated this aH-male-- cari: job as compelling' viewing once it got into stride'. ^Opening was somewhat dOw and puzzling for local audiences, the presentation assuming too much pre-knowledge of Civil affairs. But once' the universal situation. was established, the pressure didn’t let up-. This situation: Meade (Lee Patterson), leader of three-Con¬ federate saboteurs intent .on blow¬ ing a bridge .over which a Yankee ammo train is due to pass, believes that the sentry knifed in the proc¬ ess is his .brother. Allowed to escape by his Yankee captors in the correct ; hop.e. .that he’ll lead them back; to thie right bridge. Meade'finds that the dying man is not his brother but is nevertheless a human being raiding on bis com¬ passion and' humanity. Meade responds to t&s call, only to be shot by the ..sentry, before this enemy himself dies. Clearly such, a yam has much comment to make on the futility of war, but this emerged, from and was subsidiary to the gripping per¬ sonal situation. Canadian Patter¬ son gave a sensitive reading of the war-weary,. loyalties-tom Meade, but Harry H. Corbett tended to overplay the sidekick steeled .to hatred of his fellow-countrymen. David Graham scored with a per¬ ceptive interpretation of a battle- shy young Yankee lieutenant, while Percy Herbert did well with a forthright presentation of his sergeant. Michael Balfour and James Dyrenforth came up. com¬ petently in other roles. The ballad ‘Two Brothers,” com¬ ing in before and after commercial breaks, was used to excellent effect. Emi. DREI ORANGEN (Three Oranges) With Axel Jfreaje, Hefl Ftekefc- zeller, Hans Kjriet, Evi Kent, Bally Bxihlan, "Maria- Axt, Marina Rfed, Brigitte Mira, Kurt Pratsch- Kanfmann Producer: SFB (Berlin) Director: Hans-Waldemar Bublitz Writer: Dieter Rohkohl 100 Mins.; Sat., 8:20 pan. West German TV, from Berlin Lack of imagination, tasteless as well as suggestive dialog sequences i plus a complete absence of charm made this a rather mediocre musi¬ cal comedy. Familiar plot centered around a jealous wife who suspects her husband of unfaithfulness. Hubby returns from a business trip with a valuable mink coat as a present for her. Latter makes the wife even more suspicious. So she leaves h>m. The - innocently feeling huo^'and donates the coat to his secre’sry and the result is a number of more complicated sit¬ uations. AH, of course, «*& to- pQy. Wovec in are *ome musical numbers of -all but excttlpg ealibre. Hans-Waldemar BubJitx directed this with much routine. Acting was varied. Best performance was turned in by an all but important person: Brigitte Mira in the role of an elderly housemaid. Kurt Pratsch-Kaafaira enacted a pri¬ vate detective. - Both at least had some- funny ■ moments.' Evi Kent played the ycumg secretary, an ap¬ pealing performance, the more so ss* Miss Kent fas- a Bice-.singing • voice too. Her hubby is this was Bully Bahian; pop ringer, of whom it’ .-can be said that he’*: only achmaltzy.Xas per his storing) and apish (acting). The principal -cou¬ ple was played by Heli Finken- zeller and; Axel Mouje with satis¬ factory results. Their son, Heinz Kwiet, appeared much too old for hi* role* Anotberrinadequate per¬ formance.was turned in by Marina Ried. TechnicaJ eredits were, up to par* ii- Hans. ALL ABOARD s ‘ •* I With. Susan Avril. Angers, Richard ^ Coleman, Arthur Lowe, . John ^ Gale, Charles -Morgan* Marion- Jfathicv* Jtichard Thorp, Defer. GreeMpan,? Leslie. Sands, .Elizabeth.WaBaee,-'Dave Kelly, others. . .- v ; ; .. Director; Guy Verncy > , • Writers: Gerald. Kelsey, Dick Sharpie*. - ' 30 Mins.; Sat., 6:30 pan. ABC-TV, from Birmingham ABC-TV*s pew Saturday serial Is staged aboard a luxury liner on the Atlantic run between New York .and. London.- Assorted mem¬ bers of the. crew will doubtless de¬ velop as familiar faces, while the passengers will presumably , allow for the regular introduction of new characters.-The format is.a sim¬ ple one, and in the first installment the principal ^personalities began- to take shape. », The two authors have collected a familiar bunch mf stock charac¬ ters around whom they have woven a number of snR.plots, one intro¬ ducing a touch 'of mystery and sUsp'ense, while another indicates the romantic course the series may follow... It . added up to wholesome, if not very sparkling entertainment, with an able cast making the most out of the opportunities. Myro. THE NIGHTWATCHMAN’S STORIES With Wally Batch, Mar jorieRhodes, .Victor Blaife • Charles . Lamb, : Douglas. IvCs, Norman Pierce, - Hilda Barry, Ft Stevens, Derek - Prentice Writer? W. W. Jacobs Adaptation; Doari: GBtmqn Producer: Peter Dews - Director: Terence Dudley - 30. Mins.,. WedL, 9:36 BJm - BBC-TV frmn Losdon - It’s an essential that, if the full flavor of W- W. Jacob’s waterfront stories is ; to be conveyed success¬ fully some considerable attempt be made, to re-create period atmos¬ phere. , BBC-TV teied in this, one of -a series of five adaptations, but unhappily, feather-sprouting hats and aspidistra plants didn’t prove sufficient to do the trick. Even so, while Jacobs’ humour is stylized and dated, it-has an abiding appeal on a naive level. The yarn under review, about a trio’s plot tp proclaim the death of one by drowning so that there can be a subsequent pass-the-hat- round movement ostensibly to benefit the sorrowing . wi d o wy scored .on that plane. Enthusiastic performances, especially from Vic¬ tor Platt, Douglas Ives and. Charles Lamb who was deputising for a sick Hal Osmond, helped to estab¬ lish the effort as amusing enough entertainment. .Wally Patch stood in competent¬ ly for Gordon Harker, another illness victim, as the titular nar¬ rator. * . 5 End,, MELODIE DER WELT. (Melody of the World) With Lawrence Winters, Johnny Teupen, Rudolf Schock, Eve Boswell, Helmut Zacharias, Bibi Johns, Melitla Mszeley, Fritz Sc hnl z-Reichel, others Producer: NWRV (Hambury) Direct*!? Xriredit Essberger 56 Mins,; Fri. 9 pjn. -■ * ' West. Genus. TV r from Hamborg Ooe had eipected more eff this iraw nn al coefctaB, the more so. a&a number of tog German musical stars -contributed their talents jto it. This show couldn’t overcome the handicaps of a careless song selection and a remarkably Super¬ ficial direction. With nothings spe¬ cial'and the-different numbers not even smoothly put together, the w!u&| thing just had to become Medidere. ; . v . *V; Laurence Winters; a colored ; briitdpe Mving in Genntny, teed off th$ show with “(Me Man River” and latter was, although nothing special either, still the best about this 50-minute offering. Most Of I the s^ngs, of which the greater part Was not even catchy, were done .the mechanical war. That also applies to such locally, very popular ringetf ts.Bihi Johns'and Rudolf Bdbqck. Sw&hsh MISS Johhs ddlvened “Blue BegiK”. and Schock a. ichmaltzy. Viennese song.. At least Schock, the posses¬ sor. of i a fine voice, should have been gjiveu a better possibility ho come off. . Fritz Schulz-Reichel (“Crazy Otto”) vOs one of three pianists that accompanied the Harry Her¬ man orch and their “Cherokee” was just ai Routine stinL . Violin, maestro)- Helmut • Zacharias.- had. “Wild Jferlhe Wipd” and “Faithful Hiiszar* 1 <ito offer-^-same outcome. Johnny. TeUPril proved a. master of the barp. Only explanatum for this dj^s pprinting show w^th regard to its-pn Mjramming side:.OnC tried to appesd- to the strictly conven- tional hstepers.. If this category was. saiisfiedj^s also doubtful. It] was .actually neither fish nor fowl, nothing much for the younger and nothing much for the older gene-, ration. iProgTamwise, one of the poorest video offerings in many weeks. - Hans. SO EIN THEATER (Such a jrhtafoe) With Willy Reichert, Gretl Scho*rg^ Oskar 1 Seiler/ Fernseh»- Ballet Sued, lathees .. Pxodnceit ^eddeutscher Rundfurk Director: Horst Jaedicke Writers: Keieherf, H. Hart wig, G. Neumann v - 70 Mins.; Sob.; 8 pja. W-German TV» fr«m Stuttgart' “Such ia" Theatre” is a cabaret- revue about “the theatre with all latter’s trimmings. It riiows Willy i Reichert,; amicable Soidh German comedian! in all possible theatre functions First he’s a porter, then a make-up artist, then an electri¬ cian, an' actor, a prompter and finally a ^heatre director. With his lovable npmicry and gestures, this true-bornl combdian and quick-1 change artist (who also helped on the script) nearly, steals the show. Program also presents comedian Oskar Heller (in a sketch with Reichert); the topnotch Femseh- Ballet Sued and Gretl Scho*rg. ' Miss Scho*rg delivers a number cf songs, including Walter Kollo’s i ever-popular ? ‘What a Woman Ts.1 Dreaming In Spring,” and die does i a highly appealing job. It’s hard j to understand why Miss Scho*rg, ■ now as usual one of this country’s most attractive operetta stms, is'so; seldom seen on this country's ahow' .biz, media. Apart from possessing: a well trained and very appealing voice and being extremely easy-on the eyes, she has something;which.: many (most) of her older and younger colleagues lack: charm. Hans. MEETING POINT With Donald Swann, Michael FUs= ders, London Bach Society,! Hampstead Paris Church Chair : Prodimer: Noble Wilson 25 Mins., Sun., 7 pan. BBC-TV, from London - Taking as its text the need to: “make a joyful-noise unto God,” this BBC-TV program fills the time normally allotted to straight-for¬ ward religious subjects. It is in line with a new all-round thinking on the treatment of religion on Britain’s networks — a departure from the conventional format and a bid to get the widest potential viewership. The current program, recorded at a City of London Chnrch, was introduced by Donald Swann and Michael Flinders. They are the two performers who, for two years now, have starred in “At the Drop of a Hat” and who, when the Lon¬ don run eventually ends, will trans¬ fer their show to Broadway. Flan T -ders* a polio victim who- does his stint from a wheelchair, acted as an emcee, with his partner, Donald Swann, illustrating the attempts he was making to give a new lift to religious music.. With" the .rid of the London; Ba&h' Society and a' hoys’ -choir, there wore a. number ef interesting ] examples demonstrating the new trend in composing for the church. There was one particularly lively example of an cidtime Christmas j carol; Swann had come across the words in an old Bible and provided j original music. Myro. 1 BOYD QC With Michael Derito, Michael G’Halleran, Joha Cbrikuey, RUs- se& Waters^others . Writer: Jack Roffey 36 Mins., Tues., 10:15 pan. Associated-Rediffusion, from. London Returning to the schedules, and presumably to it* foriher populari¬ ty, “Boyd ftC? to •* legal procedure spiced with human interest. to the titieri^elklMicliael Denison, an actor. admiraMy .sufted to the portray*!: of sl British ri- tomey. He has warmth of person¬ ality while at the same time he displays a fitting amount of British reserve. .The show under review' was telerecorded some while bac^i Reason for this was the storyline which dealt with a couple of Scots¬ men celebrating the New Year. The adequately produced offering was f nil of hintu)r and made a heat impack. The program showed the trial following a New Year's scrap in¬ volving the Scotsmen and a gang of Irishmen. Bottles were used “in.' a friendly manner” and the Scots buddies were hauled before‘ toe judge. Denison.defended them and got them Off the charges in a very convincing manner. * Bary. PAST IMPERIAL . * * : . With-Michael Ingrams Writer-Director: Michael Ingrams 15 Minsi, Frf, 10:45 p.m. Associated Rediffusion, from London Question raised by Michael.In¬ grams in this program was: how far has British influence persisted in . India following the handing over of independence in 1647? His conclusion, readied largely through , a couple of interviews in New Delhi: \t has persisted strongly, and inter-hodividdal relationships' are on a m'uch easier, healthier footing."* ’ ‘ Maybe not overwhelmingly ^con¬ vincing in this latter assurance — necessarily, mdeh was left unex¬ amined — the brief inquiry never¬ theless held interest firmly and waved the Union Jack refreshingly. Introductory , film.., clips of high* ligfito from Britain’s Imperial In- diap day' added variety, Emi. . I Foreip T? Follownp I Sunday Night at the PalladhEm ^. The swift return (“by popular request”) of- Dickie Henderson, as topper- of this vaude show (25) again spotlights the difficulty Yad * Parnell has in. raising fresh names week after week. Not that Hen-, derson, with.his keen sense humor, -observation and ^nimbfe feet, is-not an excellent tv turn. But even he is hard put.to it not to repeat his .material. This time he again put over his. impressions of various people going up and downstairs, culminating with the inevitable drank. He also gave his impression of various people danc¬ ing the “cha-cha-cha.” It .was brisk and lively tv. Two American acts made their* British television debuts, Rosemary June and Larry Griswold* Miss June is a likeable but -fairly un¬ remarkable thrush and there are n dozen or„so British singers.'Wh# could have filled her spot with equal- charm and ability. She opened aptly with “June in Janu¬ ary,” went into “When I Fall in Love” and got in- a plug tor her latest disk by storing *TH Be With You In Apple Blossom Tjcne.” -A fussy dress and set did not help her act, ? - Best thing in the* show, by yards, was Larry Griswold. This hilarious trampolinist, purporting -. to be loaded while essaying high dives, roused continuous yocks. It" would be idle to praise his sense a£ tim¬ ing—the result of tremendous re¬ hearsals—but for that immaculate timing Griswold would By n$w un¬ doubtedly have broken Ins/hedc. This acrobatic clown is theCbest thing the States has sent to Britain for a long time. The Three Mbnarchs, a funny but by now over familiar har¬ monica act, the Palladium Girls, and Singers and Cyril Omadcl’s orch completed a hill which was produced by Albert Locke and emceed by Brdce Forsyth to his usual effusive fashion.. He x riso handled the “Bead the £3bck” spot, with a jackpot now-standing at $3,360. Forsyth’s determination that no competitor should fail to win one of the major prizes reached a pitch of lunacy on one occasion' when he actually finished off a competitor’s chore for her. Rich. P&RIETY 47 ^Wednesday, February 4, 1959 TELEVISION RHVIEWS Tele Follow-Up Comment Chevy Show * The inter-cultural relations be¬ tween Japan and the United fStates entered another phase on Sunday (1) when NBC-TV displayed the accomplishments of a Japanese talent delegation , on the Chevy show. It .did look somewhat like an Ed Sullivan Show with an Ori¬ ental accent. But withal it bad a lot of charm and appeal and pro¬ duced entertainment values. The kill showed American in¬ fluences on Japanese theatre rather than a display of the classical Jap¬ anese culture. There were quick glimpses of some classical bits, but, in many cases these were just lead- ins to' something out of Ldew’s State. For example, Haru Tominaga plays a classical zither-like instru¬ ment known as the koto, and after a brief illustration of its traditional use went into “Saints Go Marching In ” Wakana Hanayagi started in classical dance and wound up in something infinitely more modern, in concert with hostess Shirley MacLaine. The major singers were James Shigets and Izumi Yukimura, both of whom' are on the bigtime in Japan, Izumi is reminiscent of Teresa Brewer, a cute birdlike creature, who looks fragile and sings big. Shigeta has a sexy voice. Both did well in solo and in con¬ cert. The comedy is by a pair of Jap¬ anese turns, the Rice Paddies, in which a troupe prepares the dough for rice cakes out of a batch of cooked rice. There’s some simple and basic lines that hit home. They were accomped by a troupe of femme instrumentalists and sing¬ ers. The Nagata Baseball King’s, a family act, lampoons America's na¬ tional pasttime that has been adopted by Japan. There were some excellent comedy moments. Louis Jourdain, hosting the show along with Miss MacLaine, held the various ingredients together charm¬ ingly. Both adapted themselves to this Oriental frame. Miss MacLaine did so especially with her singing in Japanese at odd times. One of the most charming bits on the show, it says here, was the end commercial done by Miss Mac¬ Laine in the manner-of the Kabuki theatre. The sales spiel had imagi¬ nation, charm and humor and an entertaining quality. Also sales appeal. Jose, i General Electric Theatre Tuning up a trite tale turned out to be a helpful angle for GE’s “No Man Can Tame Me” shot on OBS-TV last Sunday (1). Although it was no great shakes as a musical, the 30 minutes did have enough spark to make it a pleasing session. The tunes were supplied by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston and were ably handled by Gisele MacKenzie, John Raitt and Eddie Foy. The score of necessity in the half-hour framework didn’t get much of a showcasing or development but it did manage to develop a tune¬ ful taste. * Of the players. Miss MacKenzie came off best and showed that she’d be a strong bet in larger musicomedy areas. . Gros. . Playhouse 90 I “A Quiet Game of Cards” broke up too late. Writer Reginald Rose, apparently not content with having penned a satisfactory and natural conclusion to his gripping, explo¬ sive teleplay, went an abortive step too far to further a point that stripped the whole work of its logical tone and cloaked it with the incongruity of fantasy. Until the bloom went off Rose’s little game, the “Playhouse 90” entry was the kind of tv now frequently referred to by sentimental set- siders as “the type of thing tv used to do in the good old days.” It was a tale of five successful businessmen whose 25 - year - old weekly card game with a 50-cent limit suddenly grows stale, leading them to develop a bizarre and idealistic murder plot to break the monbtony of success. The premise , is that these “five perfect examples of the fulfillment of the American dream” can gamble in murder on the assumption they are clever enough not to get caught, but the murder must also have a moral justification: At first, each is to bring in a name of a potential vic¬ tim who epitomizes evil, but this proves unsatisfactory. In the out¬ standing ironical twist of. the tele¬ play, .the five men decide to mur¬ der a completely good man, thus creating a martyr whose death, veiled as the, work 'of juvenile hoodlums; will outrage humanity . and instigate a.pFogram that would benefit thousands: of just such youthful delinquents as the ones blamed for the crime. The machinery for the murder is set in motion. It is not a very pre¬ cisely-calculated plot, but obvious¬ ly and fittingly the work of non¬ pros at the business of homicide. There is also a good deal of in¬ decision, self-doubt, and finally outright fear of the consequences on the part of members of the quintet. But, just as the knife is poised for the kill, the leader of the ‘group finds he cannot bring himself to commit the deed. At this point, investigating a disturb¬ ance, the Intended victim is mur¬ dered by a group of young hoods, precisely in the manner which the five plotters had hoped to have their own version interpreted. This tae, even accepted on a hypotheti¬ cal basis, seems contrived and un¬ worthy of the logical restraint ex-: hibited by the balance of Rose’s teleplay. ~ “ The five principals, Barry Sulli¬ van. Franchot Tone, Gary Merrill, E. G. Marshall and William Ben- dix, all contributed stimulating portrayals, and received able sup¬ port from Irene Eervev. Raymond Greenleaf, Katharine Warren and the balance of the cast. UntU the joker pooped out of writer Rose’s Doker. director Alex Segal did a beautiful job of building and main¬ taining suspense throughout most Of the Herbert Brodkin production. Tube. WHO SHALL NOT KILL? With Tom Mullahey Producer: Tom Mullahey Director: Vern Louden Writer: Tom Mnllahey 60 Mins.: Fri. (30), 8 p.m. KRON, San Francisco » One of the most controversial issues in California today is-aboli- tion of the death "penalty, but no tv or radio station has taken a stand on the issue—or, for tha‘ matter, done much reporting on it —until KRGN’s hour-long show came alorig. Writer - Producer - narrator Tom Mullahey handled the subject deftly and convincingly. He explored the historical back¬ ground briefly, starting with the Fifth Commandment, and the viewer was then taken through the step-by-step preparation cf a con¬ vict in his last 17 hours at San Quentin, culminating in an execu¬ tion at the prison gas chamber. Next came quick interviews with a pair of murderers (who have served a total of 59 years m prison) about whether they would have preferred death to their life sen¬ tences without hope of pardon--— both had spent years on “death row” until their sentences had been commuted. Workings of California’s Adult Authority (parole board) were de¬ scribed swiftly, viewer saw a brief filmed. interview with killer Bar¬ bara Graham (on the possibility of sending an innocent person to ^ death) and show wound up with a ’number of interviews with persons like Gov. Edmund G. Brown, San (Quentin’s warden, Frisco police chief, district attorney, a psychia¬ trist and “men in the street.” Final three minutes were de¬ voted to a plea by KRON General Manager Harold P. See for a five to 10-year moratorium on the death penalty and a plea to the State judiciary for revision of the “Mc- Naughton Rule”’ on sanity—under the McNaughton Rule (1843) the legal definition of a sane person is the ability to discriminate be¬ tween right and- wrong. In other words, legal sanity has little rela¬ tion to medical* sanity. Show was pre-filmed and ex¬ amined the subject of capital pun¬ ishment in death, making its points precisely and dramatically. A pro¬ fessional actor was used to imper¬ sonate murderer going to his death at the £an Quentin gas chamber, but otherwise all performers were the real thing, which made the show much more convincing. Mullahey’s script and narration were eloquent and it is to KRON’s credit that the station was: 1) bold enough to take a stand against the death penalty after an objective and penetrating analysis of both sides of the question, and 2) un¬ concerned enough about its rev¬ enue to preempt an hour of prime time on a Friday evening to air this documentary., ' Direction of Vern Louden and : camera work of Bob Gustavino and Leo Diner were good, and Doran Ford’s audio work was excellent. This was adult, thoughtful (Re¬ vision. Stef. FIDEL CASTRO With Stuart Novins, Richard Bate, . others Producer-Director: Don Hewitt Writer: John Sharnik Cameramen: Paul Rubenstein, Ralph Santos 30 Mins., Wed. (38), 8 p.m, CBS-TV (tape & film) Between sponsored shows, CBS- TV devoted last Wednesday’s (28) 8 p.m. time slot to a half-hour, part tape, part film o.o. of Fidel Castro and Cuba since Castro’s successful overthrow of the Batista regime. Though the stanza was visually’okay, the key to the one- shot was not in the tape, the film or the 24 or so minutes in which they were shown. Not to say that these visual portions weren’t inter¬ esting, but they were somewhat disjointed and not overly exciting. The star attraction* was Stuart Novins’ brief word summary of what has taken place economically, socially - and politically since the revolt, with special emphasis on the role the Communists might play in Cuba’s future. • Novins brought In several angles which were not covered pictorially. leav¬ ing the viewer ’ with the feeling that he might have been watching two distinct programs. interesting trade sidebar was the filmed interview with Goar Mestre, the big man in Cuban video. Mes¬ tre, a known Batista opponent (he had his share of tv troubles be¬ cause of.it, too), gave his view—a temperate one^-on the new Castro role. Political aspect of this inter¬ view was okay, but for the people in Stateside video, who’ve heard about his personality ar.d forqeful- ness but who’ve 'never met him, it offered an opportunity during five minutes of “Fidel Castro” to see part oL what, makes Jura po powerful in Latin American broad¬ casting. Art. THE MIKADO (CBC Folio) With Eric House, Roma Butler* Robert Reid, Alan Crofoot, Eric Treadwell, Irene Byatt, Arthur . Sclafer, Marie Gauley, Genevieve Gordon, others Producer-Director: Norman Camp¬ bell Stager (Musical Numbers): Gladys Forrester Music Director: Godfrey Ridout 120 Mins.: Toe. (27); 9:30 pjn. CEC-TV, frojn Toronto Filling two hours (no coramerr cials; it was -sustaining) so only -one minor musical item had to be omitted, the Canadian Broadcast¬ ing Corp.’s “The Mikado” provided viewers across the country with one of the finest performances of the Gilbert & Sillivan spoofer ever seen in this country on any medi¬ um. Norman Campbell, who pro¬ duced and directed this ‘tern in CBC’s intermittent '“Folio” series, deserves all the kudos he’s going to get because, from this side of the picture tube, there wasn’t a major flaw. Big disappointment is that it gets only a single showng. Since Canada has only one English- language web T it would be a mighty achievement if a U.S. network' could air it on telefilm. Besides the boffo production- direction* of Campbell, ton v/ork was done by costumer Suzanne Mess, who handled similar chores "n the Opera Festival; Robert Law- son, who based the sets on deep research through Japanese prints (and although it was a non-color airer he made hefty use of color on the sets to help the cist); and Godfrey Ridout who did-a stand¬ out job with a so^ko orchestra. , The cast "was excellent. Eric House, w.k. on Canadian radio, tv and stage, handled updated fat times) lines in the Ko-Ko role with slickness and ability.. House had to squeeze rehearsals and show between his nightly-plus-matinees vverk in a revue in Toronto’s Crest theatre. Alan Crofoot, who. is a tenor but trained his pipes to the bass for Poo-Ba, was smooth and often convincing as the Lord High Everything. Erie Treadwell’s title part Was solidly handled as was the unpleasant but satisfying part of Katisha by Irene Byatt. Other players measured at all times to the show’s thesping and chanting standards. Standout achievement in “The Mikado” on CBC-TV was the sharp tightening of action to fit camera limitations. An average D’Oyly- Carte production requires a full stage but in this production thes- pers were directed to hit the lens on the button every time although the studio (CBC’s largest) was used completely. Big effect was achieved with a camera operated oir a monoraff in the high rafters, plus a crane camera and two on pedestal^ This handling of “The Mikado” is bound to strengthen p ihlie appeal, already strong, of s' C&S works. Gorrn. SECOND AGONY OF ATLANTA With Chet Huntley* others Producer: Reuven Frank Director: George Murray Writer: William Hill 60 Mins., Sun. (D 6 p.m. NBC-TV ffilm) One cannot help but turn melan¬ choly after viewing the illuminat¬ ing and controversial “Second Agony of Atlanta,” the full-hour NBC News special with Chet Huntley , on NBC-TV Sunday (1). This candid NBC probing of the Atlanta school integration crisis, like the recent CBS “Missing Class Of ’59” with Edward R. Murrow, should have a tremendous impact, on decent-thinking citizens of this land. It will, no doubt, provoke the anger of the Nat’l Assn, for the Advancement of Colored People. The ventilating of the school integration problem of the South on the NBC-TV program pointed up the unwholesome control of the situation by the bigot, the extrem¬ ist and the segregationist. It was. not a pretty or hopeful picture that Huntley and his camera crew captured in Atlanta and surround¬ ing territory. Currently there is a suit pending in the Federal courts to desegregate public schools. At¬ lanta has indicated a willingness to desegregate but a rural minor¬ ity which, under Georgia’s county unit voting system, controls the state government, can close down every one of the public schools if one Negro is admitted to a seg¬ regated white school. “Second Agony of Atlanta” made it plain thatjthere is massive resist¬ ance^ Federal pressure for school integration. NBC-TV took its cam¬ eras to a PTA meeting at the Northside H.S. where segregation¬ ists and integrationists had their say. A visit to McKee’s Beat, a canteen for white youngsters, pro¬ duced mostly segregation talk. Interviews with Negro students at Amos’ drugstore on the other side of the tracks were highly interest¬ ing. Here. the youngsters sought equal scholastic opportunities, ob¬ serving that in many instances southern schools were indeed sep¬ arate and unequal. This segment of the program evoked consider¬ able sympathy and understanding. Bitterly biased was segregation¬ ist Carter Pitman in an interview with an NBC-TV correspondent. Pitman- typified the prime bigot who insisted that it was absolutely impossible to integrate schools in the south as well as the north and that ultimately the north “will get tired of .their girls being raped . . . tired of policemen wa.king up and down corridors.”. A more hu¬ mane point of view was expressed by ^Atlanta Mayor. William B. Hartsfield and Ralph McGill, liberal editor of the Atlanta Con¬ stitution who described the NAAGP as “something of a whip¬ ping boy” and who lamented “the irresponsible loose talk” in the South and the folly of attempting to set Up a private school system in the event that Atlanta was forced to close its free public schools, o Huntley's closing remarks were sharp and undoubtedly faced up to the grave issues confronting Southern Communities. The pro¬ gram was certainly an important study of the widejy disparate forces at work trying to solve the turbulent public school crisis. It was also a stinging electronic editorial endeavor on the part of the NBC newsman, but Huntley’s final opinion that the problem might conceivably be eased if the present leadership of the NAACP were to undergo a change must have evoked rage in the hearts of Negro crusaders. If:, during the program, the NAACP’s position had been made clearer, there would have been some justifica¬ tion for Huntley’s final observa¬ tions. Under the circ*mstances, the NAACP got the short and messy end of the stick and conce- ouentiy deserves time on the air for a fuller explanation of its present position. Rans. Alex Gottlieb Original For Tlayhonse 90 ; Hollywood, Feb. 3. Herbert Brodkin, producer of CBS-TV’s “Playhouse 90” series, has signed Alex Gottlieb to. write an original comedy teleplay, “In¬ side My Wife’s Head,” for the se¬ ries. Brodkin, meanwhile, has slated “Diary of a Nurse,” by Arthur Hailey, for airing March 5, with Herbert Hirshraan to direct; “In Lonely Expectation,” by Mayo Simon, to be taped March 19 for April 2 airing, Franklyn Schaffner directing; Adrian Spies’ “A Trip to Paradise,” tentatively set for May 14; “Made in Japan,” by Jo¬ seph Ste'fano/in May. WHAT EVERY WOMAN KNOWS (Du Pont Show of the Month) With Siobhan McKenna, James Donald, Cyril Cusack, Liam Red¬ mond, John Williams, Diana van der Vlis, ^ Martita Hunt, Tint O’Connor Producer: David Susskind Director: Robert Mulligan Writer: James M. Barrie Adaptation: Jacqueline Babbin, Audrey Gellen 90 Mins., Wed. (28), 9:30 p.m. DU PONT CBS-TV, from N.Y. (BBDOY Du Pont’s once-a-month video offerings continued their solid pace on CBS-TV Wednesday night (28) with a click adaptation of another standard legit work. This series may not be blazing any tv trails or developing any dramaturgical tal¬ ent by thus sticking to a safe re¬ pertory, but it is making an im¬ portant contribution by insisting on such high production standards. J. M. Barrie’s 50-year-old play, “What Every Woman Knows,” was tailored to an exact tv fit. The charm of the Barrie script was fully preserved in the adaptation by Jacqueline Babbin and Audrey Gellen while the performances retained the period flavor of this comedy of the war between the sexes. The central role of Maggie, the Scot girl who knew how to keep her man despite the fascinations of more beautiful women, was portrayed in superlative form by Siobhan McKenna. She played with vigor and wit, albeit lending a necessary feminine touch to her intelligence. The rest of the cast was of equal calibre. James Donald was out¬ standing as the humorless and am¬ bitious husband who finally comes to the shattering realization that his wife is indispensable. Martita Hunt, as the venerable countess who is an essential part of the somewhat old-fashioned plot mech¬ anism, played with aristocratic finesse. Other supporting roles were filled by a topnotch roster consisting of Diana van der Vlis, as the other woman; Cyril Cusack, Liam Redmond and Tim O’Connor, as Maggie’s family; and John Wil¬ liams, as a high British politician. The plot’s progression from the Scottish td English drawing room settings was kept firmlv under control by director Robert Mulli¬ gan. The play, done live, name off without a hitch. David Susskind produced for Talent Associates. Herm. BYLINE—MONTY HALL Witt Hall, host-moderator; guests Producer: Marlene Sanders Toobin Assoc. Producer: Herbert Dorfman Director: Arnee Nocks Writer: Milton Shefter PARTICIPATIONS 30 Mins.; M^n.-thru-Fri., 1 p.m. WNEW-TV, N. Y. A pleasant, informative show is offered in this half-hour afternoon strip, “Byline-Monty Hill," judg¬ ing from Wednesday’s (23) outing. When most stations in the seven- station N. Y. market are engaged in grinding out films, or in fun- same programs, the Metropolitan Broadcasting indie has settled for a chatter show in the pubaffairs groove. Host-interviewer Monty Hall doesn’t appear to do much digging on the subjects discussed, but he does some adroit steering of the expert*?’ talk. For this rea¬ son, it has an interestin'* appeal, if somewhat on the superficial level. Wednesday’s half-hour had Cleveland Amory. re^ogn ; zed chronicler of society, end D r ‘. Don¬ ald Keves and Dr. John Shuelort, the latter two cxTmrtizjn rt on the £ T aP T? ers of rcdioactwe fRlout in N. Y. Amory was on tar onlv about JO mimites, leavin'* th* 5 m^ior por¬ tion of tae pro'*rem to the radio¬ active fallout problem. Dr. Keyes ren»v\sentod Com¬ mittee for San Nuclear PoJtav and t°ok a more alarmin'* potion on the fallout danger. Dr. Shuelert. i*ead of the Turnout Geological Laboratories of Columbia U.. also saw the fallout darners, but his position was more moderate on the immediate dangers. The look-see at American So¬ ciety was uart of a three-day seg¬ ment on the subject. Amorv came off well, with a number of adroit observations and reallv deserves more than a 10-minute stint. By- liner Hall said Amory would be back at some future program. Pro¬ duction and direction were han¬ dled well. That coffee table, front¬ ing talkative guests on controver¬ sial subjects, is becoming a famil¬ iar trademark of the N. Y. tv scene. This WNEW entry is a pleasant, onee-over-lightly addition. Horo. PTmBSFl ^Wednesday,. February 4, £959 FUN and MONEY” a DON FEDDERSON Production YOU TRUST -ABC-TV Monday thru Friday AMERICAN BROADCASTING CO. . 50, KAMO-TELEVKION ffafatriay, Fttanay 4> 19S0 Morning TV Comes To Soviet -Bat It’s Setting up Exercises By BUYING R.JJEVINE - (.Moscow Correspondent, NBCY Moscow, Feb. 3. Morning television Is coming to Russia! No, it’s not .going" to be the Soviet version of the “Dave Gar- roway Show.” Nothing tikejhat. The morning quarter hour — starting the first of the new. year, and tentatively scheduled for 7 to 7:15 — will consist of setting up exercises. - i Until now Soviet television hks begun transmitting at 7 tet night (somewhat earlier on Saturday and Sunday). On special occasions only is there a transmission in the afternoon, as when there’s a Polish-Soviet Friendship Meeting in honor of the visit of a Polish Communist states¬ man. Such events are not carried in the weekly program-printed by a government publishing house. The news is carried by^ word of mouth for those who might’ want to watch an exhibition of mutual ideological adulation. The jiew program of morning setting up exercises fits in nicely with the emphasis placed by the regime on physical fitness. There are now two morning sessions on radio at 6:15 and 7:15 of setting up exercises. In factories and of¬ fices work is interrupted at desig¬ nated periods for calisthenics. There has been a 15- minute calis¬ thenics program on television Sun¬ day afternoon; this is for the pur¬ pose of demonstrating to comrade citizens the proper way of doing their morning exercises to the rhythmic count carried on the gov¬ ernment radio.. Ohio Radio-TV Newsmen Denied Same Exemption Cleveland, Feb, 3. . State Senator Ray T. Miller, president of WERE, , will introduce legislation in the Ohio Senate this week, extending- to radio-television newsmen same exemption privi¬ leges now accorded newspapermen; MRlert proposal follows a rul¬ ing by Common Pleas Judge Ken¬ neth Sater to Columbus who said that radio-television newscasters could not claim present exemption since immunity provided by state law extended only to newsmen em- plbyed by a newspaper or press as¬ sociation. Judge Sater's ruling (29* ram e in a $300,006 Ihw suit filed by WERE newsmen Bill Jor¬ gensen, one-time WTVN news com¬ mentator, .against Bert Chaqtes, WVKO manager. Jorgenson initi¬ ated his suit after Charles alleged¬ ly made defamatory statements rel¬ ative to Jorgenson’s dismissal IrOto the station. . Judge Sater denied Charles*-con¬ tention of “immunity” and ordered him to-report Feb, with his at¬ torneys and answer "proper and relevant” questions posed Oct. 24 in a deposition. The broadcasting-newspaper split in Columbus Las long been under fire as radio-tv men are barred from rights in the upper chamber extended to newsmen. Radio Reviews EMILY KIMBROUGH SHOW Director: John Chanin 30 Mins., Mon.-thru-Fri;; 9:30 pan. WCBS, N. Y. CBS’ Program Consolidation Plan has brought about a pattern of new voices for WCBS, -its flag¬ ship station in New York. Among the fresh personalities is author- lecturer Emily Kimbrough who in¬ terviews notables in the fields of arts, letters, labor, politics, etc. j during her half - hour evening cross-the-board show; r Particularly rewarding was Fri-j day’s (30) session for Miss Kim-j brough probed the “difficulty” of! getting theatre tickets. On hand to supply the answers were the pro¬ ducing team of Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince and broker William Herz. The Messrs. Griffith and Prince said the “shortage” applied to only two or three hit shows and the problem exists be¬ cause the public won’t take the trouble to write or call the box- office. To Miss Kimbrough’s complaint that the bdxoffice phone is always busy. Prince-urged the public make greater use Of mail requests. Part that theatre parties play in. con¬ tributing to the lack of. tickets was also touched upon. Griffith; «ao-; phasfeed th*t\such benefits often •indemnified. the producer up to three months. Herx. Tfeebtoker, was less enthusiastic. "We get m, certain aRotmerit” fee **id, “bu£ none -at all when: theatre parties hive bmt&£ net. too 1 Jwoe9e£ : On tee wholes Jfwasko Ifiexnl- natfcg half-hour. The con v ersa tion nevir lagged ami Kterisrougfe tossed in the Mnd'ef questions; that no doubt echoed Hie thoughts of the average theatregoer. If other guests and subjects are as articu¬ late and absorbing as the fore¬ going. “The Sadly K i mferongh Show” will-have a Wide audience ^indeed. Gilb. Actress Slapped in Jail Talk about a wild life in Holly¬ wood! It seems that some Soviet movie actors and actresses — al¬ though they don’t have swimming pools, chinchillas and Cadillacs— do manage to live high on the hog. Some, as a result, have come in for a nasty fall. One of the more glamorous of the buxom Soviet actresses Is T. Okunefskaya who had a small party in her apartment. We don’t know the details, bat the official reports say that it ended up in hooliganism, and with Miss Oku¬ nefskaya sentenced to a 10-day jafl term * for having kicked her heels in some undefined manner. “What’s more,, the young lady has been read out of the Union; of Movie Workers which is the Soviet equivalent of haring no contract with any stadia —, since all studios are run. by the ^gov¬ ernment, and all movie workers belong ta the Government’s Union of Movie Workers. Then, too. there’s the case of the Clark Gable of Soviet mov- iedom, G. Umatov. (The com¬ parison is roughly speaking, of covrse.v He’s been arrested too for hooliganism — a Soviet term that covers a multitude of petty offenses saeb as swearing hi pte>- lic, fist fighting and general rowdy behavior. He has served three days in prison. B. Andreyev is one of the most popular of Soviet stars. He’s big boxoffice. Well, Andreyev has been warned bv his colleagues In the Union of Movie Workers, that if he doesn’t give up ids heavy and con¬ stant drinking he may be booted from the Union. That would se¬ riously hurt his screen career, to say the' very least. A number of other Soviet film stars have been slmiliarly repri¬ manded in the pages of Soviet Culture, the newspaper Of the Ministry of Culture that runs,the film industry. Some film folk are cHticIzed for illegal performances — that is, for engaging in private enterprise by accepting engage¬ ments on their own instead of only through the Ministry of Cul¬ ture organizations, as they are sup¬ posed to do. The newspaper has criticized the actors and actresses in equally severe terms for both offenses —- drunkenness And private enter-, prise performances. - Washington—Federal .Communi¬ cations Commas’on has okayed sale of KEAR-FM. San Francisco, by Electronic Sevvice Corp. to Fault¬ ily Stations Inc. Price was $100,- 000 . Argeatim gerous if a dic tator ship the top. - • A governmentceacms^teeatiRad- ministrates the-three networks hot as a competitive impulse is lade-; fog, no new and dynamic programs' have been created and there is a : lamentable lack of news sensei Advertising agencies are more enterprising mid are responsible for whatever good programs areod the air, they are also rapidly motm- flating all the executive talent, which, prefers “the better pay and conditions of agency jobs* after the uncertainties and tension of work¬ ing for the State r The toprated program is “La Revista Diriocadar”. a zany show something like tint of the Ttearir Bros, years ago. Disk jockeys keep extending the popularity, particu¬ larly ©n very late evening pro- grams, after 11.30 p.m. or after ; CwttiM i' teat *d**4Wi dependent producing company, studio personnel in the empfoy af the network had operated the ubh- chfoe and the network’s electrical shop had built themachhHs*and having satisfied' itself as. to the facts involved* CK5-TV cancelled the show.” Never in the big- money .date* "For Love or Money” offered ceu- : testants specific sums of money centering around the “figure” of $2,500. One could win $2,50, $25,. $250 or $2,500, depending where the decimal point landed on the machine. Framer, the packager of "For Love or Money,” displayed no love in a blast “at Robinson. ‘‘From the .first daythis show went on the air seven mouths ago* it has befetf pro¬ duced in direct assodatibn with CBS-TV,” Framer said.. "I read Robinson’s statement. I am literally amazed and deeply shocked. I in¬ tend to hold CBS completely re¬ sponsible." '* c : ' * . *• Cast ‘Men uftte’ ^Hollywood, Feb. *?.. Dick York, Robert Keith: att*: Darryl Hickman are the Stef Star¬ ring leads in CSS-TV’S dew \dd- serles, "Men in -White,” based oh characters created .'by Sidney .Kingsley; ‘ r V . -V ' - V- Pilot will' he taped today (3) With James MacArthur as guestar THEATRE STUDIO OF THE AIR Reward Da ^fihriu M.- Davit i m n. i. , Drama r e p r ese nts minority pro- ig la. these days.«f disk and station emphasis oh r _ and weather reports. Thus fit** refreshing that WEVD, N. YU in coopera tion with the Theatre Stu¬ dio of Hew York is providing Hs- toners * weekly visit before the fooffigbts. Series preemed Jan. * witfe^The DevH and Daniel Web- Interesting but hardly a dra- matic phm was "The Tenor* pre¬ sented Tfcurs&ay(29> witii Howard DaSilva castinthetitiexole.Half- feour script by Frank Wedekind was a character study of a vafo opera singer. 'Whtist ia the midst of a/rebeamaJy he’s sutcesslvety —■* fey yocrng female fan “ Jxhn-roses* an elderly __feo. wants the tenor to listen to, k£s- new 4 fetr* end a matron.id search of matrimony. DaSilva was suitably -affected, arch a£d condescending as the tenor. Adequate in supporting «fes . were M. David Samples, Bets* Holt and Constance Gtegg. tfofortimatety; the neTf ormers were hanfic^ped by some creaky flues whteh to some iastances re¬ minded of titeffHBf-tXtf^eentury mri- wdrauias.. Exaymle: ?t- don’t betong to MysfelL to .;. nae With you or ITLkm my* •.. . - . - r Direct or feaLtoh Sheffer did as feert heconto irito the matrtial at luted.. Fima : * prodirctkai pptnf the piece'. colilcT feave bene- fitted through, more sound effects. Faculty ; and students of Theatre Studio of N, Y. perform the weekly •show. Founded fev Curt Conway, the Theatre. is now in its seventh year. .While, the quality of each "play will vary from week to week depending tmnn what’s bring done, noUothpl^s '‘Theatre Stadio of the Ate^ adds hn to a welccriie change of pace for dialers. Gilb* MUSIC FROM BROADWAY With Bee Jordan Director: Alex Smallens Mins., Sun.; 10:30 ami. ■y A* indicated by the title, this 9Q- aatohto ^hday ntormng entry to in fhc showtime ^groove. The legit produri; as/recorded by pop artf^ts LaxtoJDriginal Broadway Oasts, makes for pleasant listening! JDtsk sptoV ner Lee Jordan. does ■unobtrusive job/ Mmitir.fi fes t gab to. the intro- ins •of the platters.. ■;. .Weather notes. && fdvehrintri^ rnittjshi toottmg : .?bd. there’s; also’ a 15-minute’ hews break at 11 a:tn. : Jess. TV Radio Production Centers Continued from pace 34 feature after four-year hiatus (except for occasional special programs) .,. Max Sherman is.newly elected v.p. of WWDC, Inc., operating radio stations WWDC-AM-FM here; Sherman’s been on stations’ staff since *47 . . . George Gobel provided yocks at inaugural ceremony Saturday (31) for new National Press Club prexy, William H. Lawrence of N.Y. Times . * . WTOP radio v.p. Lloyd W. Dennis Jr. presented U S. Army a recording of the station’s award-winning news coverage of the launch¬ ing of Explorer 1 on first anni of shooting of the satellite Saturday (31); it’ll he preserved in official Army historical records . . . More than 500 have signed up for early morning (6:30 a.m.) beg inner’s course on Russian language, carried as a public service by WTOP-TV in co¬ operation with George Washington U. Started Monday (2), instruction. - is by” Vladimir Tolstoy, descendant of great Russian writer. Leo Tol¬ stoy. IN LONDON . , . First of the ABC-TV skein of vldpix featuring Mantovani and or¬ chestra, now being shot at the Associated British Elstree studios, will be aired at 11:10 p.m. on Sunday (8). Vic Dimanc and Jaeqvriine Del- man featured*. . . BBC-TV starts a new series of 45-minute “Words And Music” programs, introducing pops, musical comedy numbers and the classics, tomorrow week (12) with Frankie Vaughan guesting un¬ der emcee Jack Payne . . . Mile Lewis has joined Jack; Hylton Televi¬ sion Productions iltL, as executive producer from Granada-TV where he directed shows in “The Army Game” series. He’s working on a comedy program . .. Comedtim Tammy Trtoder* 38 years in show biz, rigned. Ms first, exclusive, BBC-TV contract which gives him a fort- nighfly spot, “The Trinder Box,” starting in May and preluded by ap¬ pearances is two Saturday spectaculars. _ m boston .,. foe Levine, news director* WHDH-TV, presented plaque by Gov. Furcolo and Arthur T. Lyman, Commissioner Correction, for produc- tie& of *Tnx0ate—rTfee Walpole Prison Story” and “outstanding public service” . Cbris Evans* WHDH-TV; Morgan Baker, WEEI; Margaret O—nuiu Bbston Globe; Howard Ratos* Fairchild; and Don Munson, pto pifoel dlscush 'of “New Products Meet the Press” at Women’s City dub Tuesday (3) for Nat’l Home Fashions League . . . George H a Bber g, sales promosh dir., WNAC-TV, and ass’t. Hugh Wallace, with. Mike Horn* sales, and^ Norman Knight, prexy, Rheingold sales¬ men. and tfistribs at special breakfast sales session . . . WNAC-TV inked new biz with Gulf Oil, Jif Peanut Butter, Tea Council-, Virisan, Can- dettes Cough Drops this Week . . . Bob Richmond, gen. mgr. WMEX, back from Washington -where he visited WPGC, operated by Richmond Bros, . . . Richard McKee of KEY Chain stations, Berlin and Conway, N.H., in with Fred Gardelia, gen mgr. to confer with Hub accounts. IN SAN FRANCISCO . . . Dave JUfe*, toe former “Deputy Dave,” is new producer on Charlie Jtofdrie** rnormsg KPIX show, replacing Phil Thornton . . . ABC Vice Prerident Jehn EOtoheB, boss of KGO-TV and KGO-AM, back from a Chicago “v acatio n” spent mainly in hospital with a bout of pneu¬ monia . . . K0FY hired Ckwley Lyn* away from KOBY, where he’d worked under toe station name of ‘Yed Cooper”—KOBY lawyer says heTI sue if lynn uses the KOBY name at the San Mateo station. Also hew at KOFY: Dave Dorris, ex-KLK and ejc-KYA, and Jack Carnegie, ex-KMX ahd ex-KCBS ... Wania Ramey departed KCBS to join Jdka Wp riaw in a new daily KPIX sews show* noon to 12:30 p.m. Charlie Mc€»e Was .hired and quit as producer . , . KCBS* Dave McEtoatten lowing for a' new straightwoman to rq^ace Miss Ramey * . . Rad Mc- took over (from fin Pitta) as KPIX deejay for a fortnight— he’s part of The Great Trient Hunt at the Westinghottse outlet. ., Chuck ftrilto i departing KJBS after mOTe than a decade as program boss. • fN PHILADELPHIA ... Inquire r publ is her Writer H. Aanenbe^ who heads the Triangle Stations (WML, WFIL-TV in Phflly), decorated with the Legion of Honor by French Ambassador Serve Alphand ... Frank Ford, host of Ws late ni^t galrfert, recipient of the Phfla. Feflowahip Award* for promoting mter-group miderstandtog ... Florence S. Lowe, former- VaairrT Washfogton mugg, named press relati«is director for WIP *♦ * ** setor*playtog title rrie in “Volpone^ at the 43d St Theatre. * . v District Attorney Victor H. Blaae preemed a monthly tme-hour sesrion on WDAS * . * VUbiaov* and Temple U. now giving credits f< b; NBC’s science series “Continental Classroom” *. • ; Frao^t Davis, WFEL-TV’s weatherman* is nation's first fore¬ caster to receive toe American Meteorriogteri Society’s new seal of approval . r * WRCV-TV has replaced weather gal MarByn Gw with accredited jm^eorri^ist WaRy Kiaan -.... Oaritt ^aw* WCAD news forector, kiraed eff a five-minide cnM5-the4>oard news and commentiury wctMrmAm*.* Hsrmon Wria exited program aasnager post at WDOK for agency Wf?* vr - ®4reti»y FaHtoefan, WRW3, pfauning 25-day European junket Mto m guests . » . Jton Xritkemuasstetant KYW-TV director, upped to associate promtion director * ; . WBOE-FM, Board of Education striien, eemi^eted 20 years on the rir (23). Station holds Licenses No. l Jor non-cumhwreial etfocatfonal stations ... Joe Finan, KYW disk- er, raised over $17j)00 in benefit (30) for Parents Volunteer Associa¬ tion' with guestars Rocky Marciano* Mitch Miller* Roger Williams* Bob Crosby . . . Ken Bass switches polka show, from WJMO to WSRS . .. Henry “Bud” Simmen goes to WNEW and is succeeded as WHK gen¬ eral manager by Harvey L. Glasco*ck, ex-WMAL ... Ronnie Barrett added to FM staff at KYW as Westinghouse steps up FM programming from noon to midnight -daily. < MBS Ante 'SperiiP Muturi has epme up ’with an* other auto “special.” Net has inked a deal to broadcast the NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Day- Toaa Beafh, FhL on Washington’s Birthday. . • Four 25-iniatoe tottfeast iceh of this^sweepstakes, in-whicb stocks; 'car sedahs nnd convertibles gi JLmgrif»ap ‘mppufartu^eyjp pro to compete, will be aired as co-op features. Ted Webbe, vet speedway broadcaster. Will handle the Mutua 4 airings. Many MBS affiliates al¬ ready have sold local participations On the rt special” to local" auto- dealers and parts suppliers. 'SAVAffi’GOESFIUI1*‘ * ALS0T0H0URF0RM Hollywood, Feb. 3. CBS is abandoning videotape In favor of. film for “Savage Is His -Name,” .projected Barry Sullivan Starrer about the adventures of an idrltoa defective. CBS is also re- : converting if to an hourlong se- rife with pilot filming in March.: Julian Claman is producer and Sidney Carroll is scripting the new pilot. Web is scrapping Videotaped pilot made six weeks, ago, - Prop¬ erty was originally slated for anr horn:, then cut back to half-hour when web couldn’t sell “Rawhide” brother 60-minute shows. r'^ Wctbietday, February 4, 1959 USrIEFy 51 When we introduced BOOTS AND SADDLES-THE STORY OF THE FIFTH CAVALRY, the critics cheered like crazy. “Refreshing to see” and “welcome change.” Likewise “tops” and “uncommonly good”! WM Ratings proved the public agreed. What’s more, latest ARB figures show B&S reruns shooting holes in the competition, market after market §|§ BOOTS has won its spurs. It figures to be in the saddle for a long time to come. NBC TELEVISION FILMS-A DIVISION OF CALIFORNIA NATIONAL PRODUCTIONS. INC. 52 RABIO-TELEV1SION PS&eeSt Wednesday, February 4, 1959 7$ Years of Soap Operas - Continned from page 35 ; characters and incidents become next month’s major ones. All that was necessary to get these serials off the air gracefully, but not nec¬ essarily forever, was to instruct the writers to bring the dominant plots of the moment to their logical con¬ clusions, but .not to develop any new subplots.” How the scripters managed, to evaporate their problem-beset characters will go down in the an¬ nals of “playwrighting” as one of the neatest pieces of amplitude modulation adroitness. While Ar¬ thur Hull Hayes, prexy of 'CBS Radio, was telling the affiliates about the virtues of PCP, ‘‘Back- stage Wife,” the weeping saga of the much-harassed Mary Noble and her roving husband, Larry, “famous Broadway star and! dream sweetheart of a million other wom¬ en,” was ankle-deep in misery and hand-wringing. Larry was in the midst of a romance with a lady press agent Mary, on the other hand was making “goo-goo eyes at a filthy rich friend of her girl¬ hood,” according to aficionados of the daytime dramas. It reportedly took scriptwriters about a month to “disentangle the quartet from each other and to re-entwine” the much scuffed heart strings of Mary and Larry. Came the day of the final show and “Backstage Wife’s” narrator told the women of this land that “the Nobles, together again, saw so clearly what at heart they had always known: their deep and abid¬ ing love for each other—the love that had always brought them through crises and would always bring them through any crisis to come.” A 22-Tear Query - Since 1937 the lady of the house heard this question every day: “Can this little girl from a mining town in the West find happiness as the wife of a wealthy and titled Englishman?" It was propounded daily for 22 years on “Our Gal Sunday.” During the final broad¬ cast, the scripters came up with a reply. It was: “Maybe.” When the story came to a knuckle-cracking climax, Sunday and Lord Henry were about to shove off for Eng¬ land. The CBS Radio scout as¬ signed to this tale of woe reported as follow^: “The implication was that they" finally achieved a fool¬ proof reconciliation but public knowledge of their track record leaves no room for astonishment if the day ever comes that their mari¬ tal misunderstanding become day¬ time listening fare again.” Dr. Jim Brent, leading character in “Road to Life” also managed to clean up matters before signing off. In 1958, the doc was battling a rich man who sought control of the town of Merrimac. In the final showdown, the villainous and rich Malloy gets his comeuppance" by crashing in his plane, thus wiping the slate dean and giving Doc Brent his civic-minded cohorts a chance to restore law and order to Merrimac. In the final chapter of “This Is Nora Drake,” the nurse-was having a love affair with a medical man. The doc, however, had left his wife but missed his two kids. So what happens in the last scene? Nora does the decent, honorable thing and says he should go back to his darling wife and children. There was also a hint that Nora might resume sodal contact with a young fellow who had slipped out of the picture when the doctor first began to feel Nora’s pulse. . CBS Radio, however, was not totally bereft of its sink-side sagas when PCP mar died in. Seven similar soapers are still around, inducting “Romance of Helen Trent,” in which one of the charac¬ ters has an allergy; “Couple Next Door,” wherein Aunt Effie is doc- tor-hound with a nervous disturb¬ ance and “The Second Mrs. Bur¬ ton” is bogged down with a mother- in-law who is mentally depressed. Whereas once brain tumors were the favorite ailment of soap opera principals, a large percentage of today’s matinee characters are assailed with head-shrinking prob¬ lems. The prognosis, however, isn’t too good. IS WANTED! See page 75 Canada Strike = Continued from page. 35 Debate has also occurred on wheth¬ er or not it is government business or concern. In the meantime, where it can be pieked up, CBC’s French net¬ work is collecting’ an increasing audience from English-speaking viewers, even if they don't under¬ stand French. In Ottawa, for ex¬ ample, CBC broadcasts in both English and French, and regular CBQT (English) dialers are turning to CBOFT to pick up some of the standout pictures being aired. In recent days they have seen “L’Es- travagante Messleur Deeds’* with Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur; '‘Les Amoureux,” a German pic¬ ture dubbed in French; “Les Let- tres de mon Moulin”; “La Traver- see de Paris” with Jean Gabin, and “Un Pere avait Sept Filles” with Chevalier and a bevy of Ital¬ ian femmes. Viewers report sur¬ prising ability to enjoy the pie* tures while not unders tanding a word that’s said; So far there have been no English pictures with sub¬ titles or dubbing. Sarnoff = Continued front page 35 ss it would face disintegration, and we would have no alternative but to join the coin collectors of the future.” CBS Afffls Updated Use of the public’s channels for pay tv "Is against the public inter¬ est, Frank Stanton, CBS prexy, told the board of directors of the CSS- TV Affi l iat es Assn, meeting in Gotham Friday (30). Stanton was asked by affiliates to comment on the recent an¬ nouncement regarding pay tv by Congressman Oren Harris, chair¬ man of the Committee on Inter¬ state and Foreign Commerce. CBS prexy recounted what the web had done previously about public discussion of the problem. “We came out of our studies with a conviction that over-the-air pay tv would mean reserving some of the. previous few channels to en- Dynamic new dimension in TV 'programming sional *wWttco», mowdoo ictnr. CAtiroHNtA PRODUCTS DIVISION : tertain an exclusive minority able and willing to pay; that any form of pay tv inevitably tend to siphon off the best talent and material; that the average family would be confronted with a new and un¬ necessary strain on its budget *0 get essentially the same services it now gets,” Stanton said at the meeting. He said that CBS .had also given mature consideration to the condi¬ tions under which pay tv be tested and had arrived at two conclusions, spot experiments in isolated areas could not: settle the issue and .that no all-out nationwide test could be conducted without destroying tv as now existing. . Closed, affiliates’ meeting also reviewed past problems including program failures, sales results, sta¬ tus of viedo tape, governmental at¬ titudes on network regulation and setup agenda for upcoming affili¬ ates’- meeting, in Chicago during the convention which gets under way March 15. Other speakers at the powwow included Louis Cowan, prexy of CBS-TV; Hubbell Robinson Jr., exec veep of CBS-TV program¬ ming Dick Golden, director of sales presentation for CBS-TV: Bill Hylan, veep of sales administra¬ tion, CBS-TV, and Carl Ward, veep of affiliate relations. Inside Stuff—Radio-TV That long expected shuffle of office space at ABC’s uptown N.Y. headquarters is expected.to start this month, when the majority of. the administrators for the sister Paramount Theatres operation quit their traditional headquarters at 1501 Broadway to join with the radio¬ tv operation. One of the first things that is going to occur is the shipping of the ABC Radio team, under veepee Edward DeGray, to the corner of 66th St. and Amsterdam Ave., into the renovated building that was once Healy*s eatery. Some of the theatre execs, now downtown, are expect¬ ed to occupy offices in ABC’s fourth, flqor exec .suite at 66th St. Mike Foster’s press operation will be moving from a small building on the south side of 66th to quarters on 68th and Broadway. WABC-TV will then move into the press building. - - - . ‘ Eleventh anni of Veterans Hospital Radio and TV Guild will be cele¬ brated with a fund-raising drive climaxed on Feb. 14 with a ball at the Hotel Astor. Patrons of the ball include Ed Sullivan, ’ Helen Hayes, John B. Gambling, Virginia Graham, Maj. Gen. Robert Condon and Tom Har¬ graves of the Ad Men’s Post, American Legion. __ VHRTG, state-chartered, national, non-profit volunteer outfit, as¬ sists Veterans Administration in, rehabilitation program for hospital¬ ized vets. Most members are from broadcasting, music and ad fields. They visit hospitals where they encourage and train vets to produce and perform in their own. Original radio programs for broadcast over VA hospitals “Bedside Networks.” VHRTG also provides VA hospitals with. Skripkit Service—a lending library of scripts from radio-tv pro¬ grams, for use oVer hospital network. Ultimately VHRTG hopes to service all 174 VA hospitals In U.S. and. Possessions with. Volunteer units. In addition to public solicitation during first two weeks of February, organization will Issue big Sou¬ venir Journal, with ads, at Hotel Astor ball. Alex Kramer is prexy of VHRTG. Present contributors to VHRTG include ASCAP, BMI and CBS Foundation. Boston, Feb. 3. Newspapers are going to radio for news in Hub. Since inception of “Newsmakers, *59,” a news‘panel intemew pro¬ gram on WBZ, produced by news director Jerry Landay, controver¬ sial statements made by politico and biz leader guests, have made page 1 stories in Boston newspa¬ pers. . Current trend of radio to count¬ er attract the tv nightly westerns, musicals, and situation comedies, has been Successful for WBZ-WBZA radio, Paul Q’Friel, gen. mgr., re¬ ported. ’ The half hour broadcast every- Monday at 9:30 p.m. has featured Congressman John W. McCormack, who endorsed Senator John Ken¬ nedy for the presidency in 1960. Also, Mass. Gov. Foster Furcolo, who explained his proposed tax program for the state; State Sen. Fred L Damson, house minority leader, who strongly criticized the governor’s state withholding tax; and Patrick McGinnis, prexy of the B. & M. RR, who announced, that intercity railroad passenger service is virtually finished. To push their .new concept In programming, WBZ radio takes advantage of every opportunity make the general public aware of ] radio’s ability to make news/ Transcribed copies-of the inter¬ views, plus general 'news stories are delivered to the editors of Hub newspapers a half hour before broadcast time. The service is available' to aH newspapers. tok STURGIS TO HELM NEW HACKETT SERIES Preston Sturgis was signed this week by Buddy Hackett to direct latter’s tv series which comic’s packaging firm, Rack-Finke Die., is prepping for next season. Series based on William Hazlett Upson’s Saturday Evening Post yarns about Alexander Botts, high- pressure tractor salesman, will be called “Alexander the Great.” Original intention was to call se¬ ries “The Good • Earthworm." Hackett will play title role. Jack Finke, partner with Hackett in the packaging firm, is writing the series. Pilot starts rolling this week. _ Lynn Dollar Signed As W Weather <2rl Lynn Dollar Will be the hew WABQ-TV(N.Y.) Weather Giri.be- gmning: Monday - (91 vice Janet Tyler. The DolWr-firontod stanza changes from leather Girl;” with the rdepartute of Kiel Tyler/ to “Weather. ITme” witli * tbe advent of Miss'Doilfc/ -. Stan?* 10:50 p.m^oLeyeryweekfiJ^ ex¬ cept Wedhtodiy/’ whenfABeW. airs the fights. - • - Zenith Corp. board of directors has proposed a three for one stock split, increasing the issue of common shares from 2,000,000 to 8,000,- 000, and a quarterly dividend of 75c per share on present stock. Pro¬ posals will be voted on by Zenith shareholders at their annual meet¬ ing on April 28. Zenith sales and earnings have been on a steady rise, and com¬ pany anticipates a $53,000,000 increase in sales the first quarter of this year. This would be 25% above the record total racked up the same period in 1958. Last March, Zenith’s stock split two for one. The proposed triple split was foreseen in December when the stock went over the $200 mark. At this writing the stock is posted at $178 on the New York Stock Exchange*. American Bxbadcasting-Faramount Theatres board of directors con¬ firmed Stephen €. Riddleberger's shift from ABC comptroller to vee- peein charge-of the network owned & operated stations. Also this Week, the board of the network parent company gave William -H. Travarfhen, stripes and. put him in charge of network production Serv- 1 Travarthen, formerly director of engineering operations, will he over plant and studio services and operations, areas which formerly were under program department control. - Fred .Robbins, emcee of “Haggis Baggis” and manager Jack Beek- man leave for the Coast this week for a week of NBC promotions for Haggis Baggis. While on the Coast Robbins will huddle with Jerry Wald for his forthcoming production “Best of Everything.” He will also tape An¬ thony Quinn, Sophia Loren and Marlon Brando at the Paramount lot for his daily'radio show, “Assignment Hollywood” on MBS. For second consecutive year CBS Radio won the National Exchange Award of Merit for Year-Round Crusading in the fight against Much-publicized Unit One of CBS News’ Pub Affairs Dept, got a Mi^ael C1 ^rmer?” production of last year’s documentary, “Who Killed H 4 er . b ®f t 9lS? sey ’ district governor of National Exchange Club, 6 J 959 award to Arthur Hull Hayes, prexy of CBS Radio. „?. S 1 , dl ° fi gures the NEC Award washes out the NAM editorial it got last week blasting the web for its prostie documentary “The Business of Sex. Li - .Lli .. ■ ' ♦ — -^ Como SK Continued from pace 27 a sion prevailed. v Como’s influence via Roncom Productions (aside from performer chores) is consid¬ erable. As for Kraft, it’s perhaps NBC’s oldest tv client, dating way back to ’46, with millions spent an¬ nually in retaining its Wednesday night 9 to 10 franchise. With these kinds of clients and a JWT in the background, balks are weighed carefully. . Thus the big question remains: what does NBC do about Saturday night in helpifig restore that $12,- 000,000 bonanza and perpetuating RCA’s bigtime color showcase? It’s considered possible by some that NBQ will have a built-in hour for a new Jack Paar weekly entry, now that Paaris determined to get off the late night kick for the “easier life.” (NBC is now in-process of ‘^warming up” the Paar cross-the- board spot for potential successors with Paar taking periodic respites and using pinchhitters.) Whether it’ll, be Paar or Dean Martin (it’s understood MCA has made advances to give Martin the Sat. night 8 to 9 buildup as Como's successor), it’s generally conceded NBQ has a reclamation project of no mean dimensions bn its hands. s WaiUMon ~/WGMB ra d io boosted, its pibnuu^.pibgriuiuning of stereo broadcasts to a t total bl over*301hours -Monday (2) whehlt' inaugurated 4 series of Bostoit] Symphohy; Q«hes$r*and -Bbston 1 f^ops. Orchestra .concerts recorded' on tope. * - , ? r Boston—The Yankee" net changed its Waterbury, Conn, affiliate to WATR Sunday (1), George W. Steffy, exec veep of Yankee and S. R. Elman , mgr. WATR, stated. WATR will be a fulltime affiliate of the Yankee chain and will carry all Yankee editions of the weather and news. IDEA WORK -SCRIPTWRTnNG CREATIVE CRAFTSMANSHIP MGT: DELL PETERS 521 Fifth Am MU 7-1750 FOR HINT 110 Seat Screening Theatre 10H« Floor, 325 W 44 St, NYC . FeHy Alr-CeedtHeeed Private Entrance C«U MUrvey Htll.f-3f54 w Write Sex S4S-B, 300 W 43*. NY 34 83 Wednesday, February 4, 1959 Again this week the Bi g Show is in Look CALUS Close-up of a prima donna whose temperament may cover real doubts and fears . GOLBFJNE Chapter three in a searching study of the man and his political influence. KHRUSHCHEV An exclusive by Eric Johnston , the only Ameri¬ can who has visited the Soviet boss and his family at home. LBLA What Lola wants, Lola gets—plus a feu> things she doesn't want. The story of The Peter Gunn girl. Every issue, Look reaches 16 million households, is read by men, women,'teenagers- Want to talk about great shows? In the current lor any) issue of Look, youH find personalities that would stimulate and inspire any producer. By vividly ^ - portraying the exciting story of people like these, LooK reaches into more than 16 million households with every issue—continues to MM what is already one of the largest magazine audiences ever assembled. ✓ When a product or service is advertised in Look, it’s on- display In a great showcase medium. It will he seen and read by men, women, teenagers—everybody In the family who can influence a purchase. Magazines are the great builders of, company brands and reputations^ AM of your commercials will be more effective with the sound foundation of advertising in Look-the Exciting Story of People ' *IX>QK om-TlHE PAGS RATESc jBlack ami white, $ 2 S£ 80 ; fuU, living ceto,* W iOhte t>f iht (ov^xMrmBrcxtd vosts per thoiisihi. qvailable , ; * kabio-televlsion Fund For Republic Continued fr*m ^re —■Miaa 1 Herald Tribune); George - Rosen the bosses control local tv outlets (Variety); Harriet Van Horne but he made it plain that this (N. Y. World telegram); Jack doesn't affect New York critics. O’Brian (N.Y. Journal-American); Many critics wrestled with the Marya Mannes (The Reporter); question of taking part in junkets. Janet Kern (Chicago American); “They’re nothing but drunken Hal Humphrey (Los Angeles Mir- parties,” one critic told McGrady. rof-News); William Ewald (UPI) “They’re outrageous. Oh, every- and Terrence O’Flaherty (San body pretends that it’s not com* Francisco Chronicle). merce, but it is. Nobody spends Critical evaluation of tv pro- that much, money for nothing. It’s grams is varied, McGrady observed, undignified. The critics are like citing "sermons “from Jack Gould, pigs in a trough.” brash lectures by Janet Kern of The anti-junket critic told of the Chicago American, bright and turning down several trips around touching observations by John the world as well as execursions to Crosby, a referee’s balanc e she et Europe. His parting crack to Mc- from George Rosen of Variety, a Grady was: “Besides, my paper kindergarten catechism from Jack does not .allow me to go on jun- O'Brian and many, many words kets.” from Ben Gross (of the N. Y. Daily -- —,—. — -- -. .. . McGrady’s full study will not ^ aS looked and app^. un til next month. He was* listened. - * introduce at the luncheon by Sam Mostly, tv criticism throughout cook Digges, administrative veep the country stems from overworked of CBS Films lire, and Round Table newspapermen, McGrady said, who committee p frairman, write reviews “generally incon- ■ sistent, capricious and of question- - - — — able value.” “The chief cause of D-»L*uik this unhappy state of affairs is the DflGMf 6 critics’ abiding concern with 0 fan- * tastic amount of mtediocre, trivial — Continued from pane 30 Sk # $ f >*¥ - pro- predafde influence on viewer pref- ducer. erence, and that is the previewer. Pyramid Productions, helmed by I The regular critics influence tele- Leonard Loewinthan and Everett visiem directly and strongly by Rosentbal currently is in produc- touching the moral susceptibilities ’ of sponsors, advertising and net- tion on a new syndication series work officials and station pro- “Deadline” for distribution by grammers.” - Fla min go. Deal calls for Buckeye Critic tend to describe them- "*2^ .SP , 2£? : selves as the “conscience" of the industry and are regarded as such, ,, ^^-^ury Men *5 acco^g to McGrady. “It would be extremely desirable to have “1 % h ®?. se t 15 - Pyramid also them serve a?, an intelligence, too, two pilGts. but this seeS too mnduTSt It Ac^risitionofFlamingo covers strifcSTme^ awkward to locate the conscience ofsuob a. mammoth certain property rights in fea- the heart. However,-the arrange- s .. ®ohday, and Citizen meat^S been essentMly «ce|t- “**“ “« am»ng the more ^toS^e^<7aSdtheL dustry and It is likely to last for 5 prez » a °5„ Ira gottlieb, v.p. * ‘r «».““V and treasurer, will continue in their Bickeye He Sssrlbed ’how ’some critic '''^BuckeyepSd'll'ooO 000 to Essex ^ anottier P*rt the deal. The series » distributed by Flamingo, in- elude “Grand Ole Opry^D-S-S.,” *&© we stem features. For time being, corporate their employers, parttoalary when entities^ of Flamingo and Pyramid ■ ■ ■ — n.ia. ■■ ■., ~ wiiLremain as they are .until basic management decisions are made as dflk to the most, effective methods of corporate administration. Acquisitions were made in the main through the issuance of ne'w ^ ^ B m 5% convertible preferred of $10 Jft II par value recently authorized by EM EM Buckeye stockholders. Also in- ~ flVIfl volved are certain contingent pay- JK ■ meats in cash and preferred stock IBf |5 based rn future earnings of the W ... — _ properties Involved in the agree-' W l|l A.IITCRV ment with Essex Universal. and treasurer, will continue in their pA$IA WMTED! See page 75 Rilh Lloyd i—■; Continued from pace 27 —— way up to his speaking platform (Jan. 4), in Camaguey, Cuba, right up until last Wednesday (30) when she was called to New York by WNEW. Walter Winchell, on his Mutual broadcast two Sundays ago, gave her on-the-air credit for permit¬ ting his correspondent down there to make use of her Castro tapes. Miss Lloyd’s taping sessions with Castro, apart from her being the first to capture his voice in English since the successful overthrow of Batista’s government In, Cuba, are (DEO 1 \y WNEW** ‘Four-Mat* Recent , sharp upbeat in newsgatbering facilities and personnel at WNEW is based - on a four-way “coincidence.” Without that “’coincidence,” the rising graph in the assem¬ bling and airing of hews and events could not come about. According to Martin Wel¬ don, since December the sta¬ tion’s director of news and special events, WNEW, or any¬ one else, for that matter, is in a position to match, or sur¬ pass, the news output of any other outlet if the station is r one that is: (1), local; (2), iq- ’ dependent, and (3), confines its segments to news and mu¬ sic. The fourth* factor: “And WNEW is willing to spend the - money.” said to be among the more intimate portraits of the new leader in ac¬ tion. Not only did she accompany Castro Oh his private car) on the last 160-mile leg of his journey from Camaguey to Havana, but she was at his side a good pari of the time ho was visiting Vehezuela and throughout most of her last nine days in Havana. TV Export Continued from pare 1 ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’ and other pictures which have been made abroad, some of which have been enormous successes here, they can be enormous successes too. Television has hot. yet come to that stage to development where talent of the calibre who are pro¬ ducing abroad for motion pictures are producing for television.” He predicted the time will come when Latin America and other "areas could be utilized for production for a world market. Stem warned that unless Ameri¬ can television begins to open up more time for foreign, * program¬ ming and acts, “the wide street, the wide one-way street that in a sense some of the foreign broad¬ casters feel that Americans are now riding down, m$y very well turn into a very bumpy narrow road.”. ; Panelists agreed that within five years the foreign market will parallel that of the motion picture business, with 45 to 50% of total revenues accruing from foreign sale. Cohn estimated that present¬ ly, a successful-foreign sales cam¬ paign could account for up to 25% of the total gross of a series. Erick¬ son concurred, but revised that fig¬ ure upward to 30%, pointing out that "you could probably get 30% of your gross revenue if you hap¬ pen to have an association in Eng¬ land as we do—-whereby you own a station. It’s a lot easier to get. in yours first.” (Erickson was re¬ ferring to Associated British Pic¬ tures, in which Warners owns sub-' stantial stock interests and which operates ABC-TV.) But both Cohn and Erickson agreed tha£ the net from foreign sales was very small, Cohn point¬ ing out that while it’s possible to get 25% of the gross ffom abroad, it’s possible it can cost you 40% of your gross to get it.” He pointed ip quota systems, buying combines, monopoly situations, cur¬ rency restrictions, dubbing, ex¬ penses as some of the high casts of selling abroad; .Erickson added that foreign and domestic gross included, in today’s cost situation! a producer is lucky to get.about a 5 to 10% net profit put of all revenue, including the reruns in a 39 and 13 situation. Daysfar ; Continued, from. page <30 ; Dynamic new dimension in TV programming PRODUCTS DIVISION f *T* Aunx con*. REDWOOD CITY. CALIFORNIA.' Telefilm Sibsids jaa Continued from page 31 brewer paying $12,500 per episode for the N. Y. and two-dther-cities exposure. It then hired Edwin Knopf to produce the remaining 26 episodes in Britain, under a copro¬ duction agreement with British in¬ terests. Without the subsid, the net would have run red ink on the project. No doubt about it, the webs’ telefilm subsids pipy a vital role for their parents and, at the same time, function importantly as a product supplier for the syndi¬ cation mart. have already come up with two projects, both different from any¬ thing now on tv,” Colbert stated. These change aspects are gen¬ erated by the agencies, the Day- star exec maintained. Agencies are asking for refreshment and ex¬ citement in programming, but those on the producing end are holding them up, afraid to give them the kind of product they are asking for. ' “I don’t know of anyone on Madison Ave. who is asking for a safe, down-the-line show,” he 'de¬ clared. First of Daystar’s two new proj¬ ects is a science-adventure series, based on fact and with a contin¬ uing lead to be cast within the next two weeks. Latter is a western which Colbert promises will be a vast departure from any previous oater. Stevens is scripting both of the half-hour pilots. Company, also to function as pro^ ducer of theatrical pix and Broad¬ way plays, already has *twO plays by young writers under option, and is mapping an indie pic. Feature is an original story penned by Stevens, which he will also direct. It will not'be done in association with 20th, but will be independent¬ ly financed. Also under consideration by the young company is production of “Marriage -Go - Round,” current Broadway legiter written by Stev¬ ens, as a tv series. It is conceiv¬ able that Charles Boyer and Claudette Colbert, the play’s co- stars, migh t also star in the series. Miss Colbert stated. ' “I don’t (mow of any tlegitl property that -has skipped the mo¬ tion picture; stage, but tv today can compete'more 7 effectively than motion pictures for development of a property like ..Marriage-Go- Round^’ -’ he added, noting that the tv series could be made while the play is still -r unning . ‘Tape’ Stations ■SS Qpntinned from pace 31 SSSS Atlanta, WAGA; Baltimore, WJZ; Boston, WBZ, WHDH, WGBH; Buffalo^ WGR; Charleston, S.C., WUSN;* Chicago, WBBM, WBKB, WGN; Cleveland, KYW, WEWS, WJW; Dallas-Ft. Worth, KRLD, WPAA; Denver, KLZ; Detroit, WJBK; Flint, WJRT; Honolulu, KONA, KHVH; Houston-Galveston, KOUL, KPRC; Indianapolis. WISH; Lancaster,. Pa., WGAL. Also Los Angeles, KCOP, KHJ, KTLA, KTTV; Louisville, WHAS; Lubb ock, Tex., KDUB; Milwaukee, WTTI; Minneapolis - St. Paul. WCCO, KMSP; New Haven--Hart¬ ford, WNHC, WTIC; New York- Newark; WNEW, WNTA, WOR. WPIX; Norfolk; WTAR; Pensacola- Mobile, WEAR; Philadelphia, WFIL; Phoenix, KOOL; Pittsburgh KDKA, WHC, WTAE; Portland! Ore., KGW, KOIN: Providence, WJAR; Raleigh-Durham, WRAL; Sacramento-Stockton, KCRA; Salt Lake City-Provo, KLOR; San An¬ tonio, KENS, WOAI; San Fran¬ cisco, KPIX; KRON, KTVU. Also Schenectady-Albaqy-TrOy, WRGB; Seattle-Tacoma, KING; Springfield, Mo., KYTV; St. Louis, KCPP; Syracuse, WSYR; Tampa- St. Petersburg, WFLA; Tulsa, KOTV, Washington, WTTG; Wich¬ ita Falls, Tex., KSYD. Chi Sun-Times =£= Continued from pas* 31'ss5S them on tv previously or from the original theatre runs. But the source for most of the reviews, he said, is a serviee known as TV Scout, one which apparently serv¬ ices newspapers in other cities as well. Some of the station men, however, say they saw a remarkable resemblance of the Sun-Times ap¬ praisals to those in a paperback book by Steven H. Scheuer, titled “TV Movie Alman ac,” The tv stations pay a higher rate to advertise their old feature film in the newspapers than do the local I film houses. Yet the current pix j playing the theatres get full length reviews. Agreeing that-it is un- ; reasonable to expect similar treat¬ ment for the chestnuts on video, the tv men say they would rather have no reviews than unfair ones. Wedniss. 1 ^, February 4, 1959 1=9 Gobei Sparks Memphis __ WMC Studio Dedication, two New $1,000,000 Plant ^ ny " Memphis, Feb. 3. ed - New million dollar studios of gen- WMC, WMCF and WMCT, FM Day- and tv properties of the Commer* ncies cial Appeal here were dedicated d ex- (31) with a one-hour show headed but by George Gobei plus a full day of 1 are salutes by other showbiz figures, give Politicos on hand included Con- y are gressmen Cliff Davis, Memphis; Robert Everett, Dyersburg, E. C. b on Took Gathings, Arkansas? Gov. Bu- for a ford Ellington; Mayor Edmund Or- 2 'de- gill, and many city commissioners. Other toppers on hand were Jack p ro j. Howard, prexy of Scripps-Howard; eries, Mark Ferree, Scripps-Howard exec intin- vee P» and Ray O’Connell, NBC next veep, who hailed new facilities stem and kudoed Henry (Hank) Slavidk, b e a station’s manager for past 33 years, yious Dick Hawley, WMCT performer, th of emceed the show with staffers Dick Potter and Ed Greaney pro- ; pro^ ducing and working with the Gobei road- crew Dedication show also in¬ plays eluded Berl Olswanger at piano , and and Johnny Long's orch. ature Slavick and Frank Ahlgren, edl- I by tor of the Commercial- Appeal, irect. hosted the party and appeared on ation camera during the program. Marriage Racket Continued from pace 35 in Outer Mongolia. This would in¬ clude scenes with former Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov. Still another Frank undertaking would be a filmed report of life in Moscow made by 15-year-old Angelica Hoefer, daughter of War¬ ner Hoefer, news director of Co¬ logne - Television. The German youngster, taught the lise of a film camera by her father, lias report¬ edly captured an unusual child’s eyeview of the Russian capital.. A study of wiretapping, with Chet Huntley narrating, will be aired on the Kaleidoscope program March 22. ' Overall supervision of these news specials rests with William R. McAnttrew,' veep, and Joseph O. Meyers, director of NBC News. Columbia, S.C.—H. Moody Mc- Elveen Jr., veep and general man¬ ager of KNOK and KNOK-TV here was elected prexy of Sbuth Caro¬ lina -Broadcasters Assn at recent annual convention. New veep is Ed Osborn, general manager of WBCU, Union. Two new directors elected were Frank Hardin, man¬ aging director of WIS r Columbia, and John Cashion, general man¬ ager of WGCD, Chester. _ AVAILABLE A Young, Energetic, Responsible COMPTROLLER CPA, agvd 30. Now employed Sy Top Tofovlsfoa and Motion Plctnro Olstrlbntor In Now York with Assets of $50 Million. Salary desired, $15,000. Bex W 129, VARIETY, 154 West 44 St., New York 34 jomwjomiMA Luncheon served Noon to 3 PAL . Monday thru Friday co*ckTAILS—DINNER—SUPPER 84S Second Avenue at 45th Street Member oil charge clubs MU 4-7250—Open 7 days ACTIVE ENCEPHALON FOR RENT! Attached to dependable gent# with talents galore. Plus quite a bit mere and YOUR PROFIT as Intentl Ex¬ ploitation — Publicity — Public Rela¬ tions — Idaaramas. Box V-4557, VARIETY# 154 W. 44th St. New York 34. DRAWING . LEARN . EASIC DRAWING. PER. SPECTIVE AND FORESHORTENING. LEARN TO 8EE—T0 DRAW WHAT YOU SEE—TO BECOME TECHNICALLY INDEPENDENT- TO HELP YOU IN YOUR PAINTING. ALICE ANTEK 333 WEST END AVE. SC «Ht IL4MO-TELEVI3I0N 55 Wecteesday, February 4, 1959 for Whom Bell lolls’ ^ Continued from page «■£££== flag, Moreuvfcr, the novelist in¬ dicated he .would catch the upcom¬ ing two-part video version of his story—something he never did be¬ fore on the assumption it wasn’t worthwhile. Frankenheimer observed that the “Playhouse 90*'version of “For Whom the Bell Tolls** would not be a soap box affair. Though names have"been changed, the basic phi¬ losophy and underlying theme of the novel mid play will remain the same, namely that man confer values on life by feeling each others mortality. He described the video version of the top-rated novel as a “micro¬ scopic view of war/ not only the Spanish Civil War, but all wars, past and present He said he would try to turn in a production of '.‘stylized reality” and if it is made on that score, he’ll be satisfied. “We’re not begging for compari- INTERESTED IN CANADA’S GROWING TV MARKET? WE NEE* ADDITIONAL FILM P*OWRTTES FOR CANADIAN TELEVISION STATIONS Hmm • i/a hours SHORTS SUPPLY FULL PAJrriCULAJt* INCLUDING UMM RUNNING THUS NUMBER OP EPISODES tO OSCAR HANSON, fortIni. STERLING tXmio id Ffeof^Wn# tdward ftottf TOtONfO, ONT^ CANADA V HILLTOP HOUSE FOR SALE son with the film version of the novel*” be said. “We thinkwe can do. it on' performance, script and point of view.” When Frankenheimer, who stud¬ ied the Hemingway novel with the intensity of a Talmud scholar, meets the cast for the first time, he will give them his own deeply- probed observations on the mean¬ ing of the novelist’s work. He will break down each character includ¬ ing Fernando, Anselmo, Rafael, Pablo, Pilar, Maria and Roberto. According to Frankenheimer, “each character, all of them fiawed, some of them brutal, some of them treacherous* has a value so that their lives and deaths are not in-j cidents in a play but matters of moment to us who are involved in mankind” From, the beginning of ‘Tor: Whom the BeU Tolls” to the end there must be a feeling of a con¬ tinual sense of doom, Franken- heimer said. It should be like an express train. pounding at full speed toward ah open drawbridge, he said, adding that at the con¬ clusion viewers must feel that “humafl beings are not in vain, that they, are always worth more than any cause, for Which they die.” Tape is the answer to every¬ thing Frankenheimer said, and if he had his way, be*d never do an¬ other live show* He predicted that in three years there won’t be any¬ thing live Oh tv With the possible : exception of sports and news. . “There is no reason for live tv when there Is tape,” he said. 'It is ‘ stupid to work on a show for a month and trust to Lady Luck. For [ every time an actor arises to heights in live shows, there are 10 occa¬ sions whett he doesn't make it 1 don't think , one's work has to be prefaced on luek.” f The main thing about a director is to have a, point of view; accord¬ ing to Frankenheimer. He regards his production of “Eloisei* as the worst because it did not have.# point of view. He looks back with satisfaction however' on his han¬ dling of “Old Man” and “The Days of Wine and Roses”' because they had decided points of views. - As for his upcoming adventure ■with the Ndtiel Prize-winning au¬ thor's “For Whom' the BeU Tolls,” he hopes its message will come across, namely that the “love of one human being toward another is the' only real thing that's worth dying for” ' “That is what the Book says, what the show says and what I want it to say,” the .director said. CloveUad—ipeter Storer, general Sales manager of WJW-TV, named WSPD-T V general manager, with Frank .Barron, formerly national Sales rep for Storer T taking over Cleveland spot. Ronald G. Smith Succeed Barron m 2feW York. ■ #SfcuEfr i‘2 FOR THE SEESAW’ AS TALLAWUM’SEG London r Feb. 3. An excerpt from the American comedy, “Two For The Seesaw,” Will fill a substantial chunk of Val Parnell's “Sunday Night At The Palladium” .ATV show on Sunday, Feb. 15. The play, which is at the Haymarket Theatre; has only two in'its cast, Peter Finch and U. S. comedienne, Gerry Jedd. This is the first time that “Sun¬ day Night at the Palladium” has experimented with an excerpt from a straight show. Previously, when Bernard Delfont was temporarily responsible for the Sunday night entry, he took the program over to the Palace for an hour of the Nor¬ man. Wisdom musical, “Where's Charley?” and, on another, occa¬ sion, featured Pat Kirkwood and Hubert Gregg in a sizable slice of the Prince of Wales’ musieom- edy, “Chrysanthemum ” Secend French TV Channel Seen St31 a Few Years Away Spectrum Issue CoaiUroei! from page 23 Tt. Involves uses of the spectrum by the federal departments of Gov¬ ernment and private persons and corporations.* The public interest requires that this study and deter¬ mination bo made objectively by the legislative branch rather Than : the executive because of the nat¬ ural predisposition of the executive to favor its own interest an the matter.” Rep. -Harris recently won House approval for $25,009 to finance staff work to translate the subcom¬ mittee’s recommendations into leg¬ islation. It is too early to tell whether the spectrum study rec¬ ommendation will be* translated into a bill or resolution authorizing a Joint House-Senate study or Whether Harris will simply under¬ take the,job within the framework df hrsr House Commerce Commit¬ tee. He has clear authority to dot that. : - In *58, the Senate passed the Potter resolution (sponsored by ex-Sen. Charies Potter, Michigan Republican) authorizing a * presi¬ dential commission to study spec¬ trum space. But the measure died in the House in Anal days- of the session after " the White House called for revisions which the tv industry (and many Congressmen) feared would result in . military domination -of the .study. '' Later, following Congressional adjourn¬ ment, there was serious talk of President Eisenhower appointing a special spectrum- study group on his own - without Congressional Sanction. He apparently has such authority.. Bui: squawks-from mem¬ bers of.Congress and the tv-indus¬ try Stopped the action. Of prfrpe importance io all con¬ cerned if (and -when) Congress un¬ dertakes a spectrum study, is who' will be hired on the committee Staff. Spectrum problems are highly. Complicated and will require the work of experts to settle .satisfac¬ torily. Members of Congress sitting on such a committee would,. by ne^essitft havg to rely heavily on staff members for advice and in¬ formation on. the intracacies of en¬ gineering and other details. Suc¬ cess or failure of .such a study may well hang on the choice of staff. 2-Parter dimension in TV programming peoi^essioNAc t PRODUCTS DA/iSIONF COJtfOJUTIOH ******■„ KCDWOOO eriY.dAUedANlA Hollywood, Feb. 3. “The * Untouchables,” authored by -Oscar Fraley and former FBI agent Eliot Ness, will be “Westing- house Desilu Playhouse” first fwo- ■ part-shew. * Plotted around breakup' of .the * A1 Capone mob, ’ project ■ win go out over CBS-TV an con¬ secutive weeks later this season. ACTION THAT ROLLS UP BIG RATINGS! “RESCUE 8 " MIAMI 34 a 1 ... m<»h.e 32 b 0 * IHftttEPOftT 43.8 JKKwtN^' television smi»im*F CduttftiA fictunes ca*r. " TTi rtftb Avowo, Now VwVIl ft t-44» V D^rtorr cwdADO H0UTw60D miami Houston . Source: ARB, Nov. 1958 TORONTO * By GENE MOSKOWITZ Paris, Feb. 3. Though other Continental coun¬ tries, like Italy and West Germany, are talking a second commercial television channel it will still be four or five years before French nationalized tv, with its one chan¬ nel, can even think of this possi¬ bility. This Is the opinion of Jean D’Arcy, program supervisor of French tv under the state or Radio¬ diffusion-Television Francaise. ' According to D’Arcy, France will not even have all of the coun¬ try covered by tv transmission until late *59. Then interest will be fumed towards a second web, .supervised by the RTF, but with publicity allowed as well as pri¬ vately mounted shows to garner public interest. Other holdbacks are the facts Of desiring the second Web to be fin color, with the necessary time > for experiment, definition, lineage; : Uhd the needed Ultra High Fre¬ quency setup which has not been resolved, handed out, or worked out yet in Europe. However, the need and desire for this second outlet, with the RTF watchdogging it to see it also does public inter¬ est and educational shows, is defin¬ itely and a factor in current tv planning. . Upped Budget For ’59 TV. suffered some budget slash-' ihg iff *58 due to the general-poli¬ tical and economic changes and aspects of France and the need to concentrate on finishing its emission coverage. However, it is : expected fo be upped in *59. Get- tain bigseale ; programs were cut, and, though the weekly level re¬ mained at 45-50 hours, with about r t&Y& live, and the rest filmed, the [general level remained about the ^me. ’ There are now /ever 1,600,860 sets in operation Which is about accepted par according to D’Arcy- He points out that well covered* denser populated areas have a Slower rise while newly covered territories shoot up last. But they are usually sparsely peopled are® Which explains Franee lagging' be¬ hind other'European countries in this sphere. A quick burgeoning is expected in *00 when an transmitters are in operation. No -real cheap alt purpose set baas been devised yet but is probably, do .its way. In France, deprived of needed home improvement during the war, faul¬ tily outlays go for household elec¬ trical appliances first and then tv, Unlike the opposite in England and even West. Germany. But sets are better made and longer lasting, an important factor in thrifty minded France. Pro¬ grams, in order of popularity, are quiz shews, variety, dramatic, scientific and general news and in¬ terview shows. Top quizzers are “Brains and Brawn,” and “Gros Lot” akin«to the “$64,000 Ques-. tion.” D’Arcy specifies they are both straight Gillies Mtegaritas and Jean Nohain vande shows fol¬ low and then the various dramas, films and news. French video ao longer takes Shy Yank vidpix series for they feel most are badly dubbed, Which might be acceptable in a theatre, but not on close up concen¬ trated tv, and union pressures have also militated against this. But, having given Up producing its own series shows, RTF is now dick¬ ering with NBC, CBS and ABC for vidpix series and kinescopes out¬ right. They would-go for about $600 per film and RTF would do its own careful dubbing for about $1,500 per pic. Then with Eurovision outlets' and other French speaking areas, it would possibly make up its costs. Low rates and small French lingo marts, plus dubbing costs, have usually, militated against ahy really lucrative Incomes from Yank, vidpix here. D’Arcy feels that film circles have a tendency to blame their present biz erises -on tv which is not so. An old film on tv rarely takes fihngoera from newer pix. It is the really rideo-created aspects, like quiz shows, which are likely to offer competition to pix. : Eurovision accounts r for about 156 hours a year here and France and Italy are the biggest contribu¬ tors. The seven different webs in various parts of West Germany make it difficult for the latter to contribute much in this sphere. Sports and news events are the most popular Eurovision shows, followed by variety. Public polls among tv set own¬ ers here have denoted a desire to get something substantial besides entertainment from video. In asking how tv had added to their lives, answers came in citing ad¬ ditions to knowledge in the spheres of, in order of voting, science, world documentation, literature, voyages, theatre, art, music, his¬ tory, current events and cooking. Over 80% said it helped keep the family at home more often and .more tightly knit, while 11% saw no change whatsoever. So, French tv is expanding and, though behind others, expects to he abreast in about four years. DYNAMIC ACTION FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY! ThrWing stories of long-haut truckers at home and along , the highway. In a brand-new series that brings you heart-in-your mouth adventure with plenty of heart. Created and . produced by Robert Maxwell, famed creator of LASStE, ' CANNONBALL will ride your way with big audiences and increased profits. INDEPENDENT TELEVISION CORPORATION 3 Madison Ave. *K.Y. 22 •Plaza $-*101 NEED AN ASSISTANT? YwtL aHrMtivo flri, writing *b tttfy, : top ttertttiM skills, cotfovo, export- mm Ml ndfe-TV talMf Md stiffen pubtfetty* rtwrl .promotion/ pr Md pfKk contact, oopy/conttamy, df** mt*r«*to 4 In production'rosoortft, DK feiHM . Wrfto to »#x V 113M* Vorfety, 154 W. ottfc ft. itowYofkSL JMHJSfcC pszzen Wednesday, February 4, 1959 Jocks, Jukes and Disks ' By MIKE GROSS. / Frankie Laine (Columbia).#solid rendition of the oldie that “THAT’S MY DESIRE” <U**> “STO^? has a chance for another spinning WEATHER” (Mills*) is poured out run via the beat that the kiddies with a hot beat and driving vocal like. “IN MY WILDEST DREAMS’ 1 (Sequence*) has the dramatic that demands attention. Hamish Memdes (Kapp). Frankie Laine quality that the SLEEP LIKE A BABY” (Murray programmers may pick up. | Baker*) has a smooth ballad feel Ri nky P inks (Capitol). “CATCH that Hamish Menzies delivers in A LITTLE MOONBEAM’* (Fair- way that could pull the side out wayt) Is a happy swinger with for some strong spins. “LESS Best Bets Neal Heftt , Orch: “Hollywood Song Book” (Coral). The Academy Award winning pic tunes from 1934 to 1957 are attractively wrapped up in two packages by arranger-con¬ ductor Neal Hefti. Not only are they swinging sets but they show off Hollywood cleffing at its best. Hefti’s interpretations are fresh and brisk and brighten up each tune. Volume 1 covers “The Con¬ tinental” (*34) through “It Might As Well fie Spring” (’45) while Volume 2 runs through “On the Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe” ___ __ (’46) to “All The Way” (’57). Sidney T, A WHENCE WELK ' Skolsky’s historical bits on the PERRY COMO.KISSME AND KISS ME AND KISS ME tunes Xurn the liner notes into (RCA Victor)......Tomboy the uSfgsms The Perry Como’s “Kiss Me and Kiss Me and Kiss Me” (Leeds*) “Children’s Marching Song” A”? hmids up c neat Italian-flavored melodic line that’s tailor-made b/w “Slumber Party’ fheEDic bovs can reaUv go out for top jock and juke spins. “Tomboy” ( Roncom*) plays into the Brunswick No. 55113 the rocking set’s hands and should do okay imth the younger crowd s ■ . . . best cou ld. give him an im- spinning demands. thrush builds for top spinning po rtant boost in the pop LP field.. * * * time. Working with arrangements; and FRANKIE AVALON. ... .I’M BROKE Gateway Singers (Warner Bros.), an orch. conducted, by Neal Hefti, Vpnna “WRECK OF THE JOHN . B.” -Hamilton takes .hold of such nifties ^Lmancciior^ • ♦ •• •»; •£••• • ■ ‘•;: ■; v * ven “ s (Lee-Wait) is a good workover of as “Something’s Cotta Give," Frankie J^valon s I m Broke (Ra-nibed-Jimsla.pt ) is a surefire ^ familiar folk item. “EAST VIR-' “Change Partners,” “I Could Write moneymaker because of the way the teenage idea is sent across the GINIA BLUES” (Lee-Wait) will a Book,” “Let’s Do It” and really grooves with a hot beat and a dynamic delivery. “Venus” (Ram- appeal more to the folk buffs than makes ’em stick.* bed-Larsdale +) has a pleasing rocking mood.but seems to lack the . the pop spinners. . G ny barren Sounds* “Themes excitement that's necessary to stir up his kid fans. Billy Barnes (United Artists); For African Drums” (RCA Victor). * * * * _ “WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO a tom-tom combo, headed by Guy MARIE & REX-.... . .I CAN’T SIT DOWN DO” (Prentice*) is supposed to be Warren; with an occasional trom- MipupIm- a big ballad but it ends up as an- bone assist from Lawrence Brown, V *c,-I *tU,'V Whohm+i’ X „other rocking noisemaker. “I'M dish up a fascinating collection of . Afarte & Re ?** Can * Sn . Do ^ n (Sheldont) ts a gospel- COMING TO SEE YOU” (Brendat) polyrhythmic tympany sounds. styled swinger that’s sure to make noise everywhere. Mane Knight has lotsa rocking rhythm > effects Althoueh recorded in New York. LAWRENCE WELK . Presents THE LENNON SISTERS “Children’s Marching Song” b/w “Slumber Party” Brunswick No. 55113 end Rex Garvin belt it out with ah enthusiasm that goes a long way. “Miracles” (Strattont) plays up a Marie Knight solo that’s okay for special spinning attention. has lotsa rocking rhythm' effects I Although recorded in New York, but it’s not too original. this offbeat set generates the at- Denise Lor (20th-Fox). “IN THE mosphere of native Africa in num- MIDDLE OF A KISS” (Southern*) bers with titles like “Ballad For * * * is a fair ballad with an . okay Giraffes,” “Blood Brothers” and JOHNNY ARMENTEER ORCH.. .SIERRA SUNRISE vocal for some d.j. play. “BORN “Lady Marie Drum Suite.” Tribal- fP*Ipfb.'t Vnn MnrnL ' AGAIN” (Selbonnt) is a slow, un- sounding yocal ipterpolations are ^rawuc; .......... • •. - • • * - rariez yoo marcn impressive ballad item. used with arresting effect. Johnny Armenteer’s “Sierra Sunrise” (Zodiac t) paints a melodic Percv Faith Greh* “Malaruena— mature that the kids will hoc to around the coin machines and the ***** -.§1*** SEl (Palette) ......Parlez Voo March ' Johnny Armenteer’s “Sierra Sunrise” (Zodiaci) paints a melodic picture that the Kids mill hop to around the coin machines and the gulden* KEY 7 ’ ~ ffieSMcth Is’^ fMusib'of Cuba** (Columbia). When deejays will &ck $p for programming material. It s a strong in- sSw damatic ballad that “rates Percy Faith decides to go south-of- strumental slice thats syre to grow on-all spmnmg levels , Parlez spinning respect. “ALL ABOUT the border, he does it with a mUsi- Voo March’* fcZodfact) stvrs Up the old World War I refraffi in a jjfe, (Republic!) has a pleasant cal excitement that’s hard to beat. way that the ‘rock V rollers can understand, which could mean . qualify that makes for okay pro- Previous Chile excursions by Faith important spins. grammlng material. resulted in such highly attractive ' * * - * Sonny Turner & The Twisters packages is “Viva” and “Delicado ” ROSEMARY CLOONEY...LOVE EYES (Big Top), “SWEET ANNIE In “M^aguena,” Faith toys with (MGM) ..................... Flattery LAURIE” "(Quintet!) rocks up the the Cuban beat and develops an old refrain in a way that the juke ear-appealing sound that’s vivid Rosemary Clooney’s “Lone Eyes” (Saunders*) sparkles in the . set anoreSates “THUNDER- and vibrant. mil irPrvm if** hviJt -fnr nryrvrSrJntlrvn m fill leitoU he. -“PI™ 1 ? 1 ”-.. . AXlU«I«dS ■ _ rocfc V TOU idiom, but ifj bail* for appreciation on all levels be- BOLT' r '(Herbertt) has an easy Elmer Bemafeln Oreh: “Seme emtse of the voeal energy thatfs put tnto Re side. Flattery* swinglhg feel that usually picks Came R nnetny - (Capitol). 'Elmer (Saunders*) is fashioned.along a pleasant shuffle beat on which up jukebox coin. Bernstein created quite a stir in she duets with husband Jose Ferrer. Short Twins (Eagle): “TAKE A the diskery field a few years back * * * _ LOOK” (Sounds*) bounces well when his score for “The Man With FOUR PREPS ..SHE WAS FIVE AND HE WAS TEN enough for teenage appreciation The Golden Arm” .came through at- r j around the juke machines. “I’M as a chcko pic score set for Decca. *" Viwaildne GONNA LO^YOU MORE AND He’s In the ru nn in g again for his. . She Was Five and He Was. Ten (Roxbury ) mORE’^ (Sounds*) has an old- -work on the current "Tetro release tells the km^of story that the kids go for with a melodic style fashioned shuffle beat that could starring Frank Sinatra. Track is ex- fhat gives it top spinning chances. The Riddle of Lov& (Lar-Bell- pjgfc some coin machine play, citing in its jazz feel and properly Shermanf) hds a nice harmony bounce good for programming time. Sam isnaee 9s The .Cadets nioody in the melodic romantic ■ ■ . " ■ ■ . .— — . ■ (Cabot): '“TAKE ME TO YOUR sequences, making it'a full-bodied some clever harmony styling to THAN TOMORROW” (Supreme*) LEADER CHA CHA CHA’MItaoll- aud wdl-rounded worfc attract spinning attention. “CHOO- is a ballad with a rocking touch to wood*) has a takeoff potential he- Roberta Sherwood: “Look For CHOO-CHA-CHA” (Beeehwoodt) make it more appealing to the cause of the beat, the novel lyric The Silver Lining** (Decca); This follows the familiar hp-swinging juke set. angle a nd a ssorted sound, gim- package is‘packed with an emo- tempo for just fair results. Sarah Vaughan (Mercury). tional- appeal that Roberta Sher- Elena Madera (Decca) “PEPI- “COOL BABY” (Vernon*) should GREEN MUSTACHE” (Janos]). is wood’s fans wdl go fof and it may TO” (Raleight) has a rockalatino beat up the jukes because of its a swing-styled item good for some even help win some new friends mood thatcould push iS^rfde bi S rhythmic beat. “ARE YOU terp action: along the w5y. Her vocalistics into a payoff bracket “PU-CBUN- CERTAIN” (B. Benjamin*) has a -- never get^out of hand but shes GA” (Raleight) features a lot of charming beat and lyric line thatl*ASCAP. tBMI. TstiH able to sell with persuasion, powerhouse vocallirig but it’ll be : : ' a tough spinning item. r ,— - 1A R ■ fl 11 /I • VB t* Don CorneU (Dot). “IT ISN’T Jr&RlETY III KACf .NaIIPYC All I/l!H IvIjirillllPQ FAIR” (Words Sn Music*) is a re- ♦»♦»»♦♦♦» » ♦»♦♦»♦ Dv3l Wvllvlu UU vVill vival of the Cornell hit of a few ♦ years back and he gives it the * 4 *' ■ SSp of ^“bTyere 1 ^ demS H 1- SMOKE GETS IN YOUE EYES <7> ... PlaUer, . . Mercury, ” “I’M CRYING JUST FOR YOU” *► 2 . STAGGER LEE (4) ...... Lloyd Price . ........ .ABC-Par V, (Broadway*) spotlights some slick X . ^_ _ '’ trumpeting which helps the vocaL . ► 3, GOTTA.TRAVEL (5) .... . .... Billy Crammer .■.Monument . > Kathy Linden (Felsted). “YOU 4. 16 CANDLES (4) ....... Crests . .... Coed “ SnSKl«*wiU°et“neat®ta- " *> ME HAPPINESS (5) . . J.......... .; Couple Fronde,...........MGM :: ning pace because of thrush’s tasty ’) g. BONNA (3) ....- Ritchie Valens ..... Del-Fl «► handling of a neatly concocted ^ ' * item, “SOMEBODY LOVES YOU” «► 7- I CREED A TEAR (1) .;............... LaVem Baker .* .Atlantic . < - *• f ^ iures t sing * aIo ° g 8. ALL AMERICAN BOY (2) ..... . .. Bill. Parsons . Fraternity - ► effect but the results are only , „ moderately pleasing. <» 9. A LOVER’S QUESTION (3) ___....1 .... .Clyde McPhatter . Atlantic • • B^rc anas :: i»- children’s marching song <2> .. :: shouter that will go over in some * ► L ' areas. “5-10-15 HOURS” (Pro- ” n _ gressivet) is in the true r&b vein J Sppnnn CrOlin - ’ which keeps the side swinging in • • OCLUlltl UlOUp - Mtoi e ^1,ctio^ e!rtremelyhelP ' :: GOODBYE BABY .’.. Jack Scott ... .Carlton I Laura Leslie (Hanover). “KING ; ’ HAWAIIAN WEDDING SONG ...... . Andy Widigms . Cadence Oie 55 if CHIPMUNK SONG ..... Chipmunks ...J.Liberty ^ .fetSTk S iS WWW .....:.... NdlScdaka ............Victor ] in all departments. LOVELY TEARDROPS .... Jackie Wilson Brunswick * 3wSm> A^BSsm 1 'PETITE FLEUR . '.......i. Chris Barber .Laurie j races through a hot beat that the ’ l PROBLEMS .. . tverly Bros. .. Cadence- ’ kids are bound to pick tip for ,. _ _ . _ * . i “ acme play. ‘**NO MATTER WHAT < - WHOLE LOTTA LOVIN* . .... Fats. JJomvho .......,Imperial ’ * AGB 44: .•••:•••••••. ^Au a Hk^OTg^caalnl “me • > [Figures in parentheses indicate member of weekstong hashccn inthe Top 101 . VERY THOUGHT OF YOU” (Wft- T "... / ; * mark-Campbell-Connelly*) is that gives it top spinning chances. tu The Riddle of Love” (Lar-Bell- Shermanf ) ms a nice harmony bounce good for programming time. P'SmOTr JO Best Sellers on Coin Haebines. 1. SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES (7) . ... Platters .... .Mercury 2. STAGGER LEE (4) ...*........... Lloyd Price . ........ .ABC-Par 3. GOTTA. TRAVEL (5) ...... Bitty Crammer ......Monument 4. 16 CANDLES (4) ...... Crests . ....Coed 5. MY HAPPINESS (5) ....... Couple Francis ...MGM 6. DONNA (3) Ritchie Valens ... Del-Fl 7. I CRIED A TEAR (1) ..... LaVem Baker .. Atlantic. 8. ALL AMERICAN BOY (2) ...... . .. Bill . Parsons . Fraternity 9. A LOVER’S QUESTION (3) __... . Clyde McPhatter . Atlantic 10. CHILDREN’S MARCHING SONG (2) ...i...Sf’.'.'.-V.'.Cotato / Mitch Miller .,.... . Columbia Second Group GOODBYE BABY .".. Jack Scott .. fy . Carlton HAWAIIAN WEDDING SONG .../... Andy Widigms . Cadence CHIPMUNK SONG ...... Chipmunks .. Liberty PETER GUNN THEME ..... Ray Anthony . ........Capitol DIARY .....:..... Neil Sedaka ............Victor LOVELY TEARDROPS ..... Jackie Wilson Brunswick PETITE FLEUR .... . Chris Barber .. Laurie PROBLEMS .,........ .... Fverly Bros. .. Cgdence WHOLE LOTTA LOVIN* ..... Fats Domino ........Imperial GIRL ON PAGE 44...... Fdur Lads. ...........Columliid , iFigures iw parentheses indicate ntrmber of weeks-tony has been in the Top 101. ‘ . - Jack Pleins* orch backing helps make such as “Over The Rainbow,” “I May Never Pass This Way Again” and the title song all the ’ more effective. Billy Vaughn Orch: “Billy Vaughn Plays” (Dot). In this, his ninth XP effort for Dot, Billy Vaughn again takes a batch of per¬ ennials and gives, ’em a light, pop¬ ular treatment that fits the mood music demands of today’s market. It’s undemanding and unpreten¬ tious musical fare and although it won’t set the turntables on fire, it’s bound to have 'a steady sales glow. Julie London: “London By Night” (Liberty). A dozen pdp tunes have been strung together to weave a story of “girl finds love” —“girl loses love”—“girl finds love again.” And With Julie London as the throbbing tale-teller working over classics like ‘That’s For Me." “Mad About The Boy,*’ “Something I Dreamed Last Night’* and “That Old Feeling,” as well, as some sel¬ dom-heard goodies, the package comes off as a highly saleable item. Pete King does a standout job on the orch backing. Lisa Kirk: “Sings At The Plaza” (MGM). The attention that Lisa Kirk has attracted with«her nitery act ought to be refleeted nicely in this “original cast” LP version. Package is a rundown pf her show at the. Hotel Plaza’s Persian Room done with an assist from Jim Brooks, Jimmy Harris, Jerry Rush and Scooter Teague as her vocal male support. The showcasing, in the groove, lacks the spirit that Miss Kirk usually relays “live,” but there’s enough bounce avail¬ able for overall happy listening. Sengbag is a potpourri of stand¬ ards and some special material by Bob a Wells and David Saxon. Carmen McRae: “Book, of Bal¬ lads” (Kapp). A former Decca disker. Carmen McRae shapes as a solid acquisition for the smaller Kapp label. Her approach is smooth and sophisticated, but it’s all in keeping with the material at hand. She works with an orch under Frank Huhter’s direction or with a trio (Don Abney, piano; Charles Smith, drums; Joe Ben¬ jamin, bass), and it all makes for sock programming at home or on the air. • - ‘ . “Cha-Cha Jubilee** (Jubilee). The cha cha is going to go down swing¬ ing if Jubilee has anythong to do with it. In this alDstar compila¬ tion, pops and classical get- -the chile flavoring for a hip-swinger’s delight. Helping to pepper-up the package are (he. Accents, the Frank Ortega Trio and Moe Koffman. Mel Tonne: “Tonne” (Verve). The Torme sound, is still memor¬ able even though the . crooner hasn’t been grooved too often late¬ ly. However, he still comes through as a vocalist with an identifiable piping style and.a feeling for a jazz beat that’s missing in. many, of the current crop of singers Who are getting more Wax time. The arrangements of conductor Marty Paich help Torme pull through “That Old Feeling,” “Blues In The Night,” “Body and Soul” and as¬ sorted other favorites. Joni James: “Sings Hank Wil¬ liams’* (MGM). A couple of yeartf ago. Joni James showed that she knew something about the country mood by coming up with a click 7 disking of the Hank Williams’ tune, “Your Cheatin’ Heart.” Here she’s got 11 other items out of Williams’ strong catalog and. delivers them to the*hilt. It. has a hefty sales potential. ' Jack Marshal! Sextette: “18th Century Jazz*” (Capitol). Jazz with a chamber 'music tone is the peg for this set and Jack Marshall turns it into a fresh and funny mu¬ sical outing; The combo has-Mar¬ shall on guitar and lute, Harry Klee on flute and recorder, 'Edgar Liistgarten on cello. Milt Raskin 6n harpsichord. Red Mitchell on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. Marshall’s musical imagination works on such modern nifties as “Have You Met Miss Jones?” “I Didn’t Know Time It Was ” “My Heart Belongs To Daddy” and the like. Joe Basile Orch: “Cafe Italiano” (Audio Fidelity), With Joe Basile on accordion and tenor Aldo Conti handling the vocals, this is a neat recital of Italian songs. The melo¬ dies are all lilting and the Italian language lyrics don’t get la the way of the riunlcal message.' . .. Gros. r « -Ralph Marterie orch has been - signed for** One-nighter at Lou* anns, Dallas, Feb. 6. ‘ Wednesday, February 4»1959 X MYTSIC 57 With Bcasters on New 5-Year Pact IJTV, ASCAP’s ‘Weighted Vote’ Count-Up To Figure in Talk on New Decree Broadcast Music Inp. is currently- moving to wrap up new . contracts with. its.radio-tv customers. With the current licensing pacts expir¬ ing early in March, BME is now askirig its .broadcast customers for a five-year extension of the current agreements^ Under these blanket deals, BMl gets from three-fourths of 1% to 1.2% of the station’s gross, on a sliding scale pegged to the volume of annual business. BMI anticipates no difficulty about the renewals, although some Of the radio stations have been trying to cut down their payments for music license fees. The Amer¬ ican Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers, for instance, is 'now stalemated in its negotiations with over 600 stations represented by the AU-Industry Radio Licensing Committee. ASCAP has asked for a one-year extension of its previous deal, which expired Jan. 1, under which«it received 2.25% of the gross. BMTs revenue from the broad¬ casters, now amounting to over $7,000,000, will continue to stay, more or less, at that level if the current .pacts are renewed. At the same time, BMI has been feeling ttif squeeze of increased payments to the flock of small publishers who have been coming up with the hits in recent years. Under EMI’s payoff, formula, publishers get 4e for each indie station plug and 6c for each network work. Hence, the more plugs/ the more BMI shells out BMPs solution for the squeeze has been to cut back in the guaran¬ tees to publishers that have not. been delivering the hits. Many of these firms, located mainly, in New. York, have been unable to earn their guarantees in the perform¬ ance ratings and .hence rare no longer getting front money from BMI or have been drastically re¬ duced iu their annual guarantees from BML Cohen and Craft Revive Diskenes As a result of the repent artists & repertoire reshuffle, two disk¬ ettes are being reactivated. Paul Cohen, ex-Coral a&r chief, will start rolling with his Todd label, and Morty Craft, ex-MGM pop tap¬ per, will again kick off his indie Lance diskery. Cohen and.Craft have been in huddles, the past couple of weeks on a possible teamup of their, indie outfits. ~It’s all still in -the talking stage, however, and the possibility of ah ipdte disk .union, according to. their attorneys, is still far off. Cohen, who had established the Todd label several years ago but kept it dormant, is now in the process of lining up artists. He’s already signed- Pee Wee King.. Craft came to the fore a little over a year ago when he cut the Shep¬ herd Sisters’ dick slicing of “Alone” for his Lance label. After the Shepherd Sisters’ takeoff. Craft moved to Mercury’s a&r depart¬ ment and then to MGM. SATE WAY STORES FIRES SUIT AT REMINGTON Remington Records, low-priced label headquartering in New York, : Is being sued for a $90,000 breach- of-contract by Safeway Stores in New York Federal Court. Safewaiy charges that Remington refused to accept returns on disks left over from a special merchan¬ dising campaign launched a couple . of years ago. The chain store charged in the complaint that Rem¬ ington asked for repeated delays in. refunding coin oh the unsold disks due to "financial difficulties.” Remington recently lost a de¬ cision to a group of major pub¬ lishers in a Federal Court suit over royalty • payments. Tha exact amtrantof the royalfy damages in this action is being determined by •a referee. ’ Soviet Concertizing Ottawa, Feb. 3. Concert artists’ pay in Rus¬ sia is “not as good as here, but better than anything in Eu¬ rope,” says Canadian soprano Lois Marshall, just back from a long tour there. The Rus¬ sians, she said, paid half their traveling expenses, plus all their living expenses, while in Soviet Union. Audiences liked English folk songs even better than classics; and "everyone was still talking about Glenn Gould.” • Longhair Disks, ABC-Paramount’s blueprint for 1959 includes a move-in on the classical market and the introduc¬ tion of a phonograph line. The plans for the coming year were unveiled by ABC-Par prexy Sam Clark at diskery’s distributor con¬ vention last week at the Concord Hotel, Kiamesha Lake, N. Y. The longhair step-in, according to Clark, will probably be done through a tie with Vega Records of France. Negotiations between the two companies are currently un¬ derway. Clark stated that if the deal goes through it would mean an investment on ABC -Par’s part of over $100,000 for 30* classical releases. Clark’s interest in a buildup along longhair lines stems from the fact that 50% of the diskery’s total volume in 1958 came from the LP field. Clark claimed an overall $5,500,000 gross for labei's ’58 take. In the phono manufacturing end, Clark is planning a tie with Dicto¬ graph to introduce a stereo player retailing.at about $349, «----——— Baddy Holly, BigBopper, Ritcbie.Valeris Killed In Air Crash While Touring RitchietfValens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper (J. P. Richardson) were killed yesterday (Tues.) when a plane they had charted crashed between Clear. Lake, Iowa, arid Morehead, Wisconsin. The three diskers were part of a rock ’n’ roll package called “Winter Dance Party’’ which began a three-week tour . Jan. 23. The pilot was also killed in the crash. Rest of the troupe, which includ¬ ed DioU & The Belmonts, Frankie Sardo and The Crickets were trav¬ eling to the Morehead date via bus. Valens, who clicked recently on the Del-Fi label with "Donna” and “La Bomba,” was 17 years old. Holly, who’s current click for Coral, is "It Really' Doesn’t Mat¬ ter,” was 20 years old. Big Bopper was 24. His Mercury Record clicks were “Chantilly Lace” and “Big Bopper’s Wedding.” Jalapa, Veracruz, FebrS: Columbia Records is completing its series of disks dedicated to Pablo Casals by cutting-a new hi- fi platter here. This will be titled “The Pablo Casals Festival of Jalapa 1959.” A team of Col. experts, "with three magnetic tape recorders and three mikes strategically distrib-. uted, Is recording numbers inter¬ preted by various symphony or¬ chestras as well as sold numbers'by Competitors in the cello com¬ petition.' ' ; A major international music biz combine, embracing disks and pub¬ lishing, is currently being project¬ ed by a well-heeled parlay of U.S. and British interests. Major fac¬ tors in the picture are Jack Wratb- ner, head of Muzak and other com¬ panies; “ Associated^ Television (ATV), programmers for commer¬ cial tv in England; and the Brit¬ ish Pye corporation, major phono and tv instrument makers who are already in the disk biz with ATV in England via the Pye-Nixa label. Mike Nldorf, U.S. rep for ATV, is. working with Wrather in setting up a major disk operation in this country. Wrather and Nidorf indi¬ cated that the full resources of the international tieup are avail¬ able for the buyout of an existing major label in this country. The market is being closely tapped to find such a diskery. Nidorf also indicated that talks -are already underway With an important pub¬ lisher. Immediate objective of the com¬ bine is to revamp the Pye-Nixa distrib setup in England to put it on a par with the other British majors. In that way, the Pye-Nixa group -will be in a better position to handle distribution of* U.S. la¬ bels abroad. At the present time, the Pye-Nixa group handle no im¬ portant U.S. diskeries, Mercury having pulled out last year. It*s~ expected that the acquisition of a dominating interest in Pye-Nixa ;by ATV' will revitalize that com¬ pany. Linked into the Anglo-U.S. com¬ bine will be multi-faceted exploi¬ tation facilities on a global scale. Nidorf, for instance, also is U.S. rep for Radio Luxembourg. Also involved, in the project, via the ATV interests, are tv stations and the McQuarrie radio network in Australia. . Wrather stated that he and the interests repped by Nidorf are only interested in getting into the music biz in a big way, rather than starting' from scratch-or amalga¬ mating several minor labels. He said that part of the Muzak library, known as the Associated Pro¬ gram Service, has a vast catalog of recordings by the top names of the swing era .which would be available' for the disk company when it was launched. The APS library is currently being, used for Wrather’s new automated radio op¬ eration, called Programmatics, in which he provides a 24-hour pro¬ gramming service' for stations on a wholly mechanized basis. STEVE LEV1TZ LOSES SUIT AGAINST LOEW’S Steve Levitz. former production exec at the Big Three (Robbins, Feist & Miller) Music combine, lost his breach-of-contract suit) against Loew’s Inc. before N. Y. j Supreme Court Judge Aaron J. Steuer last week. Levitz sued Loew’s, parent company of the] Big Three, for allegedly breaking its promise to continue him In his j exec post for as long as he could work, in return for his agreement ] to sell his stock interest in the mu?j sic company to Loew’s. • Judge Steuer ruled that Loew’s i agreement with Levitz constituted, in substance, a lifetime contract which, under N. Y. State laws, is 1 invalid. Julian T. Abeles repped Loew’s in the action. Levitz pre¬ viously, lost the same action in the N. Y. Supreme Court but won the right in the appellate division to file an amended complaint which was argued before Steuer. MGM Records will step into the budget stereo LP field this month. The low-price stereos will be re¬ leased under the Lion label at $2.98. First Lion stereo release will contaitf H Lfs.“ - Charles - Hhsin, diskery’s-*sales manager, is prep- ping u special drive ©u the stereos* Dancing-ih-the-Dawn Toledo, Feb. 3. Dancing from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. is on the program in the Friendly Bar for factory work¬ ers, waitresses, cab drivers and others who can’t dance in the evening. Jake Patlin, operator of the -spot, has hired Dave Poulin’s orch, and said that the new policy Would continue if enough patrons came in. Web Tooters Get Coin h New Pact . American Federation of Musi¬ cians lost some guaranteed em- j ployment but won a pension fund | and residual payments in its new five-year agreement with the three major radio-tv' networks, CBS, ] NBC and ABC. Pact was finalized a few hours after the old deal ran out last Saturday night (31) and I was born with the assistance of a : Federal mediator, J. R. Mendel- baum, who requested AFM prexy Herman D. Renin to call off a threatened strike and continue ne¬ gotiations. The new contract wiU run to March 1, 1964. AFM maintained, staff quota levels in New York and Hollywood, but agreed to cut the quotas back in Chicago, Boston, Detroit, San Francisco and St. Louis, where •there are web owned & operated outlets. In Chicago, the contract formula permits the networks to drop five musicians- annually for the next four years to bring the ; staff quota per station down from 45 to 25 men. An innovation in the pact was (Continued on page 62) Art Can Be B.O. in Frisco San Francisco, Feb. 3. "Vortex,” a combination of elec¬ tronic music and non-objective art films projected on the dome of, Frisco’s Morrison Planetarium, suddenly has become boxoffice. For a total of 14 shows- at the 1500-seat planetarium last month, "Vortex” drew 5,750 persons, at $1 a head. In addition, Henry Jacobs and Jordan Belson, creators of "Vortex,” put on three more hour-long shows last night (Mon.) which appeared to be cinch sell¬ outs. [ Jacobs points out ’"we have to pay the planetarium and we have to pay the composers,” but it looks as if their non-profit Foundation of Audio-Visual Research should have a good operating nut by the time the current "Vortex” series is finished. First ’‘Vortex” concert was given two years ago and admission was free. Then the pair hooked up with listener-sponsored KPFA-FM, Berkeley, CaL, longhair outlet, to give a series of concerts. On their return from Brussels World’s Fair last fall, they determined to see if “Vortex” would stand on its own feet—and apparently it is. Belson, who handles the film side (Jacobs is the sound techni¬ cian), has introduced some filmed innovations into the current series, but otherwise the show Is similar to earlier "Vortex” series. Curiosity and heavy, newspaper publicity are probable explanations of some of the series’ boxoffice draw, but "Vortex” has also attracted k large proportion of Frisco intellect tuals who are interested in the possibilities of electronic music. Washington, Feb. 3. Justice Dept, antitrust lawyers are apparently including the "weighted vote” system of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in working out a new decree with ASCAP. Also, antitrust officials are giv¬ ing complaining minority mem¬ bers of ASCAP a voice during ne¬ gotiations on the -decree. Rep. James Roosevelt (D-Calif.), chairman of a House Small Busi¬ ness Subcommittee which last year recommended a new antitrust crackdown on ASCAP, last week called oh the head of Justice’s Antitrust Division, Assistant Attor¬ ney General Victor Hansen, to in¬ clude a remedy for the controver¬ sial "weighted vote” formula in the decree now being negotiated with ASCAP. (Rep. Roosevelt had become sus¬ picious that the "weighted vote” issue was being ignored during negotiations when he received a letter from Hansen a few days be¬ fore giving a rundown on what was being done. The letter did not mention "weighted vote”- among is¬ sues being discussed between Jus¬ tice and ASCAP.) Hansen’s Assurances Meantime, Hansen' has written Rep. Roosevelt another letter. Al¬ though contents of the latest Han- (Continued on page 63) Ray Effis Named MGM A&R Chief . The artists & repertoire situa¬ tion* at MGM Records was resolved last week with the appointment of Ray Ellis as pop head. Ellis was set by MGM prexy Arnold Maxin | after the exiting of Morty Craft a couple of weeks ago. Although this is the first time Ellis has had the a&r chief tag, he’s done some special disk assign¬ ments for MGM. Most of his pre¬ vious work, however, was under ; the Columbia banner where he served as arranger-conductor. Ellis also recorded a number of instru¬ mental albums under his own name for Col. In another move a t MGM, Eddie Heller was set to produce several albums on an independent pro¬ ducer’s basis. Heller recently exited the pop a&r department at RCA Victor. YOUNG’S $7,500,000 SUIT VS. BMl GOES TO COURT Barney Young, publisher and vet music biz litigant, is meeting his current chief legal target, Broad¬ cast Music Inc., in N. Y. Federal Court tomorrow (Thurs.) on his motion for summary judgment in his $7,500,000 antitrust suit against BMI and the ma jor networks. Judge Archie O. Dawson'will hear argu¬ ment on Young’s motion that his case should be decided solely on the law, rather than on the facts. Young’s contention is that the broadcast network’s participation in music licensing is illegal, as is BMI’s policy of granting blanket licenses. The attorneys for the de¬ fendants contend, however, that numerous important facts are in dispute and that Young’s suit stems from his failure to launch a com¬ petitive musie licensing organiza¬ tion after his affiliation with BMI was ended. In a drive to further expand its standard exploitation setup. The Big Three (Robbins, Feist & Mil¬ ler),- has added J. S. Lowy to its Coast staff. Lowy, a former rep for California disk distributors, will push the standards from the RF&M catalogs in coordination with the NeW York homeoffice. He’ll also assist the Big Three’s COast copfarfmen Eddy MacHarg and Hy Canter. V MUSIC Paris m Bid for Prime Jazz Spot As Americans Build‘Bof State Pfi&iETr _ Holland Disk Bestseller* Amsterdam, Jan. 27. Silvery Moon ....... vVaughn (London) Wednesday, February 4, 1959 MEMPHIS PUTS A HEAD ¥ l f im U v A «rv OK BEER—WE MUSIC a^V o V nr Paris, Feb. 3. A According to Daniel Filipacchi, co-editor of’ Jazz-Magazine and bo<?ker for the weekly jazz shows at the Olympic Music Hall, jazz is now a staple show biz form in France and appeals to buffs in all age ’groups. He also feels that the presence of leading U. S. jazz¬ men in Paris, plus a growing French contingent, make it one of the jazz capitals of the world. Filipacchi points out that the Parisian jazz followers have seen most of the Yank greats since the war and many, who came for a tour, decided to stay for a while or “forever” in France. Among longtime residents are Sidney Be¬ chet, a New Orleans veteran; Don Byas and Mezz Mezzrow. Decently a small jazz spot, Le Chat Qui Peche, , hosted such Americans as Donald Byrd, Walter Davis, Doug Watkins, Art Taylor, along with Bobby Jasper. Club St> Gerjnain-Des-Pres now features Kenny Clarke with a a French combo, while the Mars Club had Billy Holiday, Mai Waldron and Kansas Field; and Sam Woodyard, stayed on after his Duke Ellington stint to do a chore at the Camo- leon. Filipacchi maintains that al¬ though the presence of U. S. jazz purveyors is important there has been a lot of important French ac¬ tivity in this field too. Before the war, Django Bernhardt’s famed Quintet of the Hot Club De France gained world renown. . Since the war, Claude Luter has had a vogue with good derivative New Orleans followed by sich N. O. practie-.j tioners as Michel Attentoux, Andre Kexleiotty and Maxim Saury. Other jazz types such' as bop, cool $nd progressive are repped . every night in the many Parisian j jazz boites and eavfes. Among them ! are Steven Grapelly on the vicflin, Guy Lafite on tenor sax. Martial Solal on piano. Barney Wilen on sax and Sacha Distel, shot into the headlines by his engagement to Brigitte Bardot, on guitar. French jazz oTchs and Yank visi¬ tors also tour the hinterlands which- has helped the spread of jazz. Also an aid was the recent inauguration' ,of a yearly jazz fest in Cannes. Ba- 'dio and tv also are disseminators of jazz, plus music halls, films, disks and jukeboxes. One of the top jazz radio pro¬ grams is deejayed by U.S.' Sim Co¬ pans with the top new and old disks. France is still divided be¬ tween N.O. fanciers and proponents of progressive jazz which some¬ times breaks cpit at concerts. Jazz has been increasingly used in French films as background music or in films With youth as its theme. The Modem Jazz Quartet backed “No Sim in Venice” and Miles Da¬ vis improvised a score for “Eleva¬ tor to the Gallows,” while in “The Cheats,” on amoral, disoriented Left Bulk youth, jazz seemed to be a contributing part to the disorder of the protagonists. Recently, Jimmy Guiffre did a soundtrack for “So Much Love Lost” and Art Blakey did one for j “Women Disappear.” Mainly mod- j cm jazz musicians have been re¬ cruited for film chores. However, i Filipacchi feels that jazz will be- J some increasingly more important ! on the musical and show biz scene here. Two magazines are now out on it and disk sales are brisk, as is concert attendance. Arnold G. Klein to Base In Brit for RCA Victor Arnold G. Klein, in New York since pre-Xmas on - an extended holiday and indoctrination by RCA International execs, returns to Eu¬ rope as general roving promotion, sales and recording exec for RCA Victor next month. This time he will be based in London, Klein heretofore made his h.q. in Brussels from whence he grav¬ itated throughout all European markets, coordinating artists, sales and exploitation. He works under RCA Interna¬ tional’s dlskery division chief George Pruttlng. New Gennan-U^. Jazz Org Lores 200 Members; Credit Pfc. Sondock With Upbeat Munich, Jan. 27. A German-American jazz dub that started here a couple of months ago has mushroomed to where it has over 200 members for its weekly meets at the city’s America House. And the success of the odd enterprise depends largely on tapes of jam sessions held by U. S. military and German musicians which are banned- for airing on AFN. Club is the brainchild of an AFN announcer, Pfc. Mai Sondock, for¬ merly of Houston. He inaugurated' a program called "Modem Jazt 1958” last year over AFN Frank¬ furt, and had as a hobby taping all of the modem jazz groups he could locate in Germany among the. American military and on the Ger¬ man economy. When transferred to AFN Mu¬ nich, he formed the German-Amer¬ ican jazz club. Since his tapes are banned on AFN because of .copy¬ right restrictions on the "music, he airs them instead at the club meetings. Sondock finishes his army career in about six months, and plans to' do a lecture tour of Europe on- the history of jazz. Next summer he hopes to sponsor a jazz shdw at the American exhibition in Moscow. Come Prima ;, (Philips) / La Paloma .... (London) When. . .Kalin Twins (Brunswick) Tom Dooley Kingston 3 (Capitol) Return To Me . -D. Martin (Capitol) Bird Dog. . .Everly Bros. (Heliodor) Spiel Noch Einmal....Valente (Polydor) Fraulein .... .Chris Howland (Columbia) Patricia.. Prado (RCA) But Give Her ‘Lore’ “To LoVe or Be Loved,” the Sammy' Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen song for the Metro pic, “Some Came Running,” has been picked up as the commercial theme song for Lanvin Perfumes. Unusual wrinkle to the deal is that the clef- fers waived all fees for the com¬ mercial use on condition that the title phrase, would be retained in the commercials. It’s figured that the heavy air plugging will give the number an extra push in the Academy Award sweepstakes. Lanvin, which is kicking off the new plug campaign in the Miami area, is guaranteeing a minimum of 24 radio and tv plugs per day. Memphis, Feb. 3. Memphis Musicians. Local 71 won a victory for live music last week against a policy that live music could not mix with beer- in local niteries'. Issue arose when a local spot, the Branding Iron, was granted a beer permit only after it promises to eliminate live mu¬ sic. After squawks from the local tooters, the beer licensing board, via Commissioner Henry Loeb, stated that it would now examine each application for a beer license on its merits. Loeb said the no¬ music policy had been “inherited” from earlier boards and had not been previously questioned. Indi¬ cations are that the licensing board will jettison the no-live-mu- sic ukase, for beer spots, now that die spotlight has been put on it Conn Quits as European Carlton Rep, Goes Decca JVhen Leslie Conn quitting latter part of last week,- it means the end of European operations for Carlton Records which: he’s been heading here since its inception about* a year ago. Conn has shut up the London office and started Monday. (2) as an ®a&r. man for Decca, which has been releasing the Carlton disks.. The Decca appointment follows the shift of Dick Rowe from that outfit to the new Top-Rank diskery which now schedules its first single releases, consisting of recordings acquired from its American associ¬ ate Bobby Shad, for March 1, and its first LPs for May 1. McConkevA^cy. Quits; 3 Ohices, 166 Acts ‘fired’ Chicago, Feb. 3. McConkey Artists, once a power in the baud business, is closing shop for good. Board chairman Mack McConkey blamed his own “domestic difficulties,” and said the firm’s AFM license had been cancelled last Dec. 5. The move shuts down McConkey offices in Chicago, Hollywood and Kansas City, and releases some 168 acts, mostly small units; of co*cktail lounge calibre, and including the Four Freshmen and the Gaylords. McConkey, who founded the firm in 1928, announced he was "through with show business” and is plan¬ ning to take on the real estate field either here or in Arizona. All three offices of the agency are currently winding up affairs. It’s understood Ray Auler, the reppery’s Coast- based prez, plans to switch His ac¬ tivities here. A possible augury of last week’s announcement was the recent de¬ fection from the Kansas City of¬ fice of Paul Davis and Dave Ben¬ der, both now staffing the branch there of Bill Black’s Orchestras Inc. . In Its heyday, McConkey Artists Tepped many of the country’s top bands, including Tommy Dorsey, Russ Morgan and Henry Busse. Kal Winding septet kicking off a string of campus dates Feb. 6 at Hobart College, Geneva, N.Y." RETAIL DISK BEST SELLERS PfiiuETr ——| i Survey of retail disk best J sellers based on reports ob- 1 tained from leading stores in, 19 cities and showing com - parative sales rating for this and last week. National Rating This Last wk. wk. Artist, Label, Title LLOYD PRICE (ABC-Par) 1 3 Stagger Lee... .....,.. r § S 3 u s *»: a 8 6 16 S.a | r - b B « 8 S S | S $ •3 s i SR •9 S W f* % T S 5.0 RAT 3 « A E fi CRESTS (Coed) 16 Candles... PLAtTJkRS (Mercury) Smoke Gets in Your Eyes ....... RITCHIE VALENS (Del-Fi) Donna... JACKIE. WILSON (Brunswick) Lonely Teardrops. ANDY WILLIAMS (Cadence) Hawaiian Wedding Song.. CONNIE FRANCIS (MGM) My Happiness. CYRIL STAPLETON (London) Children’s Marching Song........ CHRIS BARBER (Laurie) Petite Fleur .. RAY ANTHONY (Capitol) Peter GUnn______......... BILLY GRAMMER (Monument) Gotta Travel On..:.. CLYDE McPHATTER (Atlantic) A Lover’s Question. . REG OWEN (Palette) Manhattan Spiritual. . COASTERS (Atco) Charlie Brown... PAUL ANKA (ABC-Par) My Heart Sings.. MITCH MILLER (Columbia) Children’s Marching Song...._ BILL PARSONS (Fraternity) An American Boy.., ■. . CHIPMUNKS (Liberty) * Chipmunk Song.. DIAMONDS (Mercury) She Say..... MARK IV (Mercury) I Got A Wife . FOUR LADS (Columbia) Girl on Page 44.... DUANE EDDY (Jamie) Lonely One .... . BELL NOTES (Time) I’ve Had It.. PAT BOONE (Dot) With the Wind and Rain in Hair .. TEDDY BEARS (Dore) To Know Him Is to Love Him- i M ii-15 411; I a 1 list £| I 5 T J 5 1 5 ft S fi co se 1 m s 4 1 6 3 2 6 2 10 1 1 115 3 3 .. .. 1 .. 6 4 5 3 97 4 9 1 9 .. 8 2 4 2 1 .. .. 9 4 8 ... 5 .. .. 2 .. .. 7 12 7 43.. .. 8 7 5 2 .. 9 6 7 1 .. .. 8 8 2* 3 .. 10 .. 5 3 ... 7 10 10 .. 8 .. .. Wccbndaj, February 4, 1959. Gala Cufs First Cut Price (49c) London, Jan. 27. First British recording of Gala Records, diskery that's been draw* ing frowns from the bigger com¬ panies here because it has success¬ ful marketed pressings at prices lower than the standard, is to be made this week. Hitherto the out¬ fit has issued recordings solely from overseas. But according to Monty Lewis, Gala’s topper, the new venture at present involves only one disk, to be made by Lou Praeger in strict tempo dance style “to fill a spe¬ cialised heed in our catalog.” It’ll be a 45rpm retailing at 91c. Substantial launching into its own pressings by Gala will prob¬ ably come, says Lewis, around the time that Associated Television ends its contest involving Praeger and intended to unearth a . singer worthy of a $14,000 prize. -Under a tieup with Gala, the 13-\7eek com¬ petition will also faring its winner a disking contract with that com¬ pany. Lewis further states that the first Gala LPs will hit the market on April 1 and that the low-price pol¬ icy will apply here as previously. The 33V& pressings Will be offered at “well below $2.80,” with the emphasis on the “well.” LPs in the stores generally cost from $3.36 to $3.38 for a 10-inch and from $4.93 to $5.60 for a 12-inch. JUKEBOX BILL READY FOR SENATE ACTION Washington, Fefa. 3. : Chairman Joseph P. G’Mahoney (D-Wyo.) of the Senate Copyright Subcommittee'has drafted the 1959 jukebox bilL Aides said it will be introduced* shortly, possibly this week. Bill reportedly Is a twin of the hybrid measure reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee last summer. This was really two bills in one, offering alternate methods of providing payoffs for use of disks in jukeboxes. It would subject jukebox music to performing royalties (removing exemption under the Copyright Act), and at the same time double the.mechanical royalties on records sold for jukebox use. Latter pro¬ vision was attached last year at the instance of Sen. Alexander Wi¬ ley, lone GOP subcommittee mem¬ ber, who preferred it to the roy¬ alty scheme espoused by O’Ma¬ honey. Lowy Swaps Khaki For Coast Job With Big £ . Hollywood, Feb. 3. Jay Lmry, recently discharged from the U. S. Army, and formerly with Coral Records, has joined the staff of the Big Three (Robbins, Feist & Miller) in Hollywood. Lowy, who also was associated with London and ABC-Paramount Records, joins the pUbfaery this week. He makes the fourth mem¬ ber of the staff here. The other three are Hy.Kanter, Eddie Mac- .Harg and Barney McDevitt-* P&KB &T British Duk Bestsellers London, Feb. 3. I Got Stung... .Presley (RCA) Baby Face ....Little Richard (London) To Know Him'. .Teddy Bears (London) Bay Bains Came ... .Morgan (London) Kiss Me Honey ...... .Bassey (Philips) It’s Only Make Believe.. Twitty (MGM) As I Love Yeif..Bassey 3 I (Philips) ! Problems .Everly Bros. (London) Smoke Gets In Eyes. .Platters’ (Mercury) Tom -Dooley.. Donegal! (Pye-Nixa) _ , Edw. B. Marks-Back Ram Deal ob Sales, Licensing Edward B. Marks Music has firmed a deal with Buck Ram to act as exclusive selling, licensing and promotion agent for latter’s publishing companies. Ram, who also ‘manages the Platters, pub¬ lishes' through Argo Music (BMI) and AMC Music tASCAP). One of the reasons for the Marks-Ram tie is that Ram is com¬ mitted to- make -almost 100 masters during the coming year for Mer¬ cury Records. This plus his man¬ agerial and songwriter chores leaves little time for concentration on his publishing activities. The deal was initiated by Marks* veepee-general professional man¬ ager Arnold Shaw during a recent trip to the Coast. MUSIC RCA Priming Pomp of Mex Subsid To Press Disks for U5. Lingo Mkt N.E. Sspermarts Ga-Ga; Step, Shop and Get IPs Cheap (37c) Hartford, Feb. 3. Battle of music Is underway be¬ tween two huge New England chain: food markets. Both the First Na¬ tional Stores and the rival Stop & Shop Markets are offering albums of music in their supermarket at cut prices tied in with food pur^ chases. Both chains are offering the mu¬ sic, ranging from longhair to semi- el assic, on a weekly album deal. First National has cued in a cam¬ paign of a “basic library of the; world’s greatest music in 24 albums —an album a week.” : Stop & Shop is creseendofng its sales thetne on a “treasury of 44 masterpieces recorded in 16 su¬ perb albums! True Hi-Fidelity.” Both are Boston-headquartered or¬ ganizations with operations spread¬ ing throughout the country’s north, east. Peddling Is as follows: First Na¬ tional, first album available at 37c and $2.50 in purchase. All the subsequent albums at $1:37 with any purchase. Stop & Shop,.first album at 49c with no stipulated purchase amount. The following 15 albums slated to go at $1.49 each. With each album a musical appreciation guide is given. BET AIL ALBUM BEST SELLEBS - PfikitsTr— - Survey of retail album best sellers based on reports from lead- ; ing stores and showing comparative ratings for this week and last . National Bating This. Last wk. wk. . Artist, Label, Title __ FLOWER DRUM SONG (Col) Original Cast (BL 5350).. FRANK SINATRA (Capitol) Only the Lenely (W 1053).... HITCH MILLER (Columbia) Star Along With Mitch (CL 1160) HENRY MANCINI ORCH (Victor) “Peter Gunn” (LPM 1956)._,. FRANK SINATRA (Capitol) Come Dance With Me (W 1069). VAN CLIBURN "(Victor) Tchaikovsky Concerto (LM 2250). GIGJ (MGM) Soundtrack <E 3641)... SOUTH PACIFIC (Victor) Soundtrack (LOC 1932),.... 1 MITCH MILLER (Columbia) More Stag WhhMiteh (CL 1243). ^..: MUSIC MAN (Capital) Original Cast (WAO 990). KINGSTON TRIO (Capitol) • The. Hungry i (T 1107). JOHNNY MATHIS (Columbia) Johnny’s Greatest HRs (CL 1135)....... KINGSTON TRIO (Capitol) Kingston Trio (T 996). JOHNNY MATHIS (Columbia) Open Fire^ Two Guitars (€L 1270). MY FAIR LADY (Columbia) Original Cast (CL 5090)... PERRY COMO (Victor) - Gome End of fiiay (LPM 1885)......... RICKY NELSON (Imperial) Ricky Stags Again (LP 9061).... ♦ SOUTH PACIFIC (Columbia) Original Cast (B 257060).. EARL GRANT (Decca) The End (DL 8830).. AHMAD JAMAL (Argo) But Not For Me (LP 608)... NAT KING COLE (Capitol) Very Thought of You (W 1084). PAT BOONE (Dot) Stardust (DLP 3118).. ^: BENNETT PLAYS RODGERS (Victor) Victory at Sea, Vol H (LM 2226).. DUANE EDDY (Jamie) “Twangy Gottar** (LP 3000) EVERLY BROS. (Cadence) Songs Daddy Taught Us (CLP 3016)... * 5 I f |. i | I i | * i £ 1 llllf- g Ils i llllll j 2 7 1 6 5 10 5 .. 6 2 .. 7 7 9 2 2 7 41.. .. 2 3 5 16 .... 1121 8 1 .. 2 7 2 .. 1 3 .. 10 .. .. 1 1-1 4 3 ... 4 2 4 4 2 .. 8 3.. 5 3 .. 8 5 16 4 ., 3 .. .. 3 7 6 .. 3 5 .. 8 7 5 8 7 2 .-. . 6 4 5 ..10 2 ., 3 .. .. 6 -5,2 6 4 .. 8 .. .. .. .. 7 .. 4 :. .. .. v. 10 l' .: *0 •• v - - •• 9 ... 6 a .. .. 9 .. .. 4 a .... id 7 .... a .. 6 .. 5 .. 7 ■ . In a move to service the special¬ ized market for foreign disks In¬ side the U. S., RCA is planning to utilize its wholly-owned Mexican subsid, RCA Victor Mexicans, to press and distribute such plat¬ ters. This program will encom¬ pass pressing of masters made both in Latin America and in such di¬ verse countries as Japan, Sweden and Franee, among others, for dis¬ tribution in the U. S. RCA execs have found that the demand for the so-called “interna¬ tional records” in this country is high on a volume basis, while the per-unit sales are low. Hence, while it’s uneconomical for the Victor U. S. factories to handle LPs which will likely not top the 10,000 mark¬ er at best, the smaller and more flexible Mexican factory can oper¬ ate profitably with such low-unit sales. Mike Hazzard, Mariano Conde and Dave Crump, prexy, artists & repertoire chief and sales man¬ ager, respectively, of the Mexican subsid, were in New York last week to clear the project with Vic¬ tor execs. The Mexiean disk execs are taking off this week to visit Victor distribs in Philadelphia, Ch i c a g o, Texas v aud California, .which are the current centres of international disk sales. Dick Broderick, RCA Interna¬ tional disk sales manager, said that the demand for foreign-language disks in the U. S. keeps growing despite the -waning of foreign- language groups in this country. He . declared that now the demand cuts across national background lines 'and represents a wider cultural -outlook on the part of the disk bay- t er in this country. Occasionally, ie stressed, even a straight foreign- language number like “Volare” can break through and become a smash. Crump, the Mexican subsid’s sales chiefrpointed out that though Latip-American music is still the most popular idiom sooth-of-tke- border, rock *n* roll, American- ‘style, bas been having its impaet. At present, the Mexican market Represents about a $25,000,000 gross with albums accounting for a heavy part of it. He explained that Mexico had a relatively small single disk market, since even the low-cost Mexiean single platter, selling at 64c, was too high for the average teenager. , The biggest single hit in Mexico fails to- reach 100,000 copies. Crump said, whfle albums regularly hit the 35,060 marker. The albums sell at prices equal to that of the U. S. Cadesa Lafoamerieana De 'CcmentmsbsfeDiscis Mexico City, Feb. 3L La Cadena Latinomericana de Comentaristas, de Discos (The La- tin-American Chain of Disk Com¬ mentators), headquartered here, has picked the 195$ top artists, based on the weekly best sellers list here They were:. Disk of the year, Italy's “Nel Blu Diplnto Di Bln” by Domenico Mo- dagno, interpreted by Virginia Lo¬ pez and the Mario Patron unit; also cited as “the song of the year.” Orchestra e£ the year, Carlas Campos. . " ' Trio of the year, Los Astros (The ! Stars). Male bolero interpreter, Olhnpo | Cardenas. j Female bolero stylist, Virginia 1 Lopez. Best bolero composer, Bolivian Raul Shaw Moreno, for his “Lag- rim as de Amor” (Tears of Love). Best 'composer of ranchero (ru¬ ral) melddies/Jose Angel Espineso, fer his “Echame a mi la culpa” (Place the Blame on Me). Most popular quartet, Ruffino , Bros. " . Jerome MD for Coral Henry Jerome has joined Ceral Records* artists §c repertoire de¬ partment as musical director. He’ll work under Dick Jacobs who was named a&r chief upon the recent exit of Paul Cohen from CoraL Jerome, a bandleader who has been working at the Hotel Ediaon, N. Y., for the past 11 years, has cut several dance music albums for various labels. 60 MUSIC Wednesday, Febmary 4, 1959 Wednesday, February 4, 1959 _ Inside Stuff-Music Ann Ronell’s loss-of her court action against Walt Disney, on . charges that he failed to give her credit for writing “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” on two Ed Sullivan tv shows, does not affect Miss Ronell’s credit as co-writer of the song based on the cartoon, in col¬ laboration with Frank Churchill; The court held, in dismissing the suit, that “in absence of evidence to the contrary it is found that all the material presented by the defendant on both shows depicted a true 'representation of the cartopn song.” Variety’s quote of this section of the decision in last week’s (Jan. 28) issue inadvertently dropped the word “cartoon” from the sentence. RCA Victor is spearheading its February Red Seal release with a .bargain stereo LP priced at $2.98, a $3 reduction from the regular stereo list. The album, called “Destination Stereo,” will contain 11 se-^ lections performed by Artur Rubinstein, Robert Shaw, Morton Gould, Pierre Mqnteux, Arthur Fiedler, Charles Munch, Roberta Peters, Jan Peerce and Giorgio Tozzi. Another special package of the month, with a $1 reduction, Will be a set titled “It’s Classic But It’s Good,” containing excerpts' from •standard classics played by the RCA Victor Symphony under Rob¬ ert Russell Bennett. Other Victor longhair LPs for February will.in- ciude sets by Rubinstein, Henryk Szerying, the Polish-born violinist now a Mexican citizen; soprano Licia Albanese and pianist Jorge Bolet. Fpr a quarter century, everybody at the University of Vermont in Burlington thought the title of a song written by Percy Wenrich in 1909, and used as traditional music for the annual UVM “Kake Walk” Winter Carnival, was, “Cotton Babes” (plurai). Then, last fall, a *17 grad put doubt in tneir. minds, claiming the right title was “Cotton Babe” (singular). Maybe, they figured, there HAD been an error when all the university’s copies of the song were destroyed by fire in 1929, and Dr. Joseph F. Lechnyr, veteran “Kake Walk” music conductor, re¬ wrote the entire song from memory. The copyright office of the Library of Congress was finally contacted for a solution of the mystery. It turned out that the UVM songsters have been on firm ground right along—it’s “Cotton Babes.” The BBC has skedded two Saturday jazz concerts for the Royal Al¬ bert Hall, London, on Feb. 21 and March 28. These “Jazz Saturday” shows, which are becoming hardy annuals, will be aired in part in BBC’s Light Program. First concert, subtitled "New Orleans to Dixie¬ land,” will feature Acker Bilk’s Paramount Jazz Band, Terry Light- foot’s New Orleans Jazz Men, 'Mick Mulligan & Band, Ken. Ratten- bury’s All Stars and Diz Disley’s String Quintet, among others: second, “Dixieland and After,” has the combos of Johnny Dankworth, Humph¬ rey Lyttelton, Alex Walsh and Lennie Best among the attractions. Organist Earl Power Biggs has arrived in Mexico to wax ah LP on the monumental organ at the National Auditorium. Biggs originally came to Mexico last November to “preem” the orgpn. New disk is a continuation of his LPs played on the world’s most famous organs. (He'has recorded in auditoriums and cathedrals of England, Germany, Italy and the U.S.). While in the Mexican capital Biggs will give three organ recitals at the National Auditorium, with proceeds to'the church for reconstruction of the organ in the Cathedral of Mexico. “Wonderful World,” a new song written by Don George and Bill Borelli, has been picked up by the National Conference of Christians & Jews as its special Iheme for National Brotherhood Week, Feb. 15- 21. The Conference is getting the tune on sheet music in five languages and-is sending it in a kit-to disk jockeys along with spot announce¬ ments plugging the brotherhood campaign. United Artists Records Is cooperating by recording the song and plugging it independently. Royalties from a World War H song, “The Ballad of Rodger Young” —totalipg $1,748.48—were recently donated by Nicholas Young, the father of the Congressional Medal of Honor winner, to the American Legion post in Green Springs, O., named after his son. The presenta¬ tion was made te Walter Rigby, who served with Young at the time of his death and recommended that he receive the Medal of Honor. Folksinger Odetta is being paged to join the all-Negro cast that’s being prepped for the musical rendering of the stage classic “Green Pastures.” Under UNESCO auspices, tuner will- open in London some¬ time this spring, then is slated for a tour of the Continent. At least two other deals that would take her abroacLthis year are pending for Odetta. One is a bid from Russia. Israel Diamond, director of logging for Broadcast Music Inc., has joined the statistics staff of the department of business administration of the City College of N.Y. He’ll teach a course in mechanized control systems this spring in addition to his BMI chores. f'SSlEfr snsic 61 5 GREAT NEW RENDITIONS— ★ DINAH—CHA CHA WARREN COVINGTON & T.O. Orch on Dacca 30827 ★ SOLITUDE ^BONNIE GUITAR on Dot 15894 ★ THAT'S MY DESIRE CHUCK BERRY on Chass 1716 ★ FOR ME AND MY GAL TOMMY FRISCO on Epic 9302 ★ WHEN YOU'RE SMILING BOBBY FREEMAN on Josia 855 MILLS MUSIC, INC. MUSIC BY JESSE GREER JUST YOU JUST ME Vocal - Instrumental PublUttad by ROBBINS Saxist Lynn (Abdol) Hope Convicted on Two Counts Philadelphia, Feb. 3. Saxophonist Lynn Hope, also known as Abdul Rashid Ahamad, was convicted last week of de¬ frauding the Sheraton Hotel of $408 in unpaid- bills and on a morals charge. The tenor tooter. also pleaded guilty before Judge Peter Hagan to the possession of dangerous drugs—two “bennies” and 105 barbiturate pills. ~ The turbanned musician ap¬ peared in court wearing green sun¬ glasses, a Scotch plaid formal jacket, blue tie, a vari-colored cumme*rbund and high buttoned black shoes.. Hope said he’d pay , the hotel bill—“an honest debt.” When he “checked out,” he left the management 12 turbans, 1,000 pen¬ cils, a banged-up Koran bible and a battered typewriter. Dismiss Narcotics Rap Wilmington, Del., Feb. 3. Narcotics charges against pian¬ ist Thelonius Monk and saxophon¬ ist Charles Rouse were dismissed by Judge A. James Gallo here last, week. The musicians were ar¬ rested, together with jazz music buff Baroness Kathleen Rothschild Dekonigswarter, in -a motel near Wilmington Oct. 15. The baroness was continued In $5,000 bail. ’ 62 PSBSBfr Wednesday, February. 4, 1959 LA. Stations Ban Hollywood, Feb. 3. On the ground that It Is in poor taste, Los Angeles radio stations are banning the spinning of "The' Ballad of Barbara Graham ” a Valor recording cut by Val Nor¬ man. The "Graham” platter, according to Its critics, was etched for the purpose of abolishing 1 capital pun¬ ishment. Latter theme is voiced In *T Want To Live,” fflmizatlon of Barbara Graham who was executed; by the State of California for mur¬ der. The "Graham 1 * disk is in bal¬ lad tempo similar to "Tom Doo¬ ley,” and lyriciccs Miss Graham's execution. Stations that have already taken specific action against the airing o f "G raham” include KDAY, KFWB, KMPC, and it’s expected that the networks will follow suit 470,600 DisksSUwed i& Atlantic’* Top Week Atlantic Records and its subsid Atco label c.osed the January hooks with the biggest weekV order in. its history. According to Ahmet Ertegun, firm’s prexy, 470,000 disks were shipped last week. Ertegun noted that because af all thte activity, scheduled releases on Atlantic, Atco and East-West hare been held up. Leaders on the Atlantic line are Clyde Mcphatter 1 * "A Lover’s Question,” LaVem Baker’s “I Cried A Tear” and Ray Charles’ "The Right Time” Rolling for Atco are. Bobby Darin’s "Plain. Jane” and. the Coasters’ "Charlie Broffcfiu” „' ffik 3®fy Scoreboard OF j. TOP TALENT AND TUNES WE LATEST • KSWlSt* PHTOHEX CLOTHES AT JHC8EDSLE BAKJUW So iM#|r CiUUMtt sofv* tko w oai b of doBors eii- ovr'fdh'olbos soinplM and "dosooirt*" which corn# hof-off- liw^ddh front «ho- workshop* of th* hwfiwg dldgi i Wi wnd mamrfoc- f furors of th« most glamorous cloth#* in America. Our prkos Til hut a : small fraction of thoso advertised i in His top fashion magazines. THE TON PRIX "Bargain Store for MHKonairos" \ 1004 - First Ays. (cor. 55th' St.) N.Y.CJ Compiled from Statistical Reports of Distribution Encompassing the Three Major Outlet? Com Machines Retail Disks «. Rebut Sheet Music as Published in the Current Issue NOTE: The current comparative sales strength of the Artists and Tunes listed hereunder ft arrived at under a statistical system Cbmpristn^ each of the three 'major tales outlets' enu¬ merated above. These findings are correlated'with data from wider sources, which are exclusive with Variety. The positions resulting from these findings denote the OVERALL IMPACT de¬ veloped'.from the ratio of points scored, two ways in the case of talent (cofrt machines, retail* disks) and three ways in the case of tunes (coin machines, retail disks and.retail sheet music). POSITIONS This Last Week Week 1 i 2 1 POSITIONS This Last Week Week TALENT ARTIST AND LABEL • TORS LLOYD P1UCE (ABfe-Par) .. Staggs Leef HATTEKS (Mercury)^Smoke (Jets In Your Eyes* CRESTS(Coed) ..... 1....1'....16 Candlesf MTCIIW YALENS (Del-Fi)*......... CONNIE FRANCIS (f£GM} ..... My Happixtess*. BILLY GRAMMER (Monument) ......-Gotta Travel Onf CYRIL STAPLETON (London) .*...Children’s Marching Song* JACKIE WILSON (Brunswick) ........Lonely Teardrops! ANPY WILLIAMS {Cadence)...... /.... Hawaiian Wedding Song* RAY ANTHONY (Capitol) .........,........ Peter Gunn*:’. . ■ •; . . TUNE -. *■ V PUBLISHER *SMOKE GETSINY0UR EYES ...... . .... Harms ‘ fSTAGG!® LEE . .“/A. v .... ShebJon^ *MY;HAFHNESS ^.... .J....., .X >V. *CffiLDREN?S MARCHING SONG {F-^“Inn”) . ....... v ....:^Millar fl6 CANDLES ..........January ♦HAWAIIAN WEDDING SONG..Pickwick fDONNA ....................v;:...;l..*.;..: f : r ;Kemo fGOTTA*TRAVEL ON ...v.*. ..;..v.,..... Saiga fLONELY TEARDROPS ........... v ,-- Pearl ♦CHIPMUCK SONG-r. . ..... . *.:.* Monarch * ASCAP t BMI F-Ffl* Jrving twitch has gone into pub¬ lishing partnership with Teddy Pt^relLc.^Among the firms which wifi be run in the partnership deal are Tee-Pee Music (ASCAPI And li&gie Music (BMD. ’ r .. V ’Deutch, a music' Six vet,: bad: J%fen general manage of : Ralph! Peer’s Southern Music for six years. The Southern operation; is. now being run by his brother Mur¬ rey. Powell, who’s also a deffer, has such tunes .as "Boots and Sad* dies,” "Bewildered” and ‘You Won’t Ite' Satisfied” tip soon for copyright, renewal' He’R be put¬ ting fh<§{&3n Ms own firmwhen the orig&ial copyright deal expires. 1 UH AFM-Webs SSSS?'CoUttnaed .from .pate it-ssssst the grantiD^ of payments to musi¬ cians on taped shows that are used repeatedly. Under the residual schedule, musicians will get 76% of their original payments for the .first and s&ond re-run' of a show, 50%' for the third, fourth'and fifth; 10% for the sixth and 5% for each subsequent re-run. The residuals will be. in force for re-rung here and abroad and will also apply to arrangers and orchestrators. - Also new was the introducMon of sl pension for radio-tv musicians. The webs agreed to put aside .5% of the- scale .into a pension fund without any.'contribution on the part of the musician: ‘ Pay hikes of 10% for staff musi¬ cians will go into effect in.two years, although single engagement workers will get-an immediate 10% rise hi the. New York are* only. In another concession to the' wehs, the netwdiks w^e ^veh the privi¬ lege of using musicians; for six hours in any/eight hour’ period. Formerly, musicians received over¬ time for. work over four hours. WGX Saves 30DG Chicago, Feb. 3. WGN, the city’s only indie radio- tr operation, whacked a whopping $300,000 from its- &nnuaLliye-mu- Bie budget in the hew'four-year AFM contract. r Under the old pact, quota for the station was 35 men. It is under¬ stood that the outlet proposed a 10-man tooter staff at an upped scale. This was acceptable to the musicians,: but. local- A£$t toppery James C. Petrilfowanted more men on the payroll even though at smaller IncOme. peik sideman. D^il finally, set calls for 18 men. and one leader. Old 35-man scale was $197 sustaining and $247 com¬ mercial. Nfcw 18-and-one scale is'a flat $142; wdth ^.'raises In third and fourth years of contract.' ‘ Top Rank’s 1st Disk (U.S.) London, Feb. 3. Rank Records Ltd. released its first disk under the Top Rank la¬ bel last Friday <30)> Pressing, done: in Britain by Philips Electrical Ltd. from a 20th-Fox American LP Is of “The" Little Drummer Boy” by the- Harry Simeqne Chorale, : backed by "Die XoreleL” Disk Is issued In both'45 and 78 r.p.m.. ‘ r bahk . ; Records - has made three mew. appointments. ' Bob Roberts has gone In as/sales manager and Tony Hatch as personal assistant to a&r manager Dick Rowe. Allan Tulloch takes over disk exploita¬ tion. Union Coiicedes, Chicago, Feb. 3. . The Chicago Symphony is on again at the Ravinla Festival this Dismissed by the Ravinla Assn, a week ago because CM Federation of Musicians had nixed a cutback of one concert per week, the en¬ semble was reinstated for the forthcoming al fresco season when the union came round with what It termed a "compromise.” Actually, the union has given In. Per a late Ravinla proposal (which was originally denied by the local), the orch wifi, give three per¬ formances a week, deleting Sun¬ days, for higher base pay than when it was giving four. Under new terms, each player will get $125 a week, vis-a-Vis $145 for the previous four concert perform¬ ances. - The musicians voted in secret ballot, 57-37, to accept the Ravinla terms.. Many are understood to be un¬ happy, however, that Ravinla Assn, has. flatly shaken off a counter¬ proposal that all rehearsal* be held only on concert days.. Possibility that they might have ti work six or seven days would impair their chances for additional work. The orchestra is committed to four re¬ hearsals per wefek. ' : Ravinla had asked the union for permission to slough the Sunday concerts in an attempt to cut dpwn the annual deficit. Sundays have traditionally been the poorest days on the Ravinia schedule. THE HURDY-GURDY SONG (The BLACK ORCHID Sr reef Me'ody ' P - . ' 3rd t- . JOHNNY MADDOX Dor FAMOUS MUSIC COR/ORATiON HlLRtM!\D: r r^. ^ * SCARLET RlltONS **THE DREAM OFOLWEN * STORMY WEATHP; MILLS MUSIC, INC. C" $ <ro^- ?i*a G^' r 3 p ^ ? tom ‘ thumb : tune vy Dynamic new dimension in TV programming F> ^or^SSiONAL PRODUCTS DIVISION COXFORATION > x ampex coni>. : RMOWOOD CITY. CALI Wednesday, February 4, 1959 PtSseiEfrY MUSIC 63 ASCAP’s Weighted Vote —— Continued from parte 57 —— N.Y. State WonM Tighten Up On Terp Studios Under Proposed Law — - -- ---- -♦ sen letter have not been made pub¬ lic, Variety has been informed that Hansen assured the California Con¬ gressman that all important issues, including the “weighted vote” for¬ mula, are being'negotiated. Under the “weighted vote” sys¬ tem. (one of five ASCAP practices referred by the Roosevelt Subcom¬ mittee to Justice for antitrust ac¬ tion), ASCAP members vote on thd basis of one vote for each $20 of revenue in the case of writers and one vote for each $500 in the case of publishers. The assurance that minority ASCAP members are being heard during work on the decree came in another letter to Rep. Roosevelt from a New York attorney who rep¬ resents “smaller’* members of ASCAP. (The lawyer’s name was withheld by Roosevelt when he made the letter available to Variety.) The attorney thanked Roosevelt for urging Hansen to consult com¬ plaining members of ASCAP and said he had already had a “most .satisfactory*’ conference on'the de¬ cree with Robert Bicks, second highest antitrust official. Minority *Voiee* “From this conference,’* the at¬ torney wrote Roosevelt, **we can assure you that the Justice Depart¬ ment is making every effort to im¬ plement all the recommendations of your subcommittee, and, fur¬ ther, that that Department recog¬ nizes the necessity of allowing the minority membership a voice with regard to the new decree. More¬ over, it seems likely that some means of allowing the minority members to give their views, if only indirectly, will be found with¬ in the judicial framework of re¬ opening the decree. “We are. fully cpnvtoced,” he continued, “of the desire 1 of the Justice Department to remedy the evils which were brought out at the bearings, and to do so in a manner whit* will effectively- prevent .their recurrence.**' Additional four issues, (besides weighted vote”) referred to Jus¬ tice by the Roosevelt group for “correction” are: (1) the perform¬ ance survey and logging system; .(2) the distribution formulas; (3)' the grievance procedures; and (4) maintenance and availability of records. -UAB’s Melba Albums With society dance music mov¬ ing consistently well on disks. United Artists Records has inked Stanley. Melba,, maestro-impresario for the Hotel Pierre, N. Y., to do a series of* dance albums. RCA; Izumi Yukimura Izumi Yukimura, 21-year-old Japanese singer, has been signed to an RCA Victor pact by label chief George Marek. Miss YukL- mura, now in Hollywood for waxing sessions under Dick Peirce’s super¬ vision, was spotted in Japan by Marek on one of his recent treks to that country. Dennis Farnon is in charge of the chirp’s arrange¬ ments. Offbeat’s Packages The recently launched Offbeat label will team Henry Morgan and Isobel Robins in ah LP called “The Saint and The Sinner.” Also on diskery’s LP agenda is a set fea¬ turing the husband-wife team of Ronny Graham & Ellen Hanley. HI-FI LABEL’S $2,400,000 IN 1958 DOUBLES’57 Hollywood, Feb. 3, High Fidelity Records grossed $2,400,000 in 1958, according to la¬ bel prexy Richard . Vaughn. This was a 100% increase over 1957. Vaughn attributes the last-quar¬ ter sales during 1958 for the up- {surge. At that time, HiFi released 30 stereo albums and seven 45 rpm EPs in stereo. A ‘Modest’ Conductor Lancaster, Pa., Feb. 3. Nothing like finally blowing your own hom(s). Louis Vyner, vet conductor of Lancaster Symphony Orch¬ estra, ends 25 years of anxiety next week (10) when he down- beats group for first perform¬ ance of his own^ composition, “Suite For Woodwinds and Orchestra,” which he penned in 1934. Vyner wrote four-movement Suite while student at Curtis Music Institute, Philly, Suite gathered dust in Edwin A Fleischer Music Collection, Philadelphia Free Public Li¬ brary, until last year when Philadelphia Orchestra dug it out and gave it quintet treat¬ ment * Can’t Be Summer Sans Jazz Fests With the Sheraton Hotel chain set to add three jazz festivals to the number, next summer may see something dose to a festival-every- week as the prevailing pattern around the country. Urban or suburban, the jazz fes¬ tivals loom as a fair booking bet for the right groups. Dave Brubeck last summer, for instance, found himself nearly able to span the hot weather on fests alone. Whether straight tourists corne¬ ous or semi-arty promotions, with or without campus ties, the jazz festivals fit in with the motor age, answer the need for a reason-why to draw the mobile aficionados. Scheer’* UAR Rah-Rah Leonard Scheer ha3 joined the United Artists Records staff as na¬ tional promotional manager. One of his first chores will be a cross¬ country trip for disk jockey and distributor^ contacting. He’ll ac¬ company singer Billy Barnes to plug the latter’s UA release, “I’m Coming To. See You.” Scheer was formerly with the I Howie Richmond’s music firm as 1 professional manager. . Wolpin Going-on-14 Eddie Wolpin’s contract as general professional manager of Famous-Paramount Music has been picked up for another three years. Wolpin already has com¬ pleted 13 years.with the pub¬ lishing arm of Paramount Pic¬ tures. AFM, MGA SHAKE HANDS & COME OUT KISSING Hollywood, Feb. 3. For. the first time since the for- | mation last year of the Musicians Guild of America, the American Federation of Musicians is seeing eye-tci-eye with the rebel union— at least on one count. Both the AFM and MGA have agreed to withdraw unfair labor Oharges filed with the National La¬ bor Relations Board against vari¬ ous independent film companies. The AFM is withdrawing charges originally filed against Hecht-Hill- Lancaster and Dore Schary. MGA is doing the same to Edward Small Productions, the Mirisch Co., Seven Arts Productions and Pam- rick Productions. While no actual reason was given a5 to why both unions agreed to withdraw the charges, it's under- i stood that the NLRB was set to rule against both Unions because neither one has been named the collective bargaining agent for mu¬ sicians in the indie pix field. MGA Is the collective bargaining agent I for footers in the major studios. Meza's Disco Mex Mexico City, Feb. 3. Luis Perez Meza will shortly start a recording firm called Disco Mex or Disco Mina. It will concen¬ trate on new interpretations of Mexican.music, to sell in foreign markets as well as locally. . Company will inaugurate label early in ApriL Albany, Feb. 3. A sweeping, 12-page bill amend¬ ing the general business law, to require the licensing of dance in¬ structors and dance studios, with an appropriation of $40,000 to the State Dept, for the task, has been introduced by Senator 'William F. Condon, Yonkers Republican. Condon, an influential member of the Upper House, has also pre¬ sented a resolution for a legisla¬ tive committee to study the oper¬ ation of dance studios, some of which are strongly criticized, al¬ though not by name. Last year, Malcolm Wilson, then chairman of the Assembly Codes Committee and now lieutenant governor, put in a dance-studio- control measure, as the result of several court cases pending in Westchester County. The measure | encountered opposition and did not get out of committee. Operators of small studios claimed It would be too burdensome on them. (The measure, incidentally, Set a limit on the amount of money which a contract for dance instruction could stipulate—an idea lawyers claimed was unconstitutional.) The Wilson act affected only dance studios patronized by per¬ sons over 21. It excepted profes¬ sional'dance studios and those for children. Licensing of instructors was not provided, although some persons suggested this. ’Moral Character,’ Etc. Condon's hill—to which there Is an Assembly companion — starts with a statement of purposes as follows: "The need for technical skill, training and experience, good health, good moral , character and other fundamental qualities and qualifications in persons engaged in the business of dance instruc¬ tion and of the operation of dance studios has been unquestionably established.. It is the purpose of the legislature, in enacting this ar¬ ticle, to safeguard those persons who patronize the dance studios of our state, by making adequate pro- continued on page 54) A COMBINATION! PICTURE! ARTIST! WARNER BROS’. PICTURE HANGING' Lyrics by MACK DAVID Music by JERRY LIVINGSTON as sung by MARTY ROBBINS b/w 'tin Btot*-Country Styto* Oil COLUMBIA 4*41325 M. WtTMARK & SONS 488 Madison Ave., Hew Yoik 22, N.Y. .jfefcic ^Wednesday, tetamy 4,1^9 -New York 1 Anthony J5,. Marks, son of pub¬ lisher Herbert B.'-Mattes and whp was married tm Saturday (31),: leaves on an eight-month archeolo¬ gical stint among the ruins of Iran and Israel on a grant from Bran¬ ded U . • • Record album covers designed by Charles Schlaifer & Co. for 20th-Fox Records’ “Leba¬ non” and “The ^ums of Africa.” • LPs have been selected for display at the Exhibition of Advertising Art sponsored by the Art Alliance in Philly. It runs from March 5 through April 25... Allied Records now pressing for the Del-Fi, Jag¬ uar,, Coronet, Ain, Eastman, Re¬ nown, Cascade and Merrf labels. Bob rcu glisTi began a two-week stand at In Boboli yesterday (Tues.) . . . Singer Rusty Draper guests on the Peter Lind Hayes ABC-TV show for a week starting j Feb. 10 . . . Martin Green at the* keyboard at Craig’s, Great Neck, . .. Una Maggie will vocalize with the new Neal Hefti band . . . Dor¬ othy Donegal! began an eight-week engagement at the Fibers Monday ( 2 >. Connie Francis returns to Eng¬ land Feb. 27 for tv and theatre . . . Jerri Winters ctarenf at Cafe Continental .V* Wanda Jackson^ chirper on the* “Jubilee. U.S.A.” teleshow, in Japan for a 10-week tour of the Orient. - work ,..Frankie Lyman on a three-week deejay tour plugging his Roulette slicing of “Up Jumped A Rabbit” . . . Arnie Blaine, for¬ merly in sales at Coral' and Kapp Records, starting his Own d’sk operation . . . Merty Wax handling promotion for the new Destiny label... Danny Marshall (with Jim Black on bass and Dave Barry on drums) bolding over at the Tender Trap until March 8. On March 16 he begins a three-weeker at the Wagon Wheel, Lake Tahoe. Paal Tankman’s stamp collection on exhibit at the International Philatel'c Exhibition at the Park Sheraton until Mar ch 1 . . - Jim Arlward, deejay at WWNH, Roch- ester-Portsmouth,- NJL, has moved to Boston’s WEEI as producer . . - Morty Palitz, Jubilee veepee and aAr chief, will head for London to record ? new singer, Monty Bab- sen, recently signed to a personal management deal by Lee Magid. . Della Reese set for the Ed Sul¬ livan Revue going into the Desert Tnn ) T^as Vegas, June 30 . . . Kirk Stuart into the Howard Theatre, Washington, Feb. 20 .. . A1 Hihbler returns to Birdland Feb. 26 . . . Dick Hughes took over the key¬ board at the Debonair Restaurant yesterday (Tues.) * . . Jack Kelly signed as musical director for the Living Room. Paid Knopf Trio’s first albums for Playback Records will he tagged “The Outcast” and “Enigma of A Day” ... Monocle Records has set distribution deals in Canada and the Benelux countries with Quality Records of Canada and Tonality of Belgium, respectively . . . Craig Corp. has taken oyer distribution of the Colombia One in Hawaii. ■ " „ . Don Rondo flies to London Feb. 14 for' a guestint the following night on ATV’s “Sunday Night Show at the Palladium.” London Songstress Shelia Buxton signed bv Rank Records to a three-year contract, with the new. Top Rank-) label . . . Average increase of around 10% goes to danceband leaders and their men for steam radio broadcasts under an agree¬ ment signed by the BBC with the Music D*rector&* Assn. Deal is effective from Jam.'? last. .. Cyril Stapleton* 10 years with the Decca label, has signed for another three. . Marino Macati Quartet to play Graatada theatres in London and thereabouts in a seven-day series of one-nighiers starting March 22. . Hollywood The Smith Twins have signed a one-year pact with Billy Ward’s Enterprises ... Society bandleader Herb SOrcra cuts aroek ’n* roll lane Hi-Fi Records. .. Si Zentner penned the title tune for his new Bel Canto album,.“Swing Fever* ... J—* Mttftiffl wKL backstop four sides at Capitol with the new folk-style warblers Eddie Sc Joe. Chicago Ralph Marterie oreh set for-* midwest tour in March ... Art Van Damme quintet at Baker’s Key* board, Detroit, with a March 4 bow skedded at the Chi Blue Note . . . Ike Cole combo to. the Music. Bpx Waterloo, la., Feb.. 16 for two weeks . . . WJ|d BUI Davison unit curr en t at the Preview. Thorite *st Mr Town 13-X5, l^d Br*fl* RaSr MwAm, Feb. W. Eart B -tte V due at latter spot March 30 for a single stanza San ; Franci$eo Modern Jam' Quartet goes into Blackhawk for six weeks starting Feb. 10. Club’s seeking Gerry Mul¬ ligan'. Quartet for April 28, Dizzy Gine8&e for .May '15 v , . . Vince Guaraldi rehearsing a group of his own after leaving Cal Tjader Quin¬ tet , Mastersoundj returned to Jazz ^Workshop .. . AlM Ldtefe 6 and-663- working together to*,put on a band contest at Sands Ball- iWfcafc : OaHand; Feb.; 15. Entries already received from the Rudy Salvini, Eddie Walker, Virgil Gon¬ salves-Jerry Cournoyer, Rndy Cas¬ tro, Ben Meltzer; Steve zPaul, Leon RadsHff, Armand PaoJin©, Buddy Hiles and Jay Pinkston bands . . .. Warren Smith replaced ailing] Jimmy Arehey on trombone in the Earl Hines band . . . Fats Domino setting up a spring tour of North¬ ern California . .. Carol Chanxdng into the Fairmont’s. Venetian Room Feb* 12 . . . Banjoist Kenny Burt opened a new spot in Em eryville ♦. Wa’t Nobrira oreh took over at Lake Merritt Hotel, Oakland ... Hi-Lo’s and Four Freshmen- sched¬ uled for George Andros’ Fack’s II in tne spring. . ___ Pittsburgh Instrumental team Bill Bickel on organ and Teddy Zupka at piano opened new del Sardo’s Lounge in the Bartlesville Plaza ... Janet Noel Farrell, organist, has exited An¬ kara Lounge for the winter to de¬ vote more time to her job of radio¬ tv coordinator for the U. of Pitts¬ burgh. For the time being, the spot will be without musical entertain¬ ment ... Eddie Russ quartet held over- again at the Midway Mvty Gregor oreh now the house band at Ronnie’s in Millvale. Philadelphia Della Reese at Celebrity Boom. . • Sc Larry Elgart iato Sun- nybrook Ballroom Feb. 7 Bookings for the Red Hill-Inn in¬ clude Sarah Vaughan, Feb. 6-8: Oscar Peterson, Feb. 13-15; The- wrius Monk, Feb. 20-22; Sal Sal¬ vador and his new big band, Feb. fj-nffch. 1; Maynard Ferguson, March 13-15 .. . The Mariners play for the Sealtest enmloyees affair at the Sheraton Hotel tonight (Wed.) .Pianist Romaine Brown, who was with Steve Gibson Red- ca Ps when the outfiit was. known as The Top Hatters, openers as a single at the Bon Bon, succeeding Ragtime Smitty .. . New York sax-, j rt H y Britely has joined the Marty Portnoy band organization as a leader . . . Jimmy Holmes formerly of Ink Spots, at the Car- - • . Nn Tornados slated for Ene Social Club, Feb. 7-8 with Charlie Grade inked for the fol¬ lowing weekend, Feb. 14-15 . Pep’s has Milt Buckner oreh Feb. 2-7, 0bertLSina£ra Asfe j 30Q. for/Losa of iKiShiiigtQ^ Feb. Elbert T. ? Sinatra, (rwnote kth to ^ Frank)-'told a jury* here -last Week4 that he hasn’t been top dog in a. saxophone section since he lost his bitff. 4 SmatrSy^S; As seeking;$30,600 frotm a Jocal citistix who allegedly loosened his lower teeth with a punch two and a half years ago. The wiggling teeth, he said, have forced him to pass up lucrative of¬ fers to play first tenor sax. Instead, Sinatra said he’s had to remain as a first''violinist with the Air Force Symphony . Orchestra here .. and play second sax ' with groups around town. Local oreh leader Sam Pryor played.a few strains of “Carnival of Venice” on the trumpet to show the jury- that a stiff lower lip with teeth to match is .needed for good playing of wind instruments. Pavia Schools - Continued from.pa^e S3 vision for the examination, licens¬ ing and regulation of dance studios -and dance instructors.” No person could engage, for compensation, in the business of operating dance studios or of dance instruction, after Oct. 1, 1659, or “could hold himself out as being able ter. da so” after that date, unless he were licensed by the secretary of; state. ' The secretary of state would ex¬ amine the “qualifications and fit¬ ness” of applicants for licenses; would be authorized to “require all persons licensed or registered under this article to submit to phy¬ sical examination' by a physician selected by the secretary of state.” *Pro’-Advisory Committee An advisory committee is cre¬ ated. This Is to consist of at least two members with actual experi¬ ence in the operation of dance studios in New York State “for not less than 10 years”; at least two members who shall be ^dance instructors; one member, who at the-time of appointment, shall not be “directly or indirectly identi¬ fied” with lie operations of dance studios or dance instruction. The hill sets up a tight licensing system for instructors. “Satisfac¬ tory evidence of good moral char¬ acter” is one requirement. A phy¬ sician’s certificate that applicant is free from “any infectious -or communicable disease*—-such cer¬ tificate having been issued within 30 days prior to the date of filing a license application—is another. The license would sot be assign¬ able or transferable; would be for a two-year period, expiring on June 39 of each even-numbered year. The fee for a license to engaged in the business of dance v instruc- tidn would be $15; for each renew¬ al, $5. The fee for a dance-studio operator’s license, $50, and $50 for each renewal; fee for taking an examination, $10. a : ^Tokyo, Feb. 3.. jDhel way or another/ decided songwiitife DmSfcy Manners, his tunes were going to get recorded and published. After"Ills music fell oh deaf ears when he made the rounds of the big companies in New York, . Manners'took stock; of the situa¬ tion and became his own publisher $nd .record company. c . ; He has .put his songs to wax on his So Deska label in such .dis¬ jointed locales as Tokyo, Havana, London, New York, Milan, and Vienna; has many in general release, others leased to foreign, disk- eries for local pressings, and several tapes being-used by it canned concert company. ^ ; ' To rearrange the adage, the ASCAP member has invested his own capital applying the reverse formula, “If yon can’t join ’em, - best "’an.”. ... ;: c ... - .... v . • , - . > { V/haf fo)r jekrs. w^.mere^r-U'h0bbY/i&; nov^ jec»viiig the complete Energies of Manners, legitimately known, as Major (Ret.) D. Dudley Krupp, Medical Corps, U.S. Army. Retired-after 20 years of service and 35 in all as a radiologist who was almost blinded by the occupational hazard of radiation cataracts. Manners asks, “What am I supposed to do, sit on the front porch all day and watch television all night.” . ‘ Currently in Japan for the fourth time. Manners has just re¬ corded 22 of his songs- stereophonically by the Kaznpai Kings with leader Johnny Watson doing the arranging for the Japanese band, which is a fixture at the Yokota Air Base officers’ club. Later in the year. Manners plans to consolidate some of his pressings on an LP under the title .of **Musie of a Vagabond Doctor Recorded Around the World.” . Fignres on Fesl in OU Monterey Monterey, Cal., Feb. 3. Official financial. statement of fail’s Monterey Jazz Festival, the Coast’s first, shows that it grossed $77,300.44, spent $7*44422; for a net loss of $1,14328. Figures just compiled by treas¬ urer Mel Isenberger include re¬ payment of $7,300 operating fund borrowed last summer from 73 Monterey' Peninsula businessmen and include an advance of $600 to Monterey College to start the na¬ tion’s first chair of jazz. Breakdown shows the gross came from these sources: Ticket sales, $71,296.10; Program sales, $3,911.08; Concessions, $1,198.76; Exhibitors, $894.50. ' The 1958 outlay included all basic expenses for continuing the festival, such as building the stage, which might have been amortized over a three or four-year* period. Total talent eosts for the three- day festival came to $33,30420, in¬ cluding . such items as $4,000 for Louis Armstrong, $1,2&0 for Mel Flory, $2/500 for the Modem Jazz Quartet for two days, $750 for Mort Sahl to emcee the final night’s show and $150 for deejay Pat Henry, of KRDW, Oakland, CaL, to emcee the second day’s afternoon show. Other major expenses included: Travel, $5,61121; Security (police, etc.), $4,698.48; Furnishings/ (stage, crew, lights, etc.), $5,434.03; Materials and supplies (lumber, chairs, etc.), $2,068.48; Ground maintenance, $1,71825; Outride labor (cleaning crew, grading, etc.), $2,148; Publicity and ad fees, $2,400; Printing expenses (folders, post¬ ers, eto>, $3220.68; Paid ads, $3594,03; General manager Jimmy Lyons* salary, June to December, $3250; Plumes and wires, $1,790.45; Entertainment (rooms and en¬ tertainment for press, etc.),—$2,- 030.60; Electricity and sound systems, $1,393.35. Under-$1,000 expenses Inchided cashiers ($863.10), parking, lot maintenance ($167.50), stage man¬ ager ($150), miscellaneous ($758,40), arena rent at Monterey County Fairgrounds ($600), power ($175), insurance ($496)’, forums <1 ($168.67), administrative help > ($894.93), office'expenses ($887.39) and legal fees ($37). Reason the financial statement wasn’t completed until, more than three inonths after the. festival’s close was -that the bills kept strag¬ gling in late—for instance; a din¬ ner bill for the drivers who ferried the entertainers free from their hotels to the fairgrounds didn’t show up until Jan. 5, three months to the day from the festival’s close. Isenberger is optimistic that the 1959 festival will net a nice- sum, what with many first-year expenses not recurring .and with Lyons and the other festival execs having more experience. : RETAIL SHEET REST SELLERS ~l r s. s i r .2‘ ^ 3: : o l c o Si o S' u A ' u l -tt S o . c • o 1" «• - <8 to 1 i § w O U ■a I *3 o a : C! : s- 1 I s o s si m i o ft- p*- *b.'. V cu 1 1 « A o* O CJ *» 3 s 1 ; XI ■■ o m T *3 Pr ' a e e B g 6 O V. la zs % i ] U a « Vi 1 o TS 1 - +* % Q d , « 1 , ja S 2 fa c a CO , li « 5 ! fk f 6 A s ti ■ o O JO m 1 s U i o to T f O T A L P O I N T B STARIETY Survey of retsR sheet music best sellers based on reports obtained from leading stores in 11 cities and showing com¬ parative sales rating for this and last week. ♦.ASCAP t BMI National Ertteg This T **t wk. wk. TUe ani Pahli^cr 1 4 *CUUre*’* Marehlag Swig (Miller). 4 1 i 6 3 3 1 . 4 5 5 1 '87 j 2 2 ♦My Happiness (Happiness). 1 T 2 1 1 4 1 2 3 2 82 - ! 3 1 ♦Smoke in Eyes (Harms):. 2 3 ? 8 5 6 2 1 2 3 "76 4 3 ♦Hawaiian Wqddiny 8 mc (Pickwick. 3 3 5 3 .. 2 4 10 3 1 4 72 5 8 fGotta Travel Os (Sanga). 4 9 3 .. 6 27 6 9 ♦May Yon Always (H-L&B).... . 7 .. 6 3 5 23 7 13 ♦World Outside. (Ghappefi) .. ' ' 2 8 1 .. .. 22 8A 5 tTom Dooley (Beeebvrpod) .• — ' & „.. 5 9 7 9 .. 20 8B 11 ♦Chipmunk Song (Monarch).... - .V,. 4 .. 2 9 9 .. . .' 20 10 6 fKnow Him Is Love Him (Warman) 9 V. ’7 4 8 8 19 11 7 . tRed River Rose (duch*ess). 10 4 2 id“ .. .. 18 12 ♦Love Look Away CWilliamsoh).... 6 J. 10 •• .. 4 , T3 13 12 ♦Efmbowhoj fiPloaetary).. ... R . :■ ^ > ft 3lV 14A 10 116 Caudles (January). ^. .t' c ' 11 14B .. fLoaesome Town (Eric):.. 9 ';C ' 6 ' 11 BRITAIN, BASIE & SATCHMO ALL STARS London, Feb. 3. February kicks off the season for British jazz fans who Want'to see their U.S. favorites. Grant Basie oreh starts a non-stop 16-day tour Feb. 7. Louis Armstrong & His All Stars open an 11-day rouhd-the- country stint Feb. 28. * Basie and the boys fake (their places on the* Royal Festival Hall platform tp kick off, theto third British trip. They’ll give two per¬ formances, at 6 and 8.30 pjm, and both houses are already a sellout Next day the outfit shifts to the Gaumrat State, Kilburn, where at month** end Satchmo comes in to start frtf tour. The Basie itinerary, entailing 31 concerts, has already been worked out by Harold Davison Ltd., which also manages the Armstrong inva¬ sion, It takes In five appearances in London and outskirts, the others being in key cities in England, Scotland and Wales. * Frisco Black Hawk’s SUte San Francisco*. Fpb. 3. The Black Hawk, currently cele¬ brating its 10th Anniversary as a jazz* club, has signed a strong fist of “modem” jazz., acts Which will keep the spot booked until late _ summer. . ' The Modern Jazz Quartet opens for six weeks Feb. 10; Ahmed Jamal Trio follows for twb; weeks on March 24; Miles Davis Sextet comes in April 7 for three weeks; Gerry Mulligan . Quartet opens April 28 for two and a kaH weeks; Dizzy Gillespie’s Quintet, May IS Jeir" tw»;wi£itiial£ wfe&s;' «hfl Cal Tjade&. wt* leave* the Feb. f<tf : « -dsteftk- string, tdlifns June 16 for two months. Wednesday, Febrnary 4, 1959 PfBSngfr VAUWVltlft 65 PREXY’S ‘WARNING’ TO AGVA AGVAs Bright Takes on Russia Solo; Threatens Hyet’ of Moscow Circus, Due Here; Hurok Protests Miami Beach Target: February; It Better Come in Like a Lion By LARY SOL^OWAY Miami Beach, Feb. 3. The arrival of February, an event that normally denotes the begin¬ ning of "peak weeks’* of the season for hoteliers here, has. brought with it' a contrasting picture in terms of heavily-booked room oc¬ cupancies and their eafe-adjunctsj futures. January was a doleful period for nearly all bonifaces in terms of ledger results for their entertain¬ ment emporiums. Only a Fon¬ tainebleau toted up big grosses in its LaRonde, thanks to a strong two-week stand by Red Skelton, There the profit-side ends; one or two of the other impresarios might be content with what they consider '‘small” losses, but the majority— and that includes the indies—are wailing the big-loss .blues. The swing to revue-production ideas by the key'locations, in an attempt to combat the lure of a for-free “Cavalcade of *Stars,” which the Deauville group is finding a hugely successful rooms- filler gimmick and as a measure to offset the draw of the Fontaine¬ bleau’s blockbuster lineup, simply isn’t paying off, despite heavy local press praise and word-of-mouth. Trouble: Second Show A sum-up of the past month would find a topical revue such as the Americana’s “A Rag, A Bone. & A Pony Tail” doing okay at din¬ ners, with sparse second shows. Here, due to a modest budget and some big-biz nights, the loss tote has been glossed ove?; with the option for February picked up in hopes of peak-period patron build. The Carillon’s Lou Walters revue is in a like category. Betty Grable picked up b.o. for the Latin Quar¬ ter, but the overall results are still on the red side of the ledger. The Duke Ellington “Jump For Joy” revusical got off to a bad start at Copa City, and has been undergo¬ ing. extensive revisions since first night, in attempt to come up with a staging that can overcome the negative results on patron-pull. “Newcomers of *28” at the Deau¬ ville’s Casanova Room got rave re¬ views, mucho verbal praise, but still is struggling to establish a steady pattern that will mean a b.o. dick. Even the town’s longest running revue, the “Havana Mardi (Continued on page 66) ‘Rozzie & Nita’ Pittsburgh, Feb. 3. Dancers Ozzie & Anita Reyes, who’ve just finished two: weeks at the Horizon Room and now are at the An¬ kara for two more, have al¬ most decided it’s no use try¬ ing to get their name spelled right. Advertisem*nts in local papers have carried it every which way except the right one. On three different days it appeared as .Keyes, Reeves and Reese, but never as Reyes. Nothing neW, however, since his parents, Raul & Eva Reyes, a longtime dance team, have had the same experience over the years, ever since they first broke in with Xavier Cugat. Texas Cafe ‘SRO’ on Acts. Rushing Over to Sab For Moniqae (Virus)Vooren Houston, Feb. 3. Six performers rushed to fill Monique Van Vooren’s Tidelands Club spot when the Belgian,thrush was stricken with a virus infection minutes before she was to begin her show last week (28). Thrush Fran Warren and comic Bob Melvin came over from the International Club’s Continental Room in the Shamrock Hilton as soon as they had finished their show,, but meantime four other nitery performers had already tak¬ en the stage.. Dorothy Claire, now singing at the Cork Club, June Terty and Glen Piggot, Trans-World Club performers, and Sonny Marx, Mon¬ tagu monolOgist, all took the stage before the International Club. pair. Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom and Florence Collins, appearing at Club Crescendo, were ready for a dash to the^Tid%lands when they were notified mat the situation was un¬ der control. ^ Bill Newkirk, who books for Tidelands, said, “I put out. hurry- up calls for everybody I could think of when we had' our emer¬ gency. I had no idea everyone would show up. But it certainly was a terrific show.” "Kefauver Foldo,’ Back; No Casino New Orleans, Feb. 3. Beverly Country Club, one-time plush nitery and gambling casino which shut down after an inves¬ tigation by the Senate crime in¬ vestigating committee headed by Senator Estes Kefauver, will re¬ open soon as a dinner and supper club^ Phil Kastel said last week there will be no gambling when the spot resumes operations. The new corporation which will operate the club is Philmar Inc., and its charter lists as its stated purpose: “To carry on generally the restaurant business, including all amusem*nts connected there¬ with.” ' Located in Jefferson Parish just over the New‘Orleans houndry line, the main structure ofJJeverly Country Club is now undergoing extensive renovation in prepara¬ tion for its opening. Kastel said the corporation’s name stems from his first name, Phil, and that of his wife, Margaret. Plans call* for the presentation of top stars according to a spokes¬ man. The Philmar charter lists Alfred Fredo and John Simmons as reg¬ istered agents and directors. Sim¬ mons is shown as president; Fredo as secretary-treasurer, and Joseph Hegeman as director and vice- president. WTiYlE . TO TAKE STEPS’ Penny. Singleton, president of the American Guild of Variety Art¬ ists, yesterday (Tues.) told the opening session of the union’s na¬ tional board meeting in New York that unless this body starts a clean¬ up of AGVA, the state’s Attorney General and the Senate Committee on Improper Practices in the La¬ bor and Management Field will do it for them. Miss Singleton’s charges focused . on the administration of the AGVA, Country Club & Recreation Centre, South Fallsburgh, N. Y. Miss Singleton’s talk, which lasted more than an hour, alleged that the union was not the legal owner of the property, despite# as¬ surances by national administrative secretary Jackie Bright and the union’s attorney Harold Berg, and that the incorporators had control of the property without answering to the union’s government. The national board apparently had some inkling that Miss Single- ton was set to deliver a hot package of oratory to the body. Motion was made at the outset to limit the report of any officer *tb 30 minutes. However, once Miss Sin¬ gleton got into her spiel, no' at¬ tempt was made to stop her de¬ spite the fact t**at it ran twice the stipulated length. A major factor working to the advantage of “Bright was seen by the loss of momentum of. Miss Singleton’s speech when the chair¬ man of the AGVA Welfare Trust Fund, George A. Hamid,.came In to deliver his report. The body adjourned for lunch immediately afterward, and discussion was re¬ sumed in the afternoon. ‘ Miss Singleton claimed that the S. Fallsburgh property had no takers for 18 months and was fal¬ low, when the AGVA Foundation bought the realty package. She claimed that the Sullivan County law firm, of Oppenheim & Oppen- heim represented not only the sell¬ er but the buyer and were the (Continued on page 69) CASTRO COUP CANCELS NAT COLE’S FEB. DATE Hollywood, Feb. 3. Nat King Cole lost a booking as a result of Fidel Castro’s over¬ throw of the Batista government in Cuba. Singer was booked at the Tropl- cana Hotel in Havana, Feb. 13-26, but. has been notified Castro's rev¬ olutionists shuttered the hotel, so he’s cancelled. Cole will fill in with dates at the Chi Chi in Palm Springs and elsewhere. He is booked for a Latin-American tour beginning March 28, but Cuba’s not on his itinerary. LILLIAN BRIGGS World Famous Nightclub- Recording Star February 4th-19th Punta Del Bste, Uraguay Personal Manager JACK PETRILL 162 W. 56th Street, New York CO 5-5769 Direction: General Artists Corp. N.Y. State Unit Poses Threat Vs. AGVA Foundation + The U.S. State Dept. Cultural Exchange Program with Russia was given a stiff jolt through a letter sent recently by _ Jackie Bright, national administrative sec¬ retary of the American Guild of Variety Artists, to the State Dept, protesting the contemplated visit of the Moscow State Circus. Lat¬ ter is slated to start a U.S. tour in the fall. Bright’s action was taken on his own, not having been okayed by the union’s executive committee or Penny Singleton, president of AGVA./ Apparently, the State Dept, is cautious about Bright’s protest since it released the text of the letter. It’s understood that they will reply to Bright’s charges with the assurance only that there is no objection to bringing Soviet per¬ formers into this country in ex¬ change for Americans. Since the grounds for Bright’s action in this matter aren’t clear from the text of his note, it’s as¬ sumed within the union, that Bright’s play was made primarily as an accommodation of some ex¬ ecs of the Ringling Bros, and Bar- num & Bailey Circus, who might feel that a fall run at Madison Square Garden, N.Y., would ad¬ versely affect the grosses of that stand in the spring. Others believe that Bright is laying the founda¬ tion for labeling his opposition as “Communist” because of his anti¬ exchange program stance. It is known that there is a growing an¬ ti-administration faction within the union. Bright’s •letter opposed the pro¬ gram on the ground that dollars (Continued on page 66) The New York State Dept, of Social Welfare has threatened to turn the AGVA Foundation over to the Attorney General’s office for criminal prosecution unless it takes out a certificate of compliance which would enable the Foundation to operate an eleemosynary, or charity, institution and solicit funds within N. Y. State. The department last week wrote a letter to Jackie Bright, listed as president of the Foundation, and who is also national administrative, secretary of the American Guild of Variety Artists, the parent or¬ ganization of the AGVA Founda¬ tion. Letter stated that action would be taken-unless the matter was complied with immediately. With the certificate of compli¬ ance, dt is held that the AGVA Foundation’s action in collecting $13,389.24 in contributions, most (Continued on page 66) Offbeat Cafes: 22-Year-Old ‘Fad’ Elephants Will Never By JACK PITMAN Chicago, Feb. 3. Regulation cafe operators who look Upon the offbeat boites and talent as “passing fancies” are kidding themselves, says Jimmie Komack. The intime nitery with its avant-garde entertainments, the songster- comic points put, dates back at least to 1937, when Julius Monk and Herbert Jacoby part-’ nered behind the Ruban Bleu in Paris, later duplicating the name in Manhattan (now gohe, how¬ ever). From the Gotham version, and such other spots as the Village Vanguard and Jacoby’s Blue Angel sprang Harry Belafonte, Eartha Kitt, Wally Cox, et al., to adorn the “new” nitery age. By standing pat, instead of adapting intime ways, and apart from the economic obstacles to changeover, the largeseaters are confident that such performers as Komack, Mort Sahl, Shelley Ber¬ man and Mike Nichols & Elaine May must come to them fpr the big money. * What's more likely, at least for the young comics, as Komack fig¬ ures it, is a swing to theatres via one-man and tandem shows—and thus a. possible revival of the old vaude. pattern. The Sahl-Stan Ken¬ ton hookup for campus dates is a f’rinstance; and Jack Rollins, the Mike & Elaine braintruster,'is un¬ derstood prepping a fall stand on the Broadway hoards for the pair, with producer Fred Coe co- auspicing. To Komack, the veer to theatres, instead of the big clubs, not only means the desirable loot but con¬ tinuity of artistic expression. What sells in a cellar seldom wows ’em in the square saloons, and the hippies, are more apt to buy thea¬ tre pews for a Sahl than a standard cafe table. , - Komack also thinks the offbeat label' is misapplied to the new comedians. “It’s less offbeat than the fact they’re simply being alive to today. A comic has to speak : the" language .of -his audiences— he has. to stay with the tastes of the times.” The comedian who doesn’t, says Komack, has to con¬ tent himself with his old audiences, for the most part, and “once they’re gone, where is he?” Komack closes a six-week stand at Mister Kelly’s Feb. 8, and opens on the 13th in Philly’s Latin Cas¬ ino with Eartha Kitt- toplining. He’s in two current motion pic- City Fathers Did to’Em Austin, Feb. 3. No elephants will cavort . in Austin’s shining new Municipal Auditorium. So it appears after nervous city officials got together with local Shriners in a huddle that changed the cite of the upcoming Shrine circus from the posh $3,- 000,000 Auditorium to its work¬ horse predecessor, the City Coli¬ seum. The city was afraid of adverse reaction from culture-minded backers of new Auditorium, who saw the new plant as a way to separate the chic from the gauche, e.g., animal shows from symphony concerts, both of which used to be housed under same roof when Coliseum was all the town had. “After all,” said assistant city , manager Terrell Blodgett, “when jyou have a new car, you don’t let the dog ride in it.” But Blodgett said it’s doubtful large-animal shows will ever be allowed to play Auditorium. “Maybe something like an Ed Sullivan vaudeville show, with dog acts,” he said. “But not stock shows and circuses. Actu¬ ally, the Auditorium wasn’t de¬ signed for these', and was never advertised as a place for them. The Auditorium will accommodate conventions, trade shows, spdrts shows, theatre and musical attrac¬ tions.” Auditorium has also been tures, “Damn Yankees” and “Sen- __ __ _ _ ior Prom,” and a third* “Hole ini advertised as “flexible,” with seats trid Hoan ” ic noannet nnmnlotinn 1 ,, « « <• « «_•_ the Head,” is nearing completion’ Semantics aside, offbeat comics need support, Komack states—and they need it as much from agents as anyone. The percenters, he ex¬ plains, have been dragging their feet, where the new crop of fun¬ sters is concerned, “because they’re not hep—they don’t know what we’re saying.” Trouble is, says Ko¬ mack, that such mystification is prone to assume that no one else digs them, either. “But an agent or cafe owner doesn't have to un¬ derstand us .as long as we mean business for a club.” Adds Komack: “After all, Berle was once offbeat too.” that could be removed, baring concrete floor. - “But it’s been ad¬ vertised as multi-purpose,” says Blodgett, “not all-purpose.” - Shriners of Austin’s Ben Hur Temple booked the Auditorium for week’s circus next October. They wanted the larger-capacity spot for specially-assembled show to be put together by Houston, Fort Worth, Waco and Austin Shriners. Poiack Bros. Circus has provided Shriners with package show in past. “But it was a mistake,” says Blodgett “We thought there was to be just one baby elephant. Besides, you can’t haag trapezes from the ceil¬ ing of the Auditorium.” 66 Vwtoesttoy, Echwrtgy 4, 19S9 ■ By ABEL GREEN ■ The Nat M. Abramson-booked “Seabreeze Revue” on the SS Nieuw Amsterdam^ Jed* ,17 Carrib- bean cruise is but part of the in¬ creasing seagoing show biz that! has made the fall-winter cruises big business la maj^r shipping line circles. Getting cabin spice has be¬ come an increasing problem^ Hie HoUand-Affifierican line's new fiag- shlpgS Rotterdam* slated for fin, *59 service, "Is .almost booked sofid for its twq major .1960 winter crufses'fo JSouth America andthe “fire continents" <49" and 75 days,] respecfivelyh. Apart -ton pro shows,.such as this particular layout—comedian- emcee Lou. Saxon, versatile tapster; Pip Walters, soprano Elena Doria, singer Herbert Fleming, Latin- Apiarican terpers Nicky & Fran-: pine, mentallsis Hairy Lorayne.A .Renee, Phil Glassberg’s Tank orch, supplemented ijy' a. Hutch dance band and 1 gypsy and co*cktail mu- siemakers at all hours*—the basic nautical showmanship is canhily planned. ' ** ' A 14-day ; mdse* must average; $500,00$ up to $1,000,000 gross to the Hollaiid-Ainerican Line,- coni-.; puted* on the. jammedte-capacity 000 voyagers- at $420 to $1,200 per each. Itts-probably nearer.-an. $800, ■ average, since /the C-emd-B-deck, rooms are at the lower .tariffs. The. supplementary * spending in the ship's de luxe shop, the multiple bars, the Amekco-dire^ted. shore excursions, .etc., further 1 up the gross. Evidence of the showmanship is Commodore Coenraad Bopman, commander, of the Nieuw Amster¬ dam, who participates in the fare¬ well floorshew, .with ,a tiptop’ Job of Grover Whalening. Although .two years 1 past the prescribed 60- yej» retirement. .age,' as veteran cruise director. "Robert . James ''Smith Sr—marking his 'own 25 pears with the line—points up, a Shipper like Capt. Bourn an, who is now also the Commodore of the en¬ tire line (and who is slated to helm the new flagship Rotterdam}, is too valuable to be given a 13nd-based executive job. He compares fo the yesteryear successful theatre man¬ ager whojwas Always front to greet the customers* shak^ hands ; listen to complaints^ and generally personalize his operation. There 1 are captains who make perfunctory. Appearances \aL Qie % neebfeary' “captain’s tetfle** dinners and cin .find tfefuge da jfhe bridge .or over- nautical charfe/but B oumah js one who proves what Smith means thf* he’s “a great .passenger man.” InddentaJlyss *tms show was among the Stsrto be booked under a new AQ$A- “cruise minimum’* standard. The foreign-luxury liners, which are favored by American tourists for reasons of Vinternatkmal'’ at- mospfergy cuisfog^ etc., aver that ifA-GYA “prices us out. of busi¬ ness, we .would be forced to bring ever Europe?®talent . French, German, Ita lian titc.f, Which would constitute part of the crew, and would cost us less. *We ; jalready have our own native mu¬ sical combinations; We ' use an American group essentially to backstop the tJ.S. acts Snd ’as an added Sherd trips m the Carfbe circuit point up the durability of the pic¬ ture "business.-' X Hollywood name on a uhteo* mitfquee' is stflTlpQ- bn. Rhdio is- okay for nfucrie «tb 3 news, say the tocals,' and-a» • for- television, ittx spotty in some of the Mauds; and-accepted with so*«o attitude. . For example, the 20th-Fox top¬ per in Caracas,- John H. Finder,; points to the b.o. potency in aRi Venezuelan theatres. “New gener- atJons make^pifeturas like Charles Ch^n|s--;?Tbe; DStebiri anctgdod for 'many ^bars” pcint-; MS to * film not out of the'§JpourasJ ■sffabl^.The change. government fo Wehezii^jpi^ |MeL Cfstro** donetirrefaf : State' vim to Caracas' seem to give that film particular sigmficmSoe.' r “ v ‘ , Alfred Morim Jr., industrialist in toe^Dfiteh’ West- Hrdies- 'Mbhd of‘Curacao;* is also the-^Otfr-Fox distributor tbereahd'points tofiis own"four major theatre^*terfiftlr house'on the- ; island is not hi£> 'as getting' $8 tops for Cinemascope first-runs and $1.80 and $2.40 for VistaVlsion and other" non-’Scope releases. Incidentally the Vahietv impact to expatriated showmen is reward- ing to any staffer. As Ira Beck (DA) puts Mr- -‘'Vametst makes, ns part of the farflung show business famSyJ” Chicago -Rmi& Cpce. gobin^n- signed for tHe -$heraton-Je£fersdh/ Hotel, St. Louis, Feh. 25. Bon Cornell opens there March 28;fo;r two frames .., J Cto.FalmerHopse inked ^Dorothy* Shay for March. S/.'witti Sc^nte Sisters 1 going, in May . Spoirts- nw«'Qaartet\bas st club date here Feb. '24'i . . T&a Kirby .current* at the 1 MueM&)ach;Ehnsas City'. v . Heftb Shfiner, with a : 30-piece oreh, “setfor ttie St. Paul Worben^ insti¬ tute MayiS .u - Brf E. Marfintto Colony Club, Omaha, Feb. 23. -Charlie -Apptewhfte-' opefis^ there Feb. - andSepethin’, SadtR &’ Sedbrim iire s ^et f^r ldaxcb J8 v .. Tte Mm Asters, tee off - at RobstCr- 2L:. 1. Us. v t»aul. Ss Mmy Tord and. The: Manners-] paeted for the Winnipeg, Can., auto show Inarch 2-8 . . . Russell*Arms set for the Burlington, la., home Show- March 5-7. By ^ppy Bekway Saranac Lake, Feb. 3. In answer io inquiries about the medical-staff of the* Variety*3ubs- Will Rogers Hospital: Medical Pi-; rector. Dr. George E. Wilson; asso¬ ciates, Drs. Homer McCreary, Henry Leeteh,. Warriner Woodruff, Carl' Merkel;. superintendent of nurses, Biith Norman; nurses, Ann’ Hueler, Annabelle Buckley, Ann Dnquette % . Mary Fraser, Margaret Kerr, Peggy Lamer, Katherina Krupp, Eileen Woods, Helen [Mac- : ura, Francis Sheldon, Bessie Ham-, ner, Clandette Bassett; director of lab, Morris Bworski,- assisted by Elizabeth Langford:. ■ ; New arrivals on .<mr third Soon John Somit, whose wife Mary is on the staff of United Artists; John Powers,: whose w3e Rose is with UnJteLWdrid Films. > ' ** - Among those who rate special mention 'progress ard;0Gteerge V. Martin, Lindsay MacHarrie, Ray Tietzeh, Max Rosenthal, Joseph Sfaambaugh» Paul. OTTeam, Fred McCabe, Joe LaPIante, . Charlie Franks. - v Herschel Riley, _ Great States Theatre, Bloomington, HI., and John Pendleton, IATSE projection¬ ist'from Kingsport, Tenn., took a little over a year to beat the rap and are skedded fb go home. - ° - Write to those who are UL BLACKOUTS' 226140, 5 WKS. Hollywood, Teb, 3 . Earlier, pace set by “Kea Mur¬ ray’s Blackouts of 1959“ is hold¬ ing as revue seems headed for a run. ■ For the fifth stanza last week, show did a spanking $36*500. Total tb date is $226,5Q0. Miss Barbara Lantz - Briglifest Young Yocal Artist bn the Musical Horizon PHIL SfSCtt—Personal Manager ' $05 Cc ABoo. SpringfitW, Ilf. 4^542$ Ywfe, Cafe Bate .•V: "New-lpDfk .... Bob- EazHA a aetecomer wt Bfi jBogM « ^ ^ the shOw at the ViemieseTjantern . , . Joe. E. LeUds- signed for an- eight-We$h statidiit Ei Rancho, Las Yegaffi'.AW^ 1 6"- - ; Tomr*i- ^artaLriawh for the$tete;Theatre*. Hartford; March 14. i.GatoPraik-f Hn ha h i e d bntertafement- dteeetdr of the Intem'atiohal Chamber of Coauneree Which will ccmvene Aprfl - 22 at ; the ? Sheraton-Park Hofei, Washington . Joey.Bush- kin signed with General Artists' Corp Robert Jtt> Howard, ex- Astor Hotel,^ named director of public. relations by Hotel. Edison . . ...Bftty Kean’A Lew pricer go into'' Jhe" * FpaMainebleau; Miami Beabh, ofr'hhe Frank !3!natra Show. ; March 3 . . . Priest fit Fosse, A1 Hriltjwobd Ritz, Bros, open:' n ^four-week stand Feb. 9 at ^ the Riviera Hotel, Las VegaST. ; . Dick Thorne opened his’newCapri hiteryph Lathenega Monday- (2) with' the Eddie Cano dancetand;. v . Jerry Lewis dpens at- Frank; Hennes’- Moulin Rouge Friday (61. Manny Harnien orch bidding oyer indef -at BevHilton Hotel’s. Star .-on fhe Roof... *. Judd McMichael, former member Of The Merry Macs, has join$d..Toai Pow¬ ers A Hi* Bonaires _.. Pianist Lee Sanford hUMing down at Art Wil¬ liams*^ Caribbean . . . Sheila .& Gordon MacRae wind a seven-day stmt at the Chi Chi in Palm Springs Feb. 11. *’ Ifa^hl Takes On > ^ Coitiiroed from page 55 — obtained through the program tceuld.be' used- to- finance Commu¬ nist proiwganda in toe U.S. He^Iso objected: because - the Soviet per- foaaeis will earn doHars, bat will be paM in-^rubles-in Moscow. “My union cannot accept this as a cul-: tural expljar^e,’i he wrote* •• u Some fer toe Associate 'Actors and Artistes Qf America are said to J *"~' , thAt Bright I S action- qduld re¬ in, Russian action, to discon¬ tinue the exchange program.. This [Would result in loss of tout's by. the “Ice Capades” and “Holiday on Ice,” which have already indicated willingness to go to Ru^ia, as Well as the possibflity of a Russian tour by the-Cristiani Cfrtms. It’s’under- stpod* that aH these performers would get dollar * payments. .The Cristiani tour would most likely be in exchange for the Moscow Circus.’ In addition, should' the Moscow State Circus cancel the tour, it’s felt tha# the Bolshoi Ballet to re¬ taliation, -would not come to the U.S. Thus American promoters And arena and auditorium opera¬ tors -would lose a substantial amount of money, and members of other. 4A unions would lose-work in the Soviet Union. Miss Singleton has already re¬ ceived one protest as a result, of Bright’s action. George Perper, of the & Hurok office, which is un¬ derwriting the Circus and Bolshoi Ballet tours, wired Miss Singleton protesting Bright’s action. Perper had asked Bright about union re¬ quirements in the matter and was told that not only does the union object to toe Moscow Circus tour, but would picket its playdates. Bright also informed Perper that patriotic as well as veteran groups would be enlisted for the firing line. Perper*s protest was based on Bright’s, statements. The national board meeting, currently in ses¬ sion at toe Hotel New Yorker, is expected" to get the matter during its present powwow. Miami BeackTarget i-lftattjraed front P&S? *51 <5r»s” a t tbb Lucerne, is feefc&d toe draw of the past two seasons, de- spite’tts rctorf-wiffe r^p as a* good biiy for a cafegoer: Here toe case [might' be a matter of too4tsng;rUu, albeit its backers that vtomi the big Crowds arrive in town, a fast pickup will result. - No Garden of Eien The. Eden Roe’s season to date has . been a near-disastrous one since toe, dick year-end holidays appearance of Anna Maria Alber- : •ghettl - BiBy Daniels and Jackie' Miles perked things up, but the pasts-week saw lowest point In toe room’s histary .wben Edgar Bergen opened—after a one-jrigbt delay, toie to 'neO'^show - of- his wooden r aides ; Until -toe* following- day. • He tkew about 4(bpatrofls for his open¬ ing show; saver for the hotel was booking of two big parties for the weekend, One of which was a com¬ plete room takeover deal. L ' However, bonifaSe Harry Mufson has- 1 finadly* sopdified Ms lineup, after 4'lafst-minUte-deM' policy that Isfbu^it on the offish bfe HeV-got Eartha ’Kitt, Rowan & Martin hud' RicMardi set tq open a - fiveday rup. Friday -night; then -comes his anrfttel . m6ney^iii-tBe-bank^ attrac¬ tion, Joe E. Lewis, 4 with Eydie Gorme also on hand. He’s also cpTgae up;Wito the^surprser-Of the. Id snagging’ Sammy>Davis Jr. for an eight-day run beginning March' 4 t Before that, Tony. Martin comes- in : for the . week following the Lewis departure. Maurice- Chevalier is another March best bet for him. Thus, the outlook for his Cafe Pompeii is a much bright¬ er one than that of recent week. Bteau4n-to6-Biack The Fontainebleau’s Ben Novack is seeing has hig^payoff plan mark toe LaRonde as a sure - money- malpBr: -Red Skelton raeked up profits. Jack Benny’s opening' (3) -and .ensuing “nights ore sellouts; then, to order, each for two weeks: Judy Garland,- Frank Sinatra, Don¬ ald 'O’Connor, and Johnny Mathis. To insure- toe hub-making hotel -aspects • of Jus winter, he’s. had -Skelton"work*, to * tv plugs - on- toe hotel for two shows due in Febru¬ ary, which were taped around the grounds. Godfrey got in some plugs can tv via the exchange appearances between him and Skelton; Jan Murray’s “Treasure Hunt” daily ■plugs, for three weeks added more promotional spurs, and there are several other tv filmings going on. Result is a constantly-in-the-news pattern for the big plushery that's paying -r off -to • terms of- drawin g tourists from all hotels in the area, l top the Fontainhleau for a. look-see paifti,' usually, a* visit to one of the public roams.: Dreaming of Nudes The talk of a turn to Uudery in shows, a la Las* Vegas, is strictly that; .Suth productions as Lou Walters’ and the Americana’^ offer a plentiful display of femmes to varied * flesh displays. Ditto the Latin Quarter. And there are plenty of stripperies around which illustrate the weakness of such a premise: they all have to depend on the loaded male who gets the big tab biz from a B-girl, or a femme-around. Regular biz is the in-and out sort for most*. . - That the ; Deauville .and associ¬ ated hotels freg-to-guest name line¬ up is hurting is admitted. But here again, it is the night club tour packages that seem to be hurting the most from its effects. Their early show loads are far below that of former seasons and the mid¬ night runs are sometimes way off. Sqme observers think , there are too many of these all-for-eleven- hiicks packages around. When they are running full, the package buyers demand a stop at toe Fon¬ tainebleau or any ether hot spot of the moment as part of . the tour, or else'they no-buy; which means a loss of such customers, for just so many can be allowed into a click location, which needs their busi¬ ness only at a second show, and then to limited numbers. Rutoor Row The upcoming month will spell out the picture. The rumors in this town rise fast and flow steadily. One has a . big spot closing down; another has it; holding on; this ; rumor-moiigering seOms to* hit New York as fast a» ft does "around Miami Bfeadh. All. have now reached a point of. thinking where they admit to had obviously feeling they’re part 1 0f« to* overaR trendi admitting no mana ge m ent weakness and in the.] sameboat as the& rivals; Thd'tna- lority, hetog parfc nf hotels, an in sound financial shape, albeit the owners may decide to-cut down or cut out shows*. . ,. . . .The indies -are* for. toe most part# abortteriuers, ®pen fora fast IQ or 12. weeks. Their anniiaT folds have been part of toe cafe Jiistory Of toe town, even, during toe boom years. The pcfint. to be made is that toere’JT be foldos every Sea¬ son, for varying reasons, most of them monetary. But toe majority df the tep ;s^ts; haw * located in hotels, there win be no end to cafe operation, per se; rather, the boni- faces wfll be looking for new gim- isicks skid ideas that might help them to operate their entertain¬ ment adjuncts a* profitable level. They must keep them open for prestige ' and extra - attraCtomj purposes. . "* ‘ N.Y. State S -Continued frean. paigc (5 of which c&pie Tiom Within 'the State, wak ill%aL ’ " v The* Foundation was established hy AGVA* through tneahs of a loan of $25,00tf£o Bright to buy a' motel in South’ Fallsburgh which is now called the AGVA Cornitry' Club & Recreation Centre. Purpose of-toe place; hccorMtfg to toe Tesciufion passed by the AGVA convenfion of last June in Mexico City and* toe national board meeting which fol¬ lowed,; was to'create a home for indigent and -ailing* performers in the variety field. However, without this social welfare department cer¬ tificate, it may not operate in the charitable area, ner solicit funds, nor get a tax exemption- of any kind. , _ Just what aqtipn the. Dept, of Social Welfare and the Attorney General’s office will take is not yet determined. Even if the AGVA Foundation applies for axertificate immediately, it “has already oper¬ ated illegally in,New York State, and therefore its officer# and -di¬ rectors may be liable for criminal action, according to a spokesman f pr the state agency. The AGVA spot last summer op¬ erated as h .hotel for actors -Work¬ ing in the CatskiH area, and as a vacation spot*for some employees and members. Guests there Were required to.give a $3 “donation” for an overnight stay, and the food prices were listed in terms of sug¬ gested donations. Without toe* So¬ cial Welfare certificate of compli¬ ance, these “donations” will most likely have to be listed as income, and-may be subject to taxation. : Dtdlas Boat Show’s Bill Dallas, Feb. 3. Third. aanuaLSoutfa ^lejn . Boat Show; tine Maich 3-g at the down¬ town Memorial 7 .Auditorium, has down Emmett Kelly, violinist George Liberace and * singer Mary Meade French slated for the daily shows; Alsu, Liberace will offer the taped music of his H offma n Stereophonic "Orchestra, to be played during the six-day toow. etasott'S FUN-MASTER FgOTESSlQHAL COME9Y MATififAi for'ofi T lw d if cflh t}^ Tewpororr Spedel oe All 35 e<9 W SISr .jpfos eteWH • 5 P*n»ay Ro^ts, Tt Bk. m il 0 « Blackout Boofes, PuBk... S2S * • .. now to Matter 6 m Coromoaios. S3 porCopy b« -Aiwon oe*n^ *. filLLY ClLASOM . . bow.MtfiSt.cboox-uas <WI TEACH CMC EM NO a ad COMEDY) <L*t « Coil erof—atoaal Wr»I» You) * *GYPSY f ’ IS LOOKING FOR A - TWO-MAN COW ACT Piooso contact} MR. MICHAEL MimtlM, JR, c/o OavJj LforricV 246 Woit 44tfc St. ’ LO 3-0830 YVONNE MORAY King's Clid> v Adolphuv Hotel ASSOCIAm fOpKIHS CORP, Joe Oloser, $te». VAUDEVILLE 67 Wednesday, Ifebrnary 4, 1959 P’Satii^r Magico Guild Sez It With Levitation, Levity & "Lost Weekend’ at 15th Anni Inheritor of the opera cloaks, z silk hats, rabbits, doves, obsessions, enthusiasms, feuds and prejudices cf previous organizations, the Ma¬ gicians Guild of America was 15 years old on Saturday (31) and banqueted in *the Skytop ballroom of the Sheraton-McAlpin, N. Y., to. a capacity crowd of 310. It was a mixed fcompany of pro¬ fessionals and amateurs, adults and children, millionaire hobbyists and i slightly bored wives. The talent ran from greats to would-be’s 1 from such • silken entertainers as Orson Bean and Fred Keating to an inspired lunatic like Wild Bill Williston whose delicious spoof of legerdemain will no doubt be res¬ cued from the party-and-club-dates branch of show business, since a number of television scouts were in the audience. The entertainment chairman, Harry Latz, and his colleagues were clearly fighting to keep the long show on wings. Mostly they succeeded, some of the turns using hardly three minutes, including the guild’s own official “dean,” white- haired Harry Blaekstone. Along the way, a couple of manufacturer- magicians indulged in their life¬ long make-believe and a doctor^ down from Connecticut, pulled off an illusion. Bean, Keating, Williston and some others assured the humor of the occasion. There were a couple of women magicians for variety, and one oldtimer, Dick Richards, described as aged 78, clearly rep¬ resented nostalgia as he went through his old paces. The Spouse of Life " The evening served as a re¬ minder that the lust to perform remains strong in all who prac¬ tice with cards, boxes, hoops, telep¬ athy. Several came with “& Co.” (the wife) in fancy regalia and coiffure. There was a piano on the side and an accordionist for what musical cues were called for. A young operator with a goatee and the grandiose billing of The Great Randi, was literally break¬ ing in a new assistant, an Indone¬ sian girl. (Nothing could be more up-to-date or chi-chi than an Asiatic charmer after all the're¬ cent film and legit heroines from that area.) His turn proved a di¬ verting bit of levitation, with much fun included. Chairman Latz being by vocation a direct mail advertising special¬ ist, his mark was upon the ma¬ gician-idiom banquet program, the souvenirs, the x-marks-the-spot Houdini and Thurston gags (for men only) and the many other evi¬ dences of a hard-working enter¬ tainment committee. Door prizes, not surprisingly, were books deal¬ ing with magic. - The obsessive factor which could hardly be divorced from a magi¬ cians “convention" was evident in the members who, not being part of the show on the stage, “worked the tables.” Late in the - proceed¬ ings, after most of the press had left, professional prejudice showed in some cracks from the back of the hall. One chap, described by his colleagues as a genius with | troubles, after dishing it out i couldn’t take it. He created one of those displays of unpretty anger which everybody tries to pretend isn’t happening and wiil soon end. Any frequenter of banquets for and by artistic temperaments will be able to recall similar embar¬ rassments. Such flareups are one of the-hazards of bringing talent and tequila together. Land. |5G Copa Deal For Britain’s Frankie London, Feb. 3. Frankie Vaughan, British song¬ ster and screen personality, has been booked into New York’s Copa- cabana for a fortnight starting June 25, to head the bill. Deal gives Vaughan $5,000 a week plus expenses and the management an Option to take him for two-to-four week seasons annually in the next four years. . Leslie Grade, of the Lew & Les¬ lie Grade Agency, made the deal for Vaughan in association with America’s General Artists Corp. - during a recent one-week trip to the States. Seemingly odd factor is that Vaughan isn’t on the Grade books but is repped by the Bernard Delfont Agency. Grade & JDelfont are brothers. t Copa has also pacted Johnny Mathis who starts tomorrow (Thurs.); Tony Bennett, Feb. 27; Frankie Laine, March 30. Nat King Colfe is returning to the Copa in October. In negotiation are Kay Starr and “Newcomers of 1928” on separate dates. Tom Martin Quits GAC; Vet Undergoes Checkup Tom Martin, a senior vicepresi¬ dent in charge of the hotel and -cafe department of General Art¬ ists Corp., has resigned because of ill-health. He is undergoing a hospital checkup in Baltimore. He will confine himself to managing only a few personalities, teeing off with Jimmie Rodgers. Martin is a veteran at this agency, having come over in the heyday of orchestras after being an executive of the Hitz hotel chain for a number of years. It was the experience gained during the Hitz tenure that enabled him to plot entertainment policies for many hotels. For a long period j he booked some of the top rooms on the GAC roster, including the New Yorker and Roosevelt Hotels. He was their expert on ice shows as well. i Detroit A. C. Resumes Detroit, Feb. 3. A 72-day strike of waiters and other service employees of the Detroit Athletic Club has been settled. The first floorshow of the season will open Saturday (7), starring singing commedienne Sue Carson and featuring magician Reneaux. Shows are booked by M. C. Cal¬ lahan. The DEEP RIVER BOYS Starring HARRY DOUGLASS ■ Currently APOLLO, New York |ii urn HuHHimmw n iiiimuiiu m ii urn mural Wishnew’s USO Auditions In Cki, Del., Cleve., Pitt ■ Bert Wishnew, a booker for the USO, is set to visit four cities, starting Feb. 10 to case talent for the overseas jaunts. * Wishnew will hold auditions at the Sherman Hotel, Chicago, Feb. 10;. Wolverine Hotel, Detroit, Feb. 11; Hollenden, Cleveland, Feb. 12, and winds up at the New Arena, Pittsburgh, Feb. 13. He’s looking primarily for singers and comics. He stated that acts with a lot of equipment and props cannot be used in these shows because of transportation difficulties. AGVA Doghouse; Tempest Yanked An unusual action by the Ameri¬ can Guild of Variety Artists was taken against a group of Green¬ wich Village and 52d St. niteries last week. Seventeen cafes were put on the union’s unfair list, but only one act was pulled despite the fact that many union members are involved in the New York nit¬ eries. Tempest Storm, who was at the Continental Club on 52d St, was pulled out after working there for four weeks. She still had four weeks to go on a contract that called for $2,000 weekly. After the rash of business when the col¬ lege students were vacationing, business fell off. It was during the slack business that she was pink- slipped. Na other performers were called out by the union. ! The N.Y, branch of the union sent a notice to agents declaring the 17 cafes to be unfair. They are the Bon Soir, Club Paree, Pigaiie, Con¬ tinental, El Chico, Ernie’s French I Casino, Metronome, Monaco, Mou¬ lin Rouge, Tony Pastor’s, Pendu¬ lum, Savannah, Village Paradise, Cinderella, Georgia’s Blue Room, and Heat Wave. There are AGVA performers in several of the clubs including Bon Soir, El Chico, who have not been pulled as yet The circ*mstances surrounding the yanking of Miss Storm is still a mystery, inasmuch as the con¬ tract was approved by the union before she went in. Under these circ*mstances, it’s felt, the union ■had no right to okay the pact if there was no minimum basic agree¬ ment or no bond posted. And why only Miss S^orm was taken out and the others let alone, and why the Continental was the only club against whom action was taken, is also regarded as mysterious. HUB MERY’S‘GAY 90S’ VIA TICKET BROKERS Boston, Feb. 3. Bernie Foyer’s “Gay Nineties Revue,” packing ’em into the Bradford Roof here, is being pack¬ aged as a legit show for selling through legit ticket agedts. The agencies are booking reser¬ vations and getting a commission on same for the show at a $3.50 weekday minimum and $4.50 Fri- day-Saturday bottom. Ticket gen- cies are displaying cards for the nitery presentation. Ralph Snider, owner of the Bradford, reported the revue, which is a new switch for the roof boite away from format of comic, singer, dance act, has done more biz for him than anything he’s had in years. To Each Hi. Etc. Omaha, Feb. 3. » Comic Mike Caldwell was telling the show biz folk, at last week’s County Fair Man¬ agers convention ,1)1 Lincoln about the time he played a fair and split a tent dressing room with a high-wire act. “I don’t see how you can stand working those night clubs,” the wire walker told Caldwell. “Nothing but smoke- filled rooms, people chattering late hcrurs, having to drink booze with the customers .. “So'then,” said Caldwell, “my friend: put on his rain¬ coat and cap and went out in the rain and lightning to put up his rigging.” Wildwood’s Diamond B ch to Group Bidding 5§G; Nitery as ‘Big HalT Camden, N, J., Feb. 3. A $500,000 bid for the Diamond Beach Hotel, Wildwood, made by a Chicago syndicate, has been con-, firmed in U. S. District Court here bp William Lipkin, resort attorney and referee in bankruptcy. Prop¬ erty Is slated to be transferred early in April. Corporation property was put on block at an all-day bankruptcy sale with Dr. John C. Vermeren, of nearby Cold Spring, and Chicago, submitting the taking bid of $500,- 000 on behalf of the Chicago group. He deposited a certified check of $50,000. Property involved includes a mo¬ tel, restaurant, big night club and land all located on the oceanfront. It was owned by George James, who opened motel in 1954 and Another Closing For Riviera, N.Y. The checkered career of the shortlived Riviera, N.Y., went through another phase last week (28) when it shuttered after a brief reopening that came with granting of a liquor license. The operators, Abe Berg and Dave Shear, had sought desperately dur¬ ing the reopening period to bring in a Negro name on top of the Larry Steele revue, “Smart Affairs of 1959.” However, the operators were Unable to come up With one. There is still a possibility of re¬ opening. There was a report that Donald O’Connor would come in same time during February, but it’s! unlikely that they’ll be able to whip up a- suitable show in time. Besides, it’s figured that with grosses generally dipping during Lent, a reopening attempt will be delayed. The spot, which opened Dec. 26 on a caterer’s permit, couldn’t get a liquor license and tried the run anyway. It closed, but resumed after a license had been granted. To get the license, Bill Miller, fronting the spot, had to step out of the picture. There was no ex¬ planation of this development. • The spot opened last May as the Cafe de Paris under Lou Walters, who had stepped out of the near¬ by Latin Quarter. After a brief fling, tiie spot • went into bank¬ ruptcy and ultimately closed. Ella’s 2,800 Draw Beats That Other Feller, ErroD Boston, Feb. 3. Ella Fitzgerald broke all records for George Wein’s Storyville, jazz nitery, in a week stand, closing Sunday (1), after playing to 2,800 customers for the week. Record was previously held by Enroll Garner. Lines formed every night. Miss Fitzgerald packed ’em in at $3.50 minimum Monday through Thurs¬ day and $4.50 tab Friday-Saturday. For the first time, Wein instituted a new policy of two minimums Sat¬ urday night (31), with $4.50 for the first shoVv and $3.50 for the second show. It was the jazz singer’s first date here in three years. In her pre¬ vious engagement at the Wein boite three years ago, she did so- so biz. dn a switch, Storyville opened its new show last night (Mon.) with Myron Cohen headlining, first I “straight” comic to play the spot. Offbeat comics, i.e„ Irwin Corey, Shelley Berman, have played the Hub jazz nitery* but no funsters of the Cohen type. In another switch, Wein has hooked Roberta Sher¬ wood for a Feb. 23 opening. added to it in subsequent years. Last April the corporation was granted permission to file a “plan of arrangement” under the Federal Bankruptcy Act. This forestalled, temporarily, a sheriff’s sale to sat¬ isfy creditors. The Marine National Bank of Wildwood and the First National Bank of Cape May Court House, both in Cape May County, held a $170,392 mortgage. To meet due federal and state tax liens and other claims, $500,000 had to be realized from the bankruptcy sale. What James owed to other credi¬ tors was not revealed. In his bankruptcy petition James listed assets of the corporation at $886,853 and liabilities at $697,212. The petition said the corporation had enough assets to pay off its debts but asked time to arrange to pay creditors without going through bankruptcy. James’ other obliga¬ tions have apparently been met. Spot was one of the first to im¬ port high-cost talent for its 2,000- seater night club, early source of its financial headaches. Dr. Vermeren with Robert B. Malone, vice president of Elbel Enterprises Inc., with headquarters at Grandview, Mo., and James Cul. bertson, a Chicago attorney, mem¬ bers of the syndicate, visited the corporation property last weekend. Donald R. Elbel, president and chairman of the board of Elbel En¬ terprises, a mid western' mortgage firm, is another member of the group. They would use the nitery as a convention hall for business and professional gatherings. They did not indicate any plan for summer night club operation. They plan to develop a residen¬ tial community within the perime¬ ter of the property. They also pish* expansion of the Bayherry Room restaurant to a top-level establish¬ ment. They hope to adopt a com¬ prehensive improvement plan be¬ fore the summer season. _ (ontfantly Mtent!! THE Original fycMulaui INK SPOTS Direction: CIRCLE ARTISTS CORP. 48 West 40th Street New York _ PL 7-7100 Personal Management: SID HOWARD 68 memr am REVIEWS Motet Plaza, IMo, Ted Streeter Orch, Mark Monte's Continentals; $3, $4 «wer. With her new act unveiled, LHo : becomes one of the more solidly entrenched personalities on the cafe circuits. The Gallic singer has completely stored her turn from last year to yield a bright and sparkling act, one in which she, Otters. It’s her second time around in the Persian Room of the Plaza, and indications point to top business, Fer one who came from France to essay the lead in “Can Can without knowing a word of English, T.fl n has certainly done an about- face. She differs from most of the> French charitoosies inasmuch as she's doing a French .act that's mainly for Americans. The times are from abroad, hut there are sufficient lyrics en Anglais so that the clientele doesn't mi® a trick. In one instance, she.does a French version of “Old Black Magic,” but there are few local ci tizens who do not already know what goes on m that lyric. It's an act that is-geared 'to play not only the cosmopolitan centres hut the provinces where she can be easily appreciated by those not readily conversant with Berlitz. _ . T r ii^ makes an impressive how In a white *»Mni»Mlla . coat, and shedd¬ ing that, works in- sequinned bod¬ ice; hut a wraparound skirt later gives her a normal' dress pattern. Her tames are. generally lively, en¬ compassing Sr crop of unfamiliar tunes. The heavy artillery, includ¬ ing the medley from “Can Can’ comes at the close and m akes for a rousing windup.. The act indicates a lot of prepa¬ ration. The. arrangements and lighting show her off to excellent advantage, and special material to- terludes further enhance the turn. She remains a lot of fun for nng- S'ders; she still tousles a few ring- slders, hut it's part of a gay pat¬ tern that adds to a patty spirit she generates. Mobiles flashed on a wall adds to the interest of her opener. , . , _ , The musical backing is by Ted Straeter who leads the crew ttirang h some intricate paces with¬ out a hitch. Mark Monte’s Con¬ tinentals provide a variety of dance incentives between shows. Jose. $mate, Lara Vegas Las Vegas, Jan. 28. Dean Martin, Kovach & Rahov-, sky, Copa Girls (12), Antonio MareUi Orch (19); produced by Jack Entrotter; choreography. Boh t Gilbert, Renne Stuart; $3 7*ini- Dean Martin, another in Jack Enftratter’s stable of surefire draws for the Copa Room, is m fq? a 16- night stand with his trademarked casual approach^ songs and com¬ edy. Martin, a heavyweight who appeals to bath distaffers and their gaming escorts, sparks casino activ¬ ity even if- he doesn’t double as stage performer and blackjack dealer—which he usually does. First-nighters got an extra added attraction—Frank Sinatra joined his Great & Good Friend on&age, and the pair put on one of the best shows ever seen at the Sands. With solid backing from the Antonio Morelli orch (19) and proper guidance from his 88er Ken Lane, Martin offers such numbers as “The Party’s Over,” “They Wouldn't Believe Me,” ‘♦True Love,” “Return to Me,” “Where Or When,” “You Made Me Love You" and “Volare.” manner of kid¬ ding himself and his songs is sen audience pleaser; he gets an even balance of yocks and applause. Tfam gaH an ballet team iff Kovach & Kahovsky presents a sharply graceful exhibition which Is a most pleasant niiery turn. Holdover production number fea¬ turing the Copa Girls, (12) is the bill balancer. Duke. Chase Hub. St. imria St. Louis, Jan. 27. Shelley Berman, Fernanda Man¬ tel, Teddy Phillips . Orch 112); $1.58-$2 coper. Shelley Berman, usually’ to be? found in small spots, proved last summer at the Chase Hotel Star¬ light Roof that he .can hold 'em spellbound in a big one—and now he's proving it agam in a much larger room, the Chase Club. A ; literate comic, Berman hits the core of real human laughter with his “telephone people” who, with some slight exa gg e ratio n s, might very well be identified with asy- kwdy in the audience. Some folks In these parts have gotten a bjt tired of the rapid-fire^ gag “type comedian, and Berman, wife his atice-dfdife vignettes, fs what the doctor ordered* And the daetor may come out- pretty well tea-^a* audienc es toditehavd Wednesday, February 4, 1959 ~ been laughing themselves sick at Mm. . Fernanda Montel, statuesque French chanteuse making her first appearance in the Chase Club since 1956,’croons French and American ballads in a warm, intimate style that gets to sdl hands' especially the “baldheaded row.” Her ward- [ robe, a stunning array of gowns by [French' and Spanish couturiers, [Strike the "ladies out front green [with envoy.. i Continuing on the b an d s ta n d is the Teddy Phillips orch, featuring thrush Colleen Lovett, winning ' friends and influencing people with dansapation and some personable novelty doings. Due in next: The Jimmy Palmer orch on Feb. 13, with feature acts not yet booked. . . ‘ Bob. - Barmk’s, Lake Take© Lake Tahoe, Jan. SO Zsa Zsa Gabor, Joey Adams , Al Kelly* Guy Chemey, Will Osborne Orch (10) , no cover or minimum. Zsa Zsa Gabor on a marquee means only one thing: business. And in the mile-high showcase, de¬ spite the sub-freezing temperatures and the less-than-perfect motoring conditions through the mountains, it's a full house each show for the : Hungarian femme. But, to veteran auditors. La Gabor’s best offering is her un¬ questioned beauty, and a sparkling personality. The material is sad¬ ly lacking, and. goes much too top- heavy with the smut and sex. She works her turn upstage with Joey Adams, sfandup comic who also* makes with' frequent use of indigo lines. The -dub gets good reaction with questions from the audience (the comic’s question)“and alert ad libs. The two also get hefty en¬ dorsem*nt in interpretations of married couples from various coun¬ tries—this too with the accent on sex. (IV was apparent after the open¬ ing show that Harrah's manage¬ ment would question the use of blue material." Club policy ex¬ cludes the heavy references to of¬ fensive lines.). Miss Gabor offered first-night oglers very little in the* way of un¬ covered • s-kin, but costuming couldn't detract from her beauty. She wore a full-length ’dress with close fitting bodice and bouffant skirt Her silver-blonde hair was in bouffant style. Adams introes the show with a rapid-fire delivery and warms au¬ dience with little effort. He’s a proved showman, but could drop many of his blue lines and some; of the dated stuff with no loss of patronage. With Al Kelly, a master at dou¬ bletalk, Adams comes through sol¬ idly. And Kelly shows himself to be a good single. Even theWHl Osborne band boys break up on a lot of his nonsense stuff. Guy Chemey, billed as “San Francisco’s own,” tandems with both Adams and Miss Gabor during his turn. Long, Chateau Madrid, X. Y. Dolores Vargas & Pepe CasteloTi, Tula Montenegro, Chiquita Sisters <21, Ralph Font & Panchito^ Orch; $4-£5 minimums. This Angel Lopez nitery has some lively acts as well a6 more of them on this show, but nonethe¬ less it's not one of the better bills here, there being a general lack of unity in the proceedings. The Chateau Madrid with this show introes some new faces and gives them brief interludes, letting the major time consumption go to Dolores Vargas and Pepe Castelon,, a flamenco and guitar 'pairing. Miss Vargas works witii'Violence and mucho facial grimacing. There are only a few moments when she shows pedal skill, but she com¬ mands attention by a series of wild movements, which while not nor¬ mally part of the flamenco, catalog, [ give the impression of belonging in that category. ?he §eejhs .to,he a .much, better actress, than a dancer, thesplng out the frenetic move- xbents while simulating choreog¬ raphy. She also seems to have a flair for comedy singing and makes a generally good impression. Cas- tefon plays an excellent guitar in his sqlq spot, and provides a strong background for Mis Varga®. Utosoal for the Chateau is the* booEng of Tula Montenegro, be¬ decked in the abbreviated garb of ,a -tassel dancer^ However, she ; doesn’t have the saVvy of the old- timers suefi as Sally Keith, and , wfrikrtbeSre are ntornentyaf amuse- merit;' the general design lacks strong impact; • - -The ehkMiita Sisters - (2) open the proceedings with a -warmup' dance turn. Ralph Font backs with his usual skill and Panchato dance works the later Latin terp-sessjons. ’ ; " - Jose. 1 CocmhI Grove* A* ; Los‘Angeles, Jan. 30. Dennis Bay* Barbara A Mansell , Freddy:Martin Orch <18); $2-$2.50 cover, $3 minimum. Dennis Day delivered a sock turn, drawing hefty applause at his Cocoanut Grove bow Friday (30). Day smartly intermingles ’straight singing with some sharp 'special material written te>utilize Ms skill as a dialectician. One of his best is- a number about gobal tv, in which he gives uncannily accurate and funny im¬ pressions of. British, Japanese, Italian, and Russian tee casters, among ethers. Th£ turn: is well¬ paced, amusing and a solid hit. Milt Rosen wrote the routine. Day scores with his fine voice on such numbers as **£ive Them All YdUVe Got,” “Granada " an Irish medley, “May You Always ” en¬ coring with a robust “Clancy, •Lower - the Boom.” A capacity crowd was at .the opening of'Day’s two-week stand (he closes Feb. 10), and good biz seems assured for the palm-laden Grove. Day introed from the ring- sftfe members of the “Jack Benny gang,” including Eddie (Rochester) Anderson, Don- Wilson and Verna Felton. * Benny was out of town arid couldn’t make it for, his pro¬ tege’s doenlng. Also on hand were Day's mother,-sister and brothers, plus’a liberal sprinkling of the Hollywood crowd. Star was - preceded by the terp act of Barbara & Mansell, a grace¬ ful pair;' Freddy Martin and his Orch are excellent with backstop¬ ping plus dance music. George Wyle took over the baton during Day^s stint. - Baku. CVese^iiisle, flotfston Houston, -Jan. 28. Maxie ’Rosenbloom , Florence Collins, Jose Ortiz Orch (6); no coper or minimum. Slapsy Maxie Rosenbloom, just about ~as fast with a quip as he Used to be with his left, quickly warms-the Club Crescendo open¬ ing-night aud to take the mitt going away. While the vet comic tries to leave the impresh that he just might be a little punchy, he's actually as quick afoot while on¬ stage as he was when he was the light heavyweight champ. He sings a couple of song paro¬ dies, ''You Gotta Have Heart” with prize fight lyrics, and “Mr. Bran¬ do” to the tune of “Mr. Sandman,” then reminiscences with some ex¬ cellent fight stories and gags. Some of his bluer lines bring enough solid yocks to stop the -show for at least a 10-count. Thrush Florence Collins is a definite asset to the act. She plays straight to some of Rosenbloom’s gags„and the redhaired looker* dis¬ plays a pleasing and versatile voice in three numbers. The femme runs through “From This Moment Op” “Noebe de Ronde” and “This Is My Beloved." Just a bit more presentation in her numbers could put her near the top. Good backing is given by the Jose Ortiz orch, and considering that the combo was backing a free wheeling comic like Maxie, few cues were flubbed during tbe show's 45 minutes. Skip. Bradford R«©f, Bostoa Boston. Jan. 27. "The Follies of Yesterday ” pro¬ duced by Bemie Foyer; written by Bob Bernstein, Harold Beebe, B. Reyof; staged by Ted Cdppy; cos -, fumes* Joe Codon; Leo Russotto, orch leader; orchestrations, Charles Cooke; with Elaine Rogers, Jay Devlin, Eve^ Lombard, Ray Ed¬ wards; .Barbara Kenny, Dale Mon¬ roe, Irene Dean, Edward Erickson, Shirley Leigh, Naomi Collier,^Har- xy DeAngelis Otch (5); $2.50 min¬ imum. ' This valentine to show biz of the past, out on a tour iff niteries, is in for three weeks. It was held over from a two-frame booking after opening to big biz in Ralph Snider's Bradford- Rbof boite Monday (I9>. ■ Caught on a bustling Friday night, ; the smooth production, loaded with charm, fun, nostalgia and long- stemmed Cefcunes and now held over, through .Feb. 8, shews prom¬ ise of establishing a sew sort of fbrmaf for supper clubs. Haridsomely cast, costumed land orchestrated, Bemie Foyer's Slick production-recreates the 1890-1920 era with enthusiasm. -Clever for¬ mat has the-young performers of .today searching for the. secret which star-made George; M. Cohan, Eva Tanguay, Elsie Jan is, Ba'yds & Norworthw Jenny Lind, the.Castles, Lilian Russell et aDThe body of the show features warm impression bits' of these greats * asr the kids ttrnT back the clock With songs, dances and patter iri solo and dub acts and two hilarious production nutober^ “the vamp” and a satfric showgirl parade. Moving gracefully through Ted Campy’s witty, agile staging, the uniformly excellent cast emerges asan attractive arid talented group rather than as individual special¬ ists. A spirited community sing provides a sock finish^ but. the steak-knife wteders hum along with the most familiar tunes throughout the stanza, ■ especially,; “Keep the Home Fires Burning,*’', “Shine On, Harvest Moon,” “Take Me-Out to the Ball Game” .and “You’d Be Surprised.” The pace is swift, the jokes clean and the con¬ tinuity fitted with informative anecdotes and vivid word-paintery. Looks to have possibilities as a tv spectacular, but meantime stands^- -out as wholesome cafe entry answer to the star system. Fqyer has kept the goods all of a; piece and the material is class stuff. Guy. . Beverly Mills, Cipcy Cincinnati,. Jan. 30. Kirby Stone Four, Vicki Benet t George Tapps & Dancers (5), Gard¬ ner Benedict Orch (10), Jimmy Wilber JTrio, Larry Vincent; $3 minimum, S4 Sat^ $1.50 cover Sat. and holidays Sock comedy by the .Kirby Stone Four, chic Vicki Benet’s chirping, and superb dancing by the George Tapps group zoom the. entertain¬ ment' rating of this two-framer at Greater Cincy’s' ace nitery, which signals post time with^My Old Kentucky Home.” • Head high in diversified talent, the Stone quartet .is home free on its first local exposure. Nattily tuxed, the young men open smooth¬ ly with a medley of pops, steam up on their “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” top Columbia waxing, aud go to town with their mixture of musical clowning. Stone emcees, hits hot .trumpet licks and joins in bits. Larry Foster, tqpnotch im¬ pressionist/ rings the bell on Ed Sullivan, Elvis Presley, Arthur Godfrey and others singing “Lazy River.” Joining him in the hilarity are Stdne, Mike Gardner, droll ac¬ cordionist, and Eddie (Little Poi¬ son) Hall, who come in for their own kicks. Impressions of British treatment of-“St. Ltrai? Blues” also score heavily. Combo leaves a lot of hanger after a half-hour. Miss Benet, a newcomer here, is a blonde stunner in a gown of black French lace over nude. Her 20- minute catalog highlights “After You've Gone,” an impression of Maurice Chevalier singing “Valen¬ tine,” and French and English lyr¬ ics of “My Man” and “I Love Paris.” A native of Paris, her range is from sweet to lusty. Tapps and two young couples,, back after two months, open and close the show with expert ballet, taps and flamenco routines. Cos¬ tuming is in line with class per¬ formance. Group holds over to end of March. Arthur Lee Simp¬ kins tops the layout openifig Feb. 13. KolL Tidelands, Hraston Houston, Jan. 27. -Monique Van Vooren with The Escorts, Don Cannon Orch (6); no cover or minimum . This Belgian beauty's talents are as tailored to an intimate chib such as this as her white evening gown is fitted to her frame. While the thrush makes two later costume changes, that white gown is her dish, just as Miss Van Yeoren is the dish of the stagesiders here.. She shows, just a bit of the strips tease technique when she comes onstage and removes her white mink to display the gown. The Tidelands Motor-Inn nitery aud’s appreciation is highly aud-. ible, yet this femme has only ah' average voice. What she does have is superb showmanship arid good special material that fits her IQce —well, here comes that white eve¬ ning 'gown again. Arid, surprising- Ty for a thrush who exudes sex, a touch’of the gamine shows through from time to time. In an act that runs 45 mnrutes, - Miss Van Voorep does.' a Clever vocal of “Second Time Around,” the torchy “My- Man,” hands out balloons bearing her .name, and . thrushes “Marie McMink,” .which she 'solemnly avers Is npt; aimed at any particular performer. She . bows off with a French medley of “C’est Si Bc»,” “Poor People of : Paris,” “La Seine,” and “There’s Something About PaVee,” Backing her act are the three. Escort*.who also* bold the stage ’.with song and dance -white she ! changes; couture. .The Don Ganrion i orch does fine job behitfd the show, ■ having little rehearsal tifoe to pre¬ pare for the complex-backing. . . Skip,' Village Gate, N. ¥. ? Larry Adder, Edis Larkin; no covet or minimum. ' Makir® his first New York-ap¬ pearance in nearly a decade, Larry Adler scored a personal triumph in this comparatively new Greenwich Village nitery. He appears to be attracting the uptown show biz crowd to tiffs' basem*nt establish¬ ment (450 seats) as he mixes clas¬ sics and. pop —. all with concert stage polish and his familiar skill with the harmonica. Adler's sheer -virtuosity gets full play in this setting. He was able to keep a large audience, packed with college youngsters, quiet and to rivet attention. He’s fortunate in having Ellis Laritiri, former pianist for Efla Fitzgerald, to ac¬ company him; Larkin goes far in making the presentation come off smoothly. ■ ■ t Teeing off with‘ “Summertime,” Adler swiftly segues into “Ain’t Necessarily So,” al$o from “L*orgy and Bess.” Then he veers into the longhair stuff with Debussy’s “Girl With Flaxen Hair>^ done with great elan. For his “Grisby,” Adler explains that It is a blue-type tune he picked Up in France, It’s a great audience pleaser. Be breaks into a bit of patter in explaining the scene for the “Carmen” medley.- He admits that this is- Adler mixed with the rousing/Bizet music. On tiffs selec¬ tion, -Adler really shows how he has given his harmonica virtually orchestral range. “Smoke Gets in Your. Eyes” affords him a chance for. more feel¬ ing in his manipulations . while “How High the Moon” offers more triHs. From some jazz improvisa¬ tions by Adler and Larkins; the harmonicist goes into Bach's Ga¬ votte From Partita No. 3. He does the waltz from “Genevieve,” the British pic, a tune which Adler composed. Adler has retained “St Louis Blues” as his original bow-off tune, but returns sans Larkins. This lets him show that he can play the piano with as much, skill as the harmonica. It also enables him to do “Embraceable Yon,” on the harmonica while playing the piano accompaniment with his other hand. It's a solid hit. ‘Admitting that he has written some music on his own in recent years, Adler uses a tune which he picked up in Switzerland. This is sort of a theme number employing four basic notes. Recalled again, Adler obviously did not realize how late he was running (he'd been on for mere than 60 minutes), and so went right into “I’ve Got Rhythm,” done in swing time, for bis finale. Originally booked here foe four weeks, there’s already talk of ex¬ tending his engagement to eight The Village Gate is an informal spot where beer froth every coun¬ try in the world is featured. ~ Wear. Statler-MUton, Dallas - Dallas, Jan. 27. Frimkie Laine (with Joe Sina- core & Stanley Kay ), Johnny Long Orch (ID; $2-$2.56 cover. Monday openings here are light, but. Frankie Laine (who sang at aoother hostel here in 1952) over¬ flowed the Empire Room's 350 ca¬ pacity; with the grill space in¬ cluded; for the Jan. 26 debut, some 500 packed, the enclosure, with standees. No doubt about it, they were Laihe fans and he gave them 48 minutes of familiar tunes. Since his fame was built on hoi nhitters/ Laine reprises most of them—“Lucky Old Sun” “Shine,” “Moorifighfc .Gambler,” “Wild Goose” “Thai's My Desire” “Mule Trials,” “JezebeL” He couldn’t miss, aad ending lyrics were for¬ gotten in favor of lusty mitting. Husky singer, after h eight songs, : donned bis specs to gauds’ his admiring ‘throng and cracked, “There you are*” l^aine adds visual bits to bis act with some "agile footwork, grabs aud participation for singsongs of a. trio of tunes. He could do no wrong; so he adds the impressive “Granada” and -“Jealousy,” bol¬ stered with “Yolare” and the solemn *T Believe.” Swat ballad, “When 1 Speak Ypur Name " is the getoff, but the crowd wouldn’t ; stand for the eidser. Laine had to. ■ come back and . encore with“Sor- . reate” ’ .. L’ - ..'IBs: permanent aocoraps, guitar¬ ist' Joe Spaeere and. drummer ; Stanley Kay, lead the house orch in gli/ir . jdw nPM<»tmy MafiStTO Long opens the .showwith a fine ren¬ dition' of the theme from “Bridge Oh the 'River. Kwai” and packs the floor fbj^terp torus. : Laine, ‘with 1 ^ delayed opening, has'Only nine nights here; Hilde- gardfcdpfips Febi 5 for a fortpigb . r • V ; v-t-r ■. -V - Bari:. 69 Wednesday, Febrnary 4, • 1959 ’UznsmfY MGHT cfXm uvnMrs El Raneho, jLas Vegas Las Vegas, Jan. 28. “La Nouvelle Eve” with Janine Claire, Francis Brunn, George Matson, Andre Philipe, Aleta Mor¬ rison, Line (12), Chorus Boys (4), Showgirls (10), Lick Rich Orch; $3 minimum. The Las Vegas Strip’s Gallic swing gets some additional French pastry icing with opening of the newest Parisian import at Beldoru Katelman’s sporty emporium. A fast-paced little revue, boasting no names but somfe goodlooking chicks who unabashedly doff their chest feathers several times during its 77-minute running time, “La NoU- velle Eve” makes the fourth bare- bosom show current here. (Others are the Lido Show at the Stardust, Carnival de Paris at the Thunder- bird, and Ulinsky’s “Nuit de Paris” at the Dunes.) The El Rancho import is in for six weeks and how well it faires depends entirely on the tourists’ continuing taste for entertainment that’s dependent chiefly on things bare. This show, which has a nut of $15,000 weekly and is presum¬ ably an import direct from Place Pigalle, is extremely well-cos¬ tumed. The chorus girls are leggy and shapely; their ensemble dance routines, aided by four chorus boys, are good, but the production num¬ bers run too close together, again and again presenting the bare-bos- omed 10 showgirls, to the extent that monotony seems to set in. This is not only the fault of this show; it's the fault of every show of this type. As a result, the one saving grace of these, polite burlesk shows must depend on the specialty acts. And “La Nouvelle Eve” has two such, socks; first, the amazingly dexterous juggler, Francis Brunn, who has been seen often in the States and isn’t French in the first 'place; and George Matson, a funny record-mimic. Matson comes oh late and was a terrific smash open¬ ing night, probably because he was the first and only comedy in the show. In view of this, it might help this revue considerably if his three excellent impressions — flapper, French woman drivep and a strip¬ tease— were done in separate por¬ tions of the show, one of them up early. Janine Claire, a nice looking blonde, and‘Andre Philipe, latter working id the U.S. in recent years, are okay in the show’s vocal spots. Aleta Morrison, an English girl, is a particularly pretty girl, a deadringer for, Janet Leigh, and a good dancer besides. She was with the troupe in. Paris* Rene Bardy is credited for the production and Donald Saddler for the choreography. Dick Rice orch does well on the musical backing. Scho. 365 Club, San Francisco San Francisco, Jan. 29. Lili St. Cyr, Larry K. Nixon, Moro-Landis Dancers (10>, Bill Clifford Orch (9); $1-$1.50 cover. Lili St. Gyr is money in the bank at Bimbo’s 365 Club. Statu¬ esque blonde stripper’s act may be the ultimate tribute to single- mindedness in show business—it has never changed. She comes on, walks around, takes off her clothes, takes a bath, dries off and exits. This time she’s wearing a stunning red gown, silver fox cape and white gloves, but she quickly —but not too quickly—gets down to fundamentals, in this case frilly, black undergarments. As usual, she gets no applause and, as usual, she packs ’em into the capacious club. Larry K. Nixon is a fairly tired standup comic who runs through standard routines about mothers- in-law, drive-in theatres and- mar¬ riage. Moro-Landis line provides dice opening and’closing numbers and Bill Clifford’s orch accom¬ panies very Well. The 53-minute show is booked through Feb. 18. ’ . __ Stef. Cave, Vancouver Vancouver, Jan. 27. Paul Gilbert, Cindy & Alberto Dancers (8), Dope Robbins Orch (7); $1.50 cover. In for a fortnight after three years’ absence, Paul . Gilbert is still a fave with localites.-' He’s drawing . hefty ■ turnouts for new boniface Ken Stauffer who’s junked the. original raised-stage and ..brought acts and customers’ hoofing .area: flush with ringside, .achieving an intimate atmosphere. • :. Gilbert nets enthusiastic jmttihg. Jot' varied 30: minutes' of v gags,. skits -, and tuhefest' in ”, which he flips bis irame£ spoofs Canaveral rocket flops,' s&npts Limaginary with hfs drunk’s lament' bit' and-a tv medic - in - half - blind - earnest spoof. Gilbert pipes well on either torch-or bounce numbers, enlists -eager aid from aud in his high altitude cornet blowing, with winder-upper a frenzied solo on each instrument in the orch. After a couple of encores, comic’s still a begoff, and the most versatile funster to play the Cave. Cindy & Alberto terpline scores well with Latln-American produc¬ tion numbers to open and close. Cindy,.a looker, hoofs with a full glass atop her head, plus a dog that can dance and act stoned. Dave Robbins orch backstops well for show and dancing. Toms. Cork Club, Houston Houston, Jan. 29. Dorothy Claire, Mel Arvin Orch (5); -no CQVet or minimum. Dorothy Claire, an exuberant blonde with a fine flair for com¬ edy and an expert set of pipes, captivates a Cork Club aud that finds her high good spirits con¬ tagious for the entire 30 minutes of her show. Thrush opens by singing a few bars in the audience and off the lights, then takes the spot for a round of handshakes at stageside. She then, opens with “Thirteen Men” (“and me the only gal in town”), follows with “Love Me Or Leave Me,” then moves into clever “Let’s Put A Wonfan In The White House.” In this she exhibits ex¬ ceptional comedy talents, aided by hornrimmed glasses and battered hit; and she even plays a little trombone. - After “Old Black Magic” and “Rockabye Your Baby,” she begs off, but the stagesiders weren’t willing. Miss Claire, who played the lead in “Finian’s Rainbow” on Broadway a dozen ^ears ago, re¬ placing Ella Logan, gets fine sup¬ port from husband Emmett Carls, who directs the Mel Arvin house orch and leads Hie backing on his sax. To add even more to an act that has everything, the femme wears a gown that shimmies even when she stands still. Skip. Fairmont, San Francisco San Francisco, Jan. 29. John Raitt with Marge Raitt, Er¬ nie Hecksher Orch All); $2 cover. Big, rugged John Raitt scores heavily with the Venetian Room crowd in a 40-minute stint which is a sort of resume of the best postwar Broadway shows. ^ Raitt comes on in a tux with “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” then settles into the show- tune groove with “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Hey There” and “They Call the Wind Maria” from “Paint Your Wagon.” He has a fine, strong voice and is one of the few Venetian Room performers who can—and does—wander away from the mike to sing^.among the customers, and is heard. He takes a brief intermission to introduce his pianist-wife, Marge, who tunes up. “How Are. Things in Gloccamorra?” •'in a pleasant so¬ prano, and Raitt reappears in cow¬ boy shirt, hat and boots and belts out “Oh, What a Beautiful Morn¬ ing,” “Surrey with Fringe on Top,” “Oklahoma,” “The Girl That I Marry” and “If I Loved You.” For the last of these numbers he goes through the “Carousel” scene in whch he sang the song, and the crowd loves it. Raitt exits with “Shadrach” and leaves ’em wanting more. Mrs. Raitt and Ernie Heckscher’s orch provide excellent accompaniment. Show Tuns through Feb. 11. Stef. Drake Hotel, Chi Chicago, Jan.” 30. Jane Kean, Jimmy Blade Orch (6); $2 cover. Inebriates seemed more conspic¬ uous than usual for the Camellia House when Jane Kean preemed, but the slick songster-comedienne delivered a fine 45 minutes with no sign of recognizance for the tipplers. ■ - .. She doesn’t • dally much on un¬ adorned songology, usually dress¬ ing the tunes with clever bits of business, as when a male ringsider abets' with some' cha^cha’ing. It’s the familiar impressions that really sell the act, though, and some of the celeb ribbing rate as paragons in the genre. . ... , Miss Ke^n plays'righto tablers with a refreshing -spontaneity - and :charm. AH jthe attributes are hap¬ pily' melded for. a ftmg & softshoe getaway that's;, strung for this or any other‘room, and the customers so acknowledged. - v - ; Jlmmy'Blade’s Crew backs ’deftly. Show’s in fortwo weeks, with Mau¬ reen cannon bowing Feb* 13: ' 7 ... •- ptt. Dorchester, London London, Jan. 27. * Ttno Valdl, Romano & Maureen, Raphael & His Model, Dorchester Girls (4), Tommy Whittle Orch, Albert Marland; $5.50 minimum. . There’s quite an international flavor about the lineup of talent for the current Dorchester Hotel’s cabaret, with acts from Italy, the U.S., and France and a line of local girls. Tina Valdi.-who tops the layout and is slotted between the other two acts, is making his London nitery bow and shows promise of becoming a popular attraction. He has a rich and powerful voice, could disperse with the micro¬ phone to advantage, and has the easygoing Italian appeal which projects warmth and confidence. His choice of numbers, however, is on the conventional side and a little-more enterprise and courage in selection would undoubtedly pay off. Nevertheless, with such tunes as “Granada,” “Take Me In Your Arms,” “Marechiarc” and “More Than Ever” he shows his capabilities. Romano & Maureen, French comedy adagioists, put on a lively and good-humored show which seems to satisfy- ringsiders. The comedy part is rather obvious, but gets okay reaction. Raphael uses a lush blonde model to display his dexterity in creating fashion changes in lightning style. It’s moderately entertaining routine. The Dorchester Girls, a particu¬ larly attractive quartet, fiil several spots on the bfll with exceptional grace and charm. Myro. Prexy Warns AGVA Continued from pace 65 attorneys who drew up the AGVA Foundation incorporation papers, which also underwent criticism by the prexy. . Miss Singleton asserted .that Bright, in signing the mortgage pa¬ pers on July 1, 1958, stated erro¬ neously he was president. This, she explained, was legally impossible. The AGVA Foundation was formed June 26, and Bright was certified as president six days later. The N. Y. State law stipulates. Miss Singleton Said, that at least 10 days notice and a maximum Of 40 days notice is required before any meeting can be held. Where prop¬ erty of a charitable group is to be sold or bought, a minimum vote of two-thirds of the board of direc¬ tors is necessary. Thus, Bright could not legally be president. The minutes of a July 12 meet¬ ing, Miss Singleton charged, showed that three members of the incorporators—less than a quorum —Bright, Berg and Irving Gross- man, transacted all the business, elected all officers. She said that the chairman, Jackie Bright, asked Jackie Bright to take over the. presidency. Questions' Charity Set-Up Miss Singleton claimed also that Bright and Berg had failed to take out a certificate of compliance with the N. Y. State Dept, of Social Wel¬ fare. To coyer up this lapse, she said there was inserted into the cer¬ tificate of incorporation a clause stipulating,. “No provision con¬ tained herein shall te deemed to authorize this corporation to en¬ gage in any of the activities em¬ braced in section II (of the mem¬ bership corporation laws) unless the provisions of that section be complied with, nor shall any pro¬ vision be deemed to authorize this corporation to engage in. any activi¬ ties. expressly prohibited by any section of the membership corpora¬ tion law.” She interpreted this to mean that the incorporators, could not operate a charitable institution because the required certificate of compliance had not been at¬ tached to the incorporation papers. Add Mulvaney to S.cot Unit for Can.-U.S. Tour Glasgow, Feb. 3. John Mulvaney, pop-eyed young comedian currently in supporting role in pantomime here, is includ¬ ed in the 1959 Auld Lang Syne concert-party unit pacted to tour Canada and parts of the U. S. in September-October. Kenneth McKellar, the: Scot singer, will 'head the unit as he did last year. Others -pacted are comedian Johnnie Beattie* come- idehfle Alice. Dale, sopranq Sheila Nicholson .and accordionist .Ronnie McCulloch, with >.Dems WooTford as^accompanist Tour, will last .nine weeksdhis time, and will also takfe inL.A, •* •:• 'i Angel Cake Revue (HOTEL BOSTONIAN, BOSTON) Boston,-Jan. 27. • “Angel Cake ” Revue (4), Lynne Cbarnay, Bob Dishy, Alice Nunn, Doug Robinson; Phil Saltman; staged by Bob Bernstein; chore¬ ography, Robert Haddad; music direction, Nichola Schachter; $3 minimum. A new endeavor in nitery enter¬ tainment breaking in here at Louis Cohen’s intimate Jewel Room bids to change nitery format awfiy from typical acts and instead present a theatre revue. With dressing areas or each side of the stage and two pianos mounted on a platform, Bob Bernstein, who directed and wrote the skits and lyrics, has come up with a show that’s bright, updated, chic and laugh-loaded. Running 72 minutes, it-is put on in three acts, with time running an hour and a half with intermissions. It’s costumed nicely and its people are young and versatile. Idea is to tour the show into niteries around the country at an asking price of around $2,000. Best of the fast-moving and slick revue is a hilarious skit, “Broadway at 39th Street,” in which a wonder¬ ful impression of the lines for the Metopera is given and very funny lyrics on Maria Callas and takeoff on the diva by Lynne Charnay. A devastatingly funny lampoon of Kathryn Murray and the Arthur Murray Dance Party; a great take¬ off, “Omnibust,” encasing Leon¬ ard Bernstein and Agnes de Mille. There’s a sharp satire of current record hops and some fine ballads, “Private Love,” “I’ll Never Come Back” and “Part Of Me.” Revue opens with a skit on play¬ backing auditions with the charac¬ ters coming onstage from the aud, and goes from devastatingly funny satire oh quiz shows, broken down actors and Russky invas'on. The material is smart, There is enough to put into a theatre. Breaking in cold here, the revue opened after three dress rehearsals. Opening- night aud, comprising an untypical nitery crowd gave it rousing recep¬ tion. The revue commands attention and could be latched on to by nite¬ ry owners as welcome rek'ef fare from tired comics, singers, and dance teams. It looks to become a part of a bright new trend in the nitery life of the U,S. Guy. Caribbeaa farxuval (CHALFONTE-HADDON, A.C.) Atlantic City, Jan. 27. Ninth Caribbean Carnival pro¬ duced by Howard Lanin Manage¬ ment and directed and staged by Myron (Mike) Lanin, with Pearl Primus, Percival Borde & Co. (8), Palmetto Boys, Betty Reilly, Tito Coral, Tina & Coco, Phillip-Fort- Dancers & Cantinflitas, Pete Ter¬ race orch with Nilda, Princess Ore- lia and Piemientito with Gerald Clark (fir Calypso Band, Gabriel & Jorge De' Los Rios, Hilda Cruz, Johnny Conauet Band with Flor¬ inda and Angelo Betancourt Band, Lord Progressor, Trinidad Steel Band, Massie Patterson & Carib¬ bean Dance Group (6), Olivia Do¬ mingo. Chalfonte-Haddon Hall’s ninth Caribbean Carnival, first of three cruise weekends at the big beach¬ front hostelry operated by Joe Mc- Donell, and aimed to give some¬ thing more than a lift to off-season weekend business, does just that in a grand way. Some 1,600 “tour¬ ists” registered at the two hotels for the three days of festivities, - Guests arriving Friday night found the place decorated and the staff garbed in Caribbean decor to provide proper atmosphere for three hectic days of almost con¬ tinual entertainment. Admission to all events was limited to hotel guests. Initial event was the an¬ nual Caribbean dinner in hotel’s big Wedgwood Room, served buf¬ fet style and. featuring such as conch soup, sea turtle pie, Domin¬ ican red snapper, arroz con polio (chicken with rice), Spanish saus¬ ages, saleoho, lobster Caribbean, tropical pie and banana ice cream. A co*cktail party featuring island drinks preceded the dinner. . Pearl Primus, Percival Borde & Company later offered a program of African, Caribbean and Ameri¬ can folk: dances with Helen Tihsley,- Samuel Phills, Edith Bascombe, Al- verta La Pallo, "Mary Waithe, Al¬ phonse Cimber and Samuel Phills. fogneing followed. I . Greater : part of .hotel’s second •floor had:been transformed info a Colorful Caribbean village for the Saturday Carnival which got un¬ derway at fl p.m. and lasted until the wee hours. Guests got into the village by surrendering their “land¬ ing cards” as though coming off ship via a “gangplank.” They found themselves' in an atmosphere associated only with those warm Caribbean islands. At the Quai, first to be visited, were shops selling such as native hats, jewelry, clothing, etc., and nearby the Elbow Bar featured na¬ tive rum drinks—-a chance for a fast one before starting the bistro rounds. Five such bistros offered grind entertainment and drinks to keep the huge throng contented un¬ til the small hours. The Spider Web had dancing with Anglo Be¬ tancourt’s band, Johnny Conquet’s Puerto Rican band featuring Flo¬ rinda, with Gabriel & Jorge de los Rios and others with three sched¬ uled show's. Cafe Martinique had Gerald Clark & Calypso Boys with Prin¬ cess Orelia and Pimientito. “M. S. Blaekbeard” had the Palmetto Boys and introduced Olivia Domingo and the San Juan Trio. Cafe Du Quai had Lord Progres¬ sor, Trinidad Steel band and Mas¬ sie Patterson and a Caribbean dance group (6). Largest room was the Jungle Club where capacity audiences en¬ joyed three shows featuring Betty Reilly with Tito Coral emceeing. Miss Reilly offered a good program of Mexican and Spanish songs, ac¬ companying herself on electric guitar; she carhonned in a Spanish way Roberta Sherwood <shawl and all), Sophie Tucker and Elvis Pres¬ ley and concluded with “Granada,” all for. high response. She was strongly supported bv the Spanish dance team of Tina -& Coco, comic Cantinflitas, the Phill J o-Fort Dan¬ cers & Coral, who offered vocals with the emcee chores. Pete Ter¬ race orch with Nilda backed acts well. Weekend entertainment was again produced bv -Howard Lanin Management Inc. w New York group, and was once more Greeted and staged by Myron A. (Mike) Lanin, firm’s vicepresident. More than 70 musicians and entertainers were brought here. Walk. KARMON ISRAELI DANCERS & SINGERS (10) 40 Mins. Shoreham Hotel, Washington Freshly wafted from their Medi¬ terranean homeland, these youths laugh, shout, sing and dance in a performance that would lift the lids of the most jaded ringsider. It’s all fun; the five boys and five girls, most in their teens or early 20s, seethe with life and make our own teenagers look like tired, goggle-eyed zombies. The Karmon troupe, brought here from Israel by Ed Sullivan last November, stage a folk dance- and-song jamboree that’s all the more intriguing because it’s inven¬ tion, not tradition. Some basic forms are Middle Eastern, but 27- year-old Jonathan Karmon, who is lead dancer also, has shaped the choreography and music to create an original body of folk dance which takes ud a 2.000-year slack ■ in the line of ’ homespun artistic development Karmon successes have included top nrize at Inter¬ national Festival of Folk Dancing at Lille, France, beating the Rus¬ sian Moiseyev Dancers. In its first niterv engagement, they rouse the audience by the speeding, whirling, handclanping hyporklnetics. The lithe, handsome Israelis are outfitted in colorfully embroidered rural dress, smacking of Eastern Europe. The girls spurn makeup and don’t need it. They’re all shoeless but make a lot of noise with their bare feet. Highlight Is a number in which the troupe nab oartners from tables and whisk them vigorously about for a s’mole Tsraelf-style sauare dance. Ren. James Roose¬ velt was so enthuse* w'th this, he demanded another fi'n". and after¬ ward booked the shot" for a dinner In honor of his mother in New York next May. Karmon’?. gropn will make some more night sprits before , going .back next fall ~apd> It* reputation spreads, should go wgll. His sights are mainly -set o* covert circuit, however, whiqh bo . plans, to hit' hard next.-stsnmer. Versatile A^ehestre (I 9 > of Shore- h^ui’s Bob, Cro*? floe, un- ; .^cop^oahiment ie. the Blue Romm’s troupe. ' Lew. 70 Wednesday, February 4, 1959 PSSnIETt VARIETY BILLS WEEK OF FEBRUARY 4 NEW YORK CITY JIVSC HALL 5 Cwry ^cte^BaPet Ott J»^tl“ioucber Or* AUSTRALIA Ttv*n Wkdfretf Atwell KorecMBbe * Win 2 eirfe Bow* Jtowttt J A D Bim 3 Syiverkin** Lorraine SraaaCrore 'Bevedy Vtqokazt NEW YORK CITY Sfe* Ansel Betty Johnson Dorothy London India* Tabarajoe Jkoaur Ioroa 3 Barf Howard Bm Stir Alice Ghostley Thewte Seinelt Three Hamer Murray -Grand Casaneve T.rtrt Ted Stneter Ore Mark Monte Ore Stan Grorer Mark Dawson Jim Hawthorne Jaeeph Ricardel Ore Alan Lo<an Ore Hefei TWt * Vincent Le^ea Ore Hefei ». Rests Vicky Antler Bay Bari Ore. Mdt Shaw Ore Herman ChittUon Bob English Latin ftMdar Jean Carroll Frauds Brtran Dick Curry Pony Sherrefi Jn Loanbantt Ore B Hartowe Ore L# Cep Wan Kitldi* «B#Il Giyi Dorstoa tefereatfenaf Hike Done Ore Pahaieri Ore w IJVf Smile Petti Ore Town * C o wiry Jewel Box Revue Ned Harvey .Ore Slcari Ore Twe Guitar* Oln VaMi Ivan Ne>a K. Poliauk r Ore an«b« X7edano£f Viennese- Unttfa Trio Smeed Toba Sherwood Ernest Schoen VOfaseBam Bahnml Marion Murray Rodriguez Bevne - Carillon Leu Walters Revue Irene Hilda Darryl Stewart Pirodca Tun Ton Lndexme Jc Ashour RicWrdi Jt Co. DonGarrard Judy Reece Jactmes Donnet Ore Clre*e Alan Gale Kay Brown Archer* Demlta. Jo Mac Davie Ore Chris Cohimbo 5 Capa City Duke Ellington OtkaHa Della* MDler Bros. Barbara McNair jbnmy Randolph Nonna Miller Ducts T immie Regers Stump tc Stumpy LB Greenwood Ellington Ore Deaovttle “Newcomers of *38“ Paul Whiteman Harry Richmaa VaHee __r Kfaton BiBy Gilbert FiO D*Orsay Tex 1 Flash_ Karen TborseQ Vic Spaddy Lea Harold Ore vntase vtnswf Sonny RfflTftn* Bid Hen der s on Three Sounds Waldorf-Astoria Edith Piaf EmB Coleman Ore Bela Babal Ore Larzy Grayson Boy Bargy Lee Martin Ore Freddy BeB BTboys CHICAGO PhyJUs » Omne S Lord Christo *!ve Nate LanAert, Hendricks A Rose MJG Cher Fare* Sammy Davis Jr. Bis* Jayne Gbo. Cook Ore. Chen Aderahles <Si CMstsr Inn i Dane Rameey Lewis Trio Cemwd HUton HeTga Nett “Frosty Frills" Farrs A Carter Ben Gee St Bern!# Harris Jack KodeB Eddie Aril Manuel Del Toro Inez & Gordon Ken Harris Ore Gate of Hem Martha Schiamme John Sellers London House Barbara Carroll 3 Misfer JCaliyx Julie WBsen Jimmie Wrimndr Marty Rubinstein 3 Marx A Frigo Palmer Home Lisa Kirk Chase 4c Park Ben Arden Ore LOS ANGBES 'SaRy Wythe Chariae Veepia Sammy Wolf Djckj ten ga ^ Im Lane Ore C ecea ew f Grove D enali Day Lester Horton Ducts F rotkfar Martin Ore Crescendo Kaye Bettaxd Herb Jeffries Eddie Case 4 Moulin Rewee Jerry Leeds. “Wonderful World" State Bros. Don Rickies “Rhythm on Ice" Ed Bergman Ore Ye Little Club Fthel Azame Joe- FeBx Roger Nichols LAS VEGAS Desert inn Ton- Martin Jack Durant Art Johnson Dona Arden Dncrs Carlton Hayes Ore Ownas “Unit De Paris’* Carrie FInaeU Um'ijuIt Family TrieCottee A Bon Conroy Irv Benson Jack Mawn Jimmy Cavsuaagh Murray Briscoe Cee Davidson Ore U Cortex Rosri A Boyer RMBe Boris T » l j£iSw Vsw? “L» NouvgBe Eve" Dick Rice Ore. Hamms* Peart Bailey Coles A Atkins Moans Gleason DoU Xirfc Hoseycosas Deedy A KB Gayle Walton Make Be&eve* GoMm. Munet Harry Bands Lee A Faye May¬ nard Art (Cow Eyari Bu¬ gler Sons at GohTn Wst Xavier Cugat Abbe Lane Jack Carter Ray Sinatra Ore Dorothy Darken Dcx Donald O’Connor Sidney MHer Lor Gates “Olive" Sahsrfm Dancers Louis Basil Ore Dean Martin Steve Rossi' Texas Cepe Giris Aniaeie Herein Ore Hank Minton Jshney Cash' Marie Travis SBvtr bilpper __ Hills June Wirth Abe CHve Sparky Kaye Red Marshall Danny Jacobs Annie Maloney Geo. Redman Ore fHo De Paris “Cost Magnlffajoe" Happy Jesters Winer Manone - . Thudderbird **Cam*vT de Pare*" Robert Lamouret Vicki Benet - Le Trio MarteHi Tosca De Lae Charlie Ventura Drc Jackie A Roy A1 Jahna.Ore Tropica na Roberta Sherwood Shecky Green*- * Nat Br*ndwy*neOre Stan Kenton Ore Dopble-Daters. MIAMI - httm BEACH Admiral Vee Helene Francois Artists A Models Marlowe-Kulle^ Rev Blackbum Twins Jerry Collins Jaek DeLeon Kay coo Jones Mara Lynn Mark Reddy Tyler Ore Buddy Rich Ore Roset te Shaw WIIHe Restum Marty Harris 3 Diplomat Dick Snzwn. Jean Carroll Bobby Van Coronados Mai Mai Mu Ore Earths Kitt Rowan * Martin Sichiardi Jr. * Walter Nye Or* Jackie Heller Giovannis Buffy Dee 3 Lu|a Varona Ore Sonny Kendis Ore Pufakie b M a u Jack Benny Gisele MaeKfinzie Chiquita A Johnson Szonys Saeasas Ore Campo Ore Gray’s Inn Charlie Farrell Dori Lynn Harbpur Lounge Gilbert A Tney Tony M>t *» Latin Quarter Betty GraMe Jay. La . ._ Solger A Dolores Tommy Wonder Del Rubio Triplets “Legs" Diamond Docn Arden Revue Jose C ortex O re Havana MardS Gras Dion Costello Miles Velarde Don Casino Roberto A Alicia Fausto CarbeJo Ore Nancy Donovan Fredtfie Calo ©re Murray Franklin's Paul Graj Dick HariBand. Kay Carroll Rockee Pryor Sue Lawton The Coelm Eddie Bernard Riot Room The Trenierx Martin Denny 3 Rocking Lounge Cozy Cole Ore Dizzy Gillespie S Don Vincent 3. Robey Plaza Art A Dot Todd Sto-mper* Mickey Manners Freddy Stewart Sin T.fwg CnnWy kUTIer I.Dansations Mickey Gentile Ore SAN FRANCISCO Stan Arnold Bene Joubert Alackhawk Cal Trader 3 Canterbury ' Geo. Alexander Benny Strong Ore Easy Street • Turk Murphy—ere Geo. Shearing John Raitt XL Heckscher Ore 449 Club Larry Winters Carol Davis Walter Hart Gay Vf* Bee A Ray Goman Dick Keegan Ore Hangover Earl Hines Joe Sullivan Muggsy Spinier Hungry * Frank DHoUe Jo Ryder Nichols A May Jazz Workshop Maaterso u nds Kewpte OoH Marty Marsala Ore On the Lrrne Kid Ory Ore Purple Onion Coachmen 3 Cathl Hayes Ronnie Schell 2*5 Club Lili St. Cyr . Larry K. Nixon Moro Landis Ore BUI Clifford Ore. RENO Harrah's Chib Jerry Colonna T .it i rPP t Shari Long Don Baker Sons. Golden West Lyn Avalon Matfada Trio Harold's Club Carmen Cavallaro Holiday Hoosier HotShots Woodsons Joyce Atmee Nancy Lee Janie McFaddeh 3 Wilder Bros. Rivorrido Four Prras Florinc* Honey Giris Ray Stevens Jack Schafer Riverside Starlets Ed Fitzpatrick Ore Garifce Casmos S Continued from page 1 ssi located In the moimtains several miles outside the Haitian capitaL Herbert Morrison, talent buyer for this chain of casinos, was -in New York last week casing acts. The Aruba casino is expected to be open in June. Morrison says that names will be used in that area as weU. Aruba, site of one of the largest oil refineries in the islands, is a frequent stop for cruises. Morri¬ son stated that it's expected that free port, legislation will be adopted to entice rhore- tourists and put it in competition v(rith nearby Curacao* which is a -free pOrt.- Whether some of the 'other.; American, gambling interests wilf settle in ether Caribbean, areas is not kadani yet Other Americans in Havana are expected to have a sough time reopening-under the Fidd Castro regimes For example, Meyer Jieaded the casino operation at the Havana Riviera; Joe Rivers was one of the partners in Havmm Hilton; Joe A T<my Rogers Stadsi were at the Plaza; the McLaney brothers took over the Nacionai from Wilber Clark (latter is with the Desert Inn and Stardust Hotel, Las Vegas); Lefty Clarke, the first American opera¬ tor to go into Havana, started a£ the San Souci, but moved over to the nearby Tfopicana. Americans with a yen for gam¬ ing may not be attracted to Havana if the casino industry reverts to native pracUoners. It's recalled that prior -to. the advent' of Las Vegas money in Havana, that city had an unsavory reputation among the gambling gentry. It was only when Americans came in- that bloodthirsty operation and fixed wheels were eliminated and gam¬ bling was on the level, and hence outsiders had no fear of taking a chance in that city. Jones is seen as trying to create a gaming empire that will pick up. the trade that formerly went to Havana with his Carib casino op¬ erations. Bisg-Wnt-Sirngs S 5 S CbnHnoeil from page 2 <55555 fermance something of a letdown. Yet. at Carnegie it was first-rate music. . It was dramatic. Nearly everything was memorable and the star clearly, starred. Yet there remained the old questions. Respecting Call as, many in Gotham give praise against a Wish not lo do so. A kind of hard-to- anafyze resistance can almost be “felt” in her presence. Call it re¬ action to the Callas cult, and its extravagances, and to the artist’s visible wilL It is as. if the critics, and the camp followers of other divas, will never go beyond admit¬ ting that Callas is “good but not as good ns she thinks she isJ r : Are her high notes reedy? Is the listener - sometimes nervous tha t she’ll fracture her folderol? No doubt. But never was there so alive and dynamic a soprano about whom so many people passionately argue that her voice is not what it used to be. Meantime she is the ho t tes t individual name, the most dare-to-do talent in opera. Nobody may like her except ticket-buyers and plainly she doesn’t think that non-singing managing directors are the equal of an artist Perhaps the significant point is that $he is posi¬ tively never “a lovely voice” pro¬ fessionally or a “sweet nature” personally. Working down front on the apron of C arnegie, she appeared in a stunning gown with a rose satin-] stole which has since become famous.. Since there were no cos¬ tumes or scenery, Callas used the stole to change the scene, alter the mood. Her hamlling of thiV wrap¬ around had clearly been studied, J rehearsed and perfected. It 'was an amazing bit of “stage business,” an d indeed Callas almost escaped the rigid. limits of opera given | minstrel fashion, with full com¬ pany on stage in chairs. There was ample proof through¬ out the evening that the American Opera Society orchestra had been more than averagely drilled. The singers (none used a prompt book, as often happens! were fully “up” in their roles and cues. The stamp of Callas* own perfectionism was upon everything. By . eye-signals she repeatedly directed director Nicola Rescigno. Her two: imports from Italy, tenor Piero Miranda-- Ferrara and baritone Constantine Ego, made strong impressions, es¬ pecially the young tenor, a barrel- chested chap of considerable vocai splendor. It was toe opera society’s annual benefit”. (for itself) with lower floor seats at $25 top and boxes $33 per chair. DIvertingly enough, many in the boxes were Met Opera regulars, compelled by curiosity, apparently not sure wether to'side with “art" or “management.” If perhaps musical history was hot made, theatrical excitement was undeniable. There were plenty of moments of ovatkm "along the way, and the big finale, with Callas sedaunder a light, was near enough te a genuine coup d’theatre for mi save ' perfectionists. Callas was surely virtuosic in atHtude^creative drivr and In. general impact. The mpral of the doubts which c haunt hex* prestige in the U.S. may be. a simple One: -never thro& stones at your mama. , s (Sone 'Mf,films Face Crisis mammmmmrnmmmmmmmmii Continued tttOm Rag* 1 J555— jean trade association remained aloof from the various challenges of state censorships which' were mounted and won by importers of alien features. Now it becomes ap¬ parent ‘ that the Motion Picture Assn, cannot remain on the fence. Censorship becomes its problem, a threat to its membership directly. The reality of censorship is al¬ ways either present or latent Ef¬ forts are afoot currently in Mary¬ land, Pennsylvania, 'Ohio and else¬ where to revive or strengthen cen¬ sorship, This is in the wake of paralyzing blows to the whole cen¬ sorship concept and local police morals squads. Nonetheless no re¬ alist in the film <or publishing) in¬ dustries supposes the censoring forces permanently routed. They me visibly re-forming ranks. Until now, with occasional ex¬ ceptions, Hollywood has never fought the censors with much en- thusiasm, and in a good many cases It has not fought them at alL For that matter, -the brunt of the cen¬ sor battle in the past five years has been borne by the independ¬ ents with their “foreign imports. The paceraetting U. S. Supreme Court decisions on pre-release cen- ■ sorship, the ruling which upset the ;1914 concept of motion pictures is being outside the protection of the first and 14th Amendments, came about through “The Miracle,” an 'Italian film. In the past, MPAA has carefully disassociated itself from censor ac¬ tions involving overseas product. Beaucoup ‘Darin** With American producers now seemingly going all out in "dar¬ ing,” i.e. .tackling themes that would have been unheard-of only a decade ago, the antagonism be¬ tween the motion picture and its would-be censors is bound to grow in proportion. As the screen pushes back its horizons and speaks with a new and more honest language, those who have always considered the film a danger because of its power to contribute to changes in the social fabric are seen intensify¬ ing their efforts to keep motion pictures in check. (This ties in, too, with the upcoming Supreme Court derision on “Lady ChatterleyV LQker.”) These attempts can take many different forms, from censorship as now known, to the licensing of theatres, to the setting up of cate¬ gories of motion pictures which in turn can or cannot be seen by cer¬ tain age groups. There is nd ques¬ tion that some of these attempts can and will be frustrated by the courts. But it’s going to be a hard struggle, for progress and reaction go hand in hand and the very thing which some would congratulate Hollywood for, others would damn with, all their heart. Shield of Virtue What the industry has lost within the past yeai or two Is the “protection” of the Production Code, which once it could cite as Its shield of virtue. Because of economic necessity more than ar¬ tistic conviction, producers are making films that range far and wide and soeak an entirely new language. (Otto Preminger wanted to usp “Sexual intercourse” in “Anatomy for Murder” but was persuadade to drop the “sexual” in the final script; hi “ComDUl- sion,” one clearly hom*osexual char¬ acter says to another: “So von're going to ditch me for this girl?”) Neither theme nor language are stopped any longer by the Code barrier. What the Code has been reduced to is an instrument that prevents excess or, in industry par¬ lance, that assures “gbod taste” in anything that’s done. This, obvi¬ ously, isn’t enough for those who feel that the “new” Hollywood is violating their basic concepts of what motion picture entertainment should be. Gradually, stripped of the excuse of the Code and occa¬ sionally still slightly dazed by its own daring, the . American film is offering itself as <*& prominent target. ‘ Battle Joined This explains, in part* toe vio¬ lence of the latest attack on censors (in this instance the N.:Y. .eensarV by. the Motion Picture. Assn. Jot /America, which in years past.haft been conspicuously silent- on toat; subject, though working kom time; to time behind the scenes. The grafting denunciation came from ■; Kenneth Clark, v.p. of the MPAA, in a letter to Hugh M. Flick, ex¬ ecutive Asstetant to the Commis¬ sioner of Education mt Albany. Flick used to be the N. Y„ censor. Noting Flick’s recent advocaeypf censorship and classification, Clark called censorship “odious to demo¬ cratic principles?’ mid “a weapon of totalitarianism” which “we in the United States should no more borrow ^. . than we would borrow, communism from the Soviet Un¬ ion.” Censorship, he argued “won’t even begin to do what its proponents claim for it. It never has. There is no reason to assume that it ever will.” Furthermore, Clark wrote, “it is a deceit prac¬ ticed on good and well-intentioned persons who have been led blindly to put trust in it. It is always ar shattering awakening when the truth becomes apparent”. Addressing himself to Flick per¬ sonally, as a former censor who could “see at first hand the evils and fallacies of censorship,” Clark said he would exoect him to be “the first to champion freedom of expression in all areas. I would think that you would employ your vast influence to abolish censorship in New York rather than to com¬ pound the existing felony, on the people of your ktate,-\ * Industry Divided Clark’s letter, addressed to a man generally considered among the most moderate and reasonable of those advocating censorship, reflects the industry’s growing con¬ cern with the reaction (fancied, planned or real) to the growing adultness of film material. Yet, even within the industry, there is a split That motion pictures must take on a more mature sbaoe is gener¬ ally conceded. That this results in some pictures which are unsuitable for the juvenile audience is obvi¬ ous. The question posed is: Where (assuming that the industry retains a degree of resnonsibility beyond the boxoffice dollar) do we go from here? Is a film like “Compulsion” desirable fare for teenagers? Does the thoroughly adult film pose a danger for the young? Groups like the Roman Catholic Legion of Decency obviously reply in the affirmative. They are now being joined by a good many'who advocate what exhibitors abhor, Le„ classification. Some see this as a protection, and-aUfery neces¬ sary one at that. Others shudder at the. thought, partly because someone again would ; have to de¬ ride which picture belongs into what category, and partly because it would remove strong pictures from the bulk of the film-going au¬ dience, Le., the teen set. The argument usually is that it’s up to the parents to restrain their youngsters from seeing “objection¬ able” films. Yet, it’s recognized that this parental control is any¬ thing hut effective and that the re- sponsibility reaches beyond the home. What a good many people are saying is that, under present. rhanging conditions, classification has merits. What stumps them is a method for enforcing it that would not repeat all 'the evils of censorship. 2 Songbirds 5 ^ Contfnuea from pass 2 4m55 by for mer U. S. Ambassador to Cuba and Mrs. Arthur Gardner. There. Callas related a griev¬ ance against Rudolph Bing in¬ volved in the row which resulted in her being dropped by the Met- opera. He expected her to per¬ form without having previously re¬ hearsed with the set, she said. And, she added,' she is too nearsighted to do this without risks of onstage collisions* Ray was hbnor guest at a lunch¬ eon given by Mrs. Mesta at “Let Oimes,” her mansion,“Friday (30), where the'fare was-lobster New- burg, ham and four songs *and one • piano solo by Bay. To 'Wind thipgs up, Mrs. Mestoy who once' studied to be a -ptof Singer, led everyone , in two. choruses of “Shine On Sari . vest .Moon” .with jftay at tite pianow Mrs. Mesty said she wanted tp -entertain .Bay because he.. „on*g sent her,* bouquet of flowers after they were Introduced- socially. ?T always send- nice ladies How- fii w he sad. LEGITIMATE 71 Wedneidiy y Febmaiy 4, 1959 After being crowded out of the 4- revised plans for the. Lincoln' Square development project in up¬ town New York, commercial-legit may still get a location in the area. A former vaude and occa¬ sional legit theatre abutting the Lincoln Square site, is being of¬ fered for sale for use for' stage •presentation. The house Is the former RKO Colonial, currently under lease to NBC as a television studio. It is a 1,265-seater, with ample stage and backstage facilities and mod¬ ern air-conditioning. The entrance is now on Broadway, but it's been suggested that the .marquee and entrance could be moved to the corner of 62d St. and Columbus Ave., just across the street from the proposed dance theatre unit of the Lincoln Square performing arts section. Although NBC’s lease on the Colonial extends to September, 1966, 'it can be terminated in March of i960, or thereafter on 30 months’ notice. The network is ob¬ ligated to restore the house to its former condition upon completion of its occupancy. - The owners are asking $950,000 for the property, which is free of mortgage, and includes not only the theatre, but an adjoining five- story hotel building with elevator and another five-story structure containing stores and office and storage space. The present assessment totals $649,000, ihclding $359,000 for the land, , Present taxes for all three items total $16,000. The realty firm of Pease & Ellman Is handling the property.* .Although producer-realtor Roger L. Stevens and several associates were at one time planning a unit of six legit theatres in the Lincoln Square development, that phase of the project was dropped when the Government decided not to go through with a proposal to supply part of the. financing. Henderson Cleaves Vice Peper for Werld-Tdly Henderson Cleaves, formerly as¬ signed to the educational depart¬ ment end Brooklyn news, has been shifted to amusem*nt news and features for the N. Y. World-Tele¬ gram & Sun. He succeeds William Peper, who has moved to rewrite on general news. Saul Levinson is amusem*nt edi¬ tor of the Seripps-Howard daily, with Frank Aston as drama critic, Alton Cook film critic and Louis Biancolli music and dance critic. There will he an opera house, concert hall and dance theatre in the center, as well as a small legit house for the operation of a reper¬ tory group. But no theatre for regular legit shows of the Broad¬ way type is contemplated under present plans for the Lincoln Square center itself. The Colon¬ ial Theatre, across 62d St,, appears to he the only possibility of even an adjacent commercial stage set¬ up. Tears of Cencert-Style Programs Hot Season American Opera Society’s con¬ cert-style presentations at Carnegie . Hall, N. Y., will be toureft increas¬ ingly, Emma Feldman, Philadelphia impresario, who experimented two years ago with the Society’s mount¬ ing of Cherubini’s “Medea” and bought three p e r form ances the fol¬ lowing season, will include four of the Society concert operas next season, making it a series-withinra- series. For Baho Mgr. Baltimore, Feb. 3. Producers who think the road is dead hr at best not worthwhile are contradicted by Leonard B. Mc¬ Laughlin, manager of Ford’s Thea¬ tre, the sole local legit house. Mc¬ Laughlin, who took over manage¬ ment of the theatre this season, claims that Baltimore will respond to a good show, and he offers the figures to prove it. “The reluctance of producers to send shows on tour is difficult to understand, for there is a large audience ready for plays of rea¬ sonable merit,’* he says. “During the past four or five years there has been a resurgence of theatri¬ cal interest on the road, just as in New York. But except for the early season, which is heavy with tryouts, there are so many dark weeks at most houses that it is amazing that the public responds as it does when a show is booked. “Here in Baltimore,” McLaugh¬ lin con tines, “almost any play of merit will do excellent business.” He cites such examples as “Waltz of the Toreadors,” $26,000; “Hap¬ piest Millionaire,” $30,000; “Sep¬ arate Tables,” $22,000; “Rope Dancers,” $26,000? “Middle of the Night,” $26,000; “Auntie Marne/ $41,000; “Diary of Anne Frank, 1 $28,000; “Visit to a Small Planet/ $24,000; “No Time For Sergeants/ $40,000, and “Pajama Game,” $70,-' 000 (two weeks). He also mentions this season’s “Look Back in Anger,” $22y000; ‘Two for the Seesaw,” $28,000; “Romanoff and Juliet,’ $34,000; ‘Third Best Sport,” $23,000, and “Lil Abner,” $35,000. The man¬ ager credits local critics and drama editors with valuable help, explaining, “while none of them could - be termed polyannas, they bend over backwards to find some¬ thing good to say about whatever is presented here.” Baltimore, considering its popu¬ lation, has one of the largest sub¬ scription audiences in the coun¬ try, McLoughlin points out, with nearly 5,000 subscribers to the Theatre Guild-American Theatre Society series. Patrick Hayes has-contr acted for two of the works!next season for Constitution Hall*-Washington. He selected Maria Callas in “H Prata” last week, after seeing the per¬ formances at Carnegie. Boston is also taking the Society. Three or four other eities are currently ne¬ gotiating with *he .Herbert Barrett Management, which handles the Society’s business, Judy in ‘Bdb* to Open 22d CL0 Seasoe m LA. Los Angeles, • Feb. 3. The opening show, for L.A. Civic Light Opera Assn/s 22d season at the Philharmonic Aud will be “Bells Are Ringing,” startihg April 20 with Judy Holliday and entire Broadway cast and production. The musical closes March 7 at the Alvin-; N.Y; and- is slated for en¬ gagements in Washington and De¬ troit eu route west. * “West Side-Story,” another cur¬ rent Broadway Rff; ate Is skedd^f fmr presentation year by GLQ. This, ton, will have the Broadway production and cast. John Beaufort Monitor Arts-Eiitertainnient Ed. John . Beaufort, legit and film critic for the Christian Science Monitor, has been named editor of the newly created arts and enter¬ tainment division. He will con¬ tinue his regular reviewing assign¬ ment from New York, with fre¬ quent trips to the homeoffice in Boston for editorial confabs. Harold Rogers has been appoint¬ ed assistant editor, also continu¬ ing as music land recordings) crit¬ ic in Boston. Melvin Maddocks, who has been temporarily cover¬ ing legit and films in Boston, fol¬ lowing the recent-death yi Edward Melvin; has been given the assign¬ ment permanently, and Fred Gui¬ dry has been added to the arts and entertainment staff to review tele¬ vision and films in Boston. Others on the .a. & e. staff in¬ clude Margaret Uoyd, dance crit¬ ic doubling between Boston and New York;.-Dorothy . Adlow, net •critic also in-the Hub and .GCth- and MSes- Kastendieefc, 6t the N.Y* Journal-American, as guest i music critic in New York. Kdley&. LiEiniy Mgr*/ SucceedsPaiii Betsaua F. Beverly Kelley, veteran 1 Broadway and road pressagent and manager, has been named manager of the St. Louis. Municipal Opera. He succeeds Paul Beisman, who died last Oct. 19. In another move, John Kennedy, iwho stages the Municipal Opera [ shows at St. Louis’ Forest Park; has relinquished his post as production : supervisor of the “Song of Norway” summer presentation at the Jones Beach (N.Y.) Marine Theatre. ShulertinD.C Washington, Feb. 3. A foiir-alarm fire at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre here early last Thursday (29) burned out the en¬ tire backstage area and sent flames shooting through the 80-foot roof, which collapsed. The building was empty at the time. . Left in the ashes was; one of Washington’s only two legitimate theatres, which probably won’t be rebuilt: The hew pre-Broadway comedy, “Listen to the Mocking Bird," playing the house, will prob¬ ably be abandoned. * The . Edward ChoddrOv play, pre¬ sented by the Playwrights’ Co., stars Eva LCGallienhe and Billie Burke and features Una Merkel. Slated for two weeks here, it had played four performances with a $6,800 gross and was skedded for a week at Ford’s Theatre in Balti¬ more before heading for New York. Only the National-Theatre (once burned to the ground years ago, hut reconstructed) remains as a local legit house. It is now playing the Old Vic Co. Not yet in is the cost estimate (Continued on page 76) Local GroHps Protest Boston, Feb. 3. Hub art patrons are pushing for the establishment of a Metropoli¬ tan Boston Arts Center on the south bank of the Charles River. Under the nroposed olan, the Met¬ ropolitan District Commission, a state agency, will supply the land arid buildings for the project, which would include a tent the¬ atre, an art gallery and an opera house. The MDC voted last Thursday (29) to proceed with project, and to allot $250,000 to get it started. The deeisioit was in the face of strong opposition. The principal opponent is- the non-profit Group 20 Players, which has been pre¬ senting al fresco classical produc¬ tions for the last six summers at Wellesley College’s Theatre-on-the- Green. Mrs. Alison Evans, . Group 20 president, protested against the Center plan at a recent Commis¬ sion hearing on the subject. Her stand was that such a project could seriously undermine the position built up by the Group 20 since its inception six years ago. She also pointed out that a* “competitor,” the Cambridge Drama Festival, is represented by * three persons on the Center’s nine-man board of di¬ rectors and that the board has se¬ lected the . Cambridge group to handle the entire 1959 program, in the proposed. arts project. The MDC has since indicated it will ask t&e pine-man MeBAC board to include an additional member from a local art or theatre group. Backing the Group 20 stand were local strawhat producer Lee Falk and Peter Temple, general man¬ ager of the old Brattle Theatre Co., Cambridge, and former director of the Boston Arts festival. Propon¬ ents of the Center noted that speedy approval of the project enable the launching of a 10-week classical drama season next July. The river bank site for the Center is off Soldiers Field Bead, between the Eliot and Arsenal. St. bridges. The coin to be put up by the Com¬ mission would come from its orig¬ inal $5,000,000 recreation budget. However, the alteration oi the arts program ifsdt vriR not be subsi¬ dized. That was emphasized at the Commission hearing by Petty R. Batfcbcne, president of the Cen¬ ter organization.* ^ Henry Schnitzler Back ! To Europe After Visit Henry Schnitzler, artistic director of the Josefstadt Theatre, Vienna, planed to London after about a month’s visit in U. S. on the West Coast arid two weeks in New York to catch the Broadway shows. From London he’ll visit Paris be¬ fore returning to Vienna. Schnitzler, a native of Vienna but an American citizen, returned to Europe two years ago after 20 years in the U. S., much of it spent on the Coast as a faculty member of the California Univ. drama school at Berkeley. Besides having charge of artistic matters at the Joseph- stadt Theatre, he stages produc¬ tions there and occasionally takes outride staging assignments, i He’s the son of the late play¬ wright Arthur Schnitzler. Set 4 Shows for Albany in’53-§0 Albany, Feb. 3. A series of at least four local engagements of touring shows, for two evenings and one matinee each, is planned for next season by the Broadway Theatre League of Albany. The shows will play the 1,900-seat Strand, a Warner film house. Performances will be Mon¬ days and Tuesdays. It’s figured that at least 2,500 subscribers can be signed for the Albany showings. The Strand Will be taken on a rental basis, with the house cooperating on ticket sales. Broadway Theatre League of Albany officers are Lewis A. Swyer, a local contractor, president; Mrs. Edward J. Crummey and Micel (the latter a local business leader and former strawhat producer), vice-presidents, and Mrs. Robert V. Vooris, secretary. Booking of touring shows in Al¬ bany is not expected to affect road showings in nearby (16 miles) Schenectady, where the Broadway Theatre League Is presenting thpee New York productions this season. Utica, about 90 miles west of here, has had BTL touring shows on subscription for two seasons, and Syracuse. is reportedly sched¬ uled for next season. ‘Poker’ a Pre-B’way Hop; ‘Ford,’ ‘Heecfflg’ Dabiois A trio of prospective Broadway entries were casualties during the last fortnight. “The Poker Gairie,” folded last Saturday (31) in Phila¬ delphia, while “Listen to the Mocking Bird” and “Golden Fleec¬ ing,” now appear questionable. “Poker,” written by George Pa- netta and produced by Norman Forman, was financed at $90,000. It shuttered after one week of .a scheduled fortnight’s tryout in Philly. “Mocking Bird,” trying ont last week at the Shubert Theatre, Washington, closed when a fire in the house destroyed the • show’s physical setup. The Playwrights Co.> producer of “Mocking Bird,” was to decide yes¬ terday (Tues.) what action would be taken regarding the Edward Chodorov comedy. The play, budg¬ eted at $75,000, lost about $25,000 more on its tryout run. It’s hoped that insurance will cover most of the production costs. There’s a chance that the- show may get a, new physical -production and be i sent on tour, with an eventual Broadway presentation possible. “Fleecing,” a Courtney Burr- Elliott Nugent venture, was in re¬ hearsal when activity was halted Jan. 24 after a succession of man¬ agerial mixups. The Lorenzo Sem¬ ple Jr. comedy involves a capital¬ ization of $100,000. Legit pressagent William Fields has been dented Vic£-pyerident of the Playwrights Co. in charge of publicity and advertising. He’s been an oceeutive member of the firm since its formation in' 1938. | The possibility -a Broadway booking jam during the balance of “this season appears remote. That’s despite the present situa¬ tion, in which all houses are eith¬ er currently occupied or commit¬ ted to incoming shows. I As is usually the case on Broad¬ way, the “no vacancies” condition Is regarded as only temporary. Not all of the current shows are ex¬ pected to continue through the end of the season and some flops are anticipated among the forth¬ coming bookings. Since only five of the 16 new productions slated for Broadway between, now and the end of May are in need of berths, there’s lit¬ tle prospect of a housing shortage. And, even if enough shows don’t drop out of the running, several borderline grossers could be evict¬ ed to make way for any of the five entries that may show strength out-of-town. The quintet of shows without Broadway bookings includes “God and Kate Murphy ” currently breaking in out-of-town; and the upcoming “Faster, Faster,” “Gay Felons” “Desert Incident” and “Good Will Ambassador.” The Theatre Guild is also seeking a Main Stem hou;e for the planned reopening April 15 of “A Party With Betty Comden and Adolph Green.” The present booking situation, with current tenants and future commitments, follows: Alvin: “Bells Are Ringing,” va¬ cates March 7, with “First Im¬ pressions” due March 12. Ambassador: “Third Best Sport.*” ANTA: “J. B.” Barrymore: “Look Homeward (Continued on page 76) Prods. Griffith & Prince Form Company to Make Power Boat Crmsers Broadway producers Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince have formed a company to build and sell cabin cruiser power boats. The firm is Boothbay -Boats, Inc., a $75,- 000-capitalized venture in which the producers, their associate, Broadway producer-director-author George Abbott, and various of their legit backers are stockholders. The standard-model boat has been designedly Kenneth Smith, will be 33 feet length, with regu¬ lar sleeping accommodations for four (and two convertible berths), to sell for $13,000. The. craft will be built by an established firm, Goudy & Stevens, East Boothbay Harbor, Me. The first boat is due for completion April 1. Griffith and Prince intend con¬ tinuing fullscale. Broadway produc¬ ing activities, but figure operating the boat business as a longrange sideline. Griffith, has been a sail¬ boat skipper since early childhood, but recently (since acquiring a bankroll as co-producer of “Pa¬ jama Game,” “Damn Yankees,” etc.) has transferred his affections to power boats. He’s lived for many years at a waterfront place at Rowayton, Conn., on Long Island Sound. Ckarch KLO.’s Gabor-‘Ii?€s’; Darnell at Chi Drury Chicago, Feb. 3. Drury Lane’s voluntary compli¬ ance with Roman Catholic recom¬ mendations in choosing plays has fizzled negotiations with Eva Ga¬ bor, who is currently touring in stock with “Private Lives.” The comedy has been denounced by the Catholic reviewing organ, the Sign, as completely objectionable, and since the actress’ tight schedule 1 precluded a week of rehearsals in a different show she was forced to ■ reject the Drury Lane bid. Opening Feb. 10 in place of the tentatively planned Gabor appear¬ ance is Linda Darnell in . “Late Love." Miss Darnell was to have opened the season a week ago in “Dial M For Murder,” but had to cancel for minor surgery. John Carradine and Lee Ann Meriwether replaced her as the stars. Slated to open Feb: 24 is “Dulcy/’ with Asa B. Davis. Drury hat yet to set bookings for the final two shows of the season. LEGITIMATE 72 ^feasSr Wednesday, February 4, 1959 | CASTING NEWS j Following are available parts in upcoming Broadway, off-Broad- way, touring , industrial and television shows, All information has been obtained directly by the Variety Casting Department by tele¬ phone calls, and has been rechecked as of noon yesterday (Ty.esA. The available roles will be repeated weekly until filled, and addi¬ tions to the list will be made only when information is secured from responsible parties . The intention is to service performers with leads provided by the managements of the shows involved'rather than to run a lengthy list of blind items. In addition to the available parts listed, the tabulation includes pro¬ ductions announced for later this season, but, for which, the manage¬ ments, as yet, aren't holding open casting calls. Parenthetical designa¬ tions are as follows: (C) Comedy, (D) Drama r ( MC > Musical Comedy , IMD) Musical Drama, (Hep) Repertory, (DR) Dramatic Reading, Legit BROADWAY - (Parts Available) "Desert Incident” (D)—produc¬ ers, Tad Danielewski & Moms Feld* Available parts for under¬ studies: cultured well-built Ameri¬ can. general; General’s wife, 45, submissive, quiet* dominated by husband; young, energetic business¬ man and pretiy, restless, discon¬ tented w,ife; retired professor, old, but still bright and alive; efficient, relaxed Government official, 40-45; two servants, either authentic, In¬ dians or of American-Indian de¬ cent; sandy blonde eight-year-old girl, vigorous, bright. (Mail, photo i and resume to production assistant Jeanette Kamins, 234 W. 44th. St., i Suite 702). I "Flight to Mafia” <M). Produc¬ er, Jamieson Productions, 350 W. 57th St; musical director, Alfred! Ricky. Available parts; femme j lead* 26-28, Spanish type singer; femme lead, 16,. singer, American teenage type; male singer, 38, American, slim, Don Ameche type; male singer, 45-50, Spanish-dicta- tor type, stocky; male, 17, Ameri¬ can teenage singer; femme singer, 28-30, beautiful, sophisticated; male singer, 19, Latin appearance. Ivy League manner; two male charac¬ ter comedian-singers. Mail photo and resume to producers. "Flower Dram Song” (MC). Pro¬ ducers, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein 2d & Joseph. Fields. Male and femme dancers-singers- actors of Oriental appearance for the contemplated touring and-Eng¬ lish companies. Mail photo and resume to Eddie Blum,*c/o Rodgers & Hammerstein, 488 Madison Aye. “Gypsy” (MC). Producers, David Merrick & Leland Howard, 246 W. 44th St., LO 3-0830. Two-man cow act (similar to a two-lnan horse act). Contact Michael Mindlin, above address and phone. “Satin Legs Smith” (MC). Pro¬ ducer, Warren Coleman, 729 Sev¬ enth Ave.: Parts for femme singer- dancers, good looking, dark com¬ plexion, 5’6”-5’7”, to form group. Mail photo and resume. "Sure Sign of Spring” (MC). Producer, NET Production, 234 W. 44th St, director, John Stix; chor¬ eographer, Matt Mattox. Parts: Femme lead, French, early 20’s, sensitive, lonely; male, co-lead, mlddleaged ex-bootlegger, ex-car¬ nival man; male. eo-Ieaa, Scot, late 20’s, dour, proud, husky fisherman; femme comedy lead, mlddleaged, realistic French businesswoman; male comedy lead,‘Scot, boastful affable, middleaged retired sea captain; male, late 40’s, French vil¬ lage priest, strong, raw-boned; femme singer, early 30’s, hard- talking; male, gentle, close mouth¬ ed, giant; also, rugged fishermen, elderly villagers, innocent young people and. children of all ages. Mail photo and resume to pro¬ ducers. * "West Side Story” (MD). Pro¬ ducers, Robert Griffith & Harold Prince. Auditions will he held every Tuesday, 2 p.m., at the Win¬ ter Garden Theatre, 1643 broadway, for replacements of the Broadway and London companies. Apply for appointments, stage door at 2 p.m. or 8 p.m., to Lo Hardis or George Eckert. OFF-BROADWAY '(Parts Available ) "And the Wind Blows” (D>. Pro¬ ducers, George Charles, Joan Hor¬ vath & Luis Martinz; director, Martinz. Available parts for Mex¬ ican Indian, and peasant types; hoy, 10-13, small, loveable: male, Por¬ tuguese; late 40*s, Short, stocky, Akim Tamirrof type; male, 50, resolhte, irritable, wiry. Auditions, Feb. 8* from 2 to 6 p.m'., St. Marks Playhouse, 2d Ave, Tend 8th St* Bring photo and resume. • "Courtyard* (D). Producers, An¬ thony fit' Goodman Productions, 1225 Sixth rj&rst- -Abeepting photo and resume-of performers via* mail 4-■--- only; also resume of potential tech¬ nicians, managers, stage managers. “Evening with Thorton Wilder” three one-act plays. Producer, Equity Library Theatre; director, Ray Lonergan. Rehearsals Feb. 16- March 14. Casting 11 W. 18th St.; Feb. 9 and 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Feb. 10, from 7 to 10 p.m. (bring membership card). First play, “Love and How to Cure It”: Femme, good looking but aloof, barely 16; character-comic. co*ck¬ ney; femme, mature soubrette, stout; male, about 20, elegant young British dandy. Second play, “Long Christmas Dinner”: femme, 65-70, crippled grandmother femme, 35-37; male, 40-75; male, 40-80; male and femme, 16-80* ex¬ perienced; femme, 23-70; character femme, 50-80; male and femme, 18; male, about 18. Third play, “Pullman Car Hiawatha”; male, lead, folksy character; femme, ma¬ ture 30-35; femme, 30-40, mature woman who has lived; male, 30-35; femme, middleaged spinister; male, middleaged doctor; femme, 50, stout, amiable; two males, about 30, husky, male, Negro, shy, amiable; male, brash, young, male and femme hits and walk-ons; bits may be non-Equity; small parts will be doubled with larger parts. - "Gentlemen” (MC). Producer, Vista Production; director, Jerry Alder; musical director, Harold Glick. Parts: Two young male and two femme leads, also character couple. Operetta type voices re¬ quired. Mail pholo and resume to producers, at 112 W. 89th St. Audi¬ tion to take place in July, rehears¬ als start in August, opening in September. New Drama Production. Produc¬ ers, Saul Gottlied, Robert Welber & Sam Cohn, c/o M. J. Meyer^ 154 Nassau Street. Photo and resume of all general talent being accept¬ ed by mail. Address Meyer, as above. "Ole” CMC). Producer-director, Max Leavitt, AL 5-4 222. Call for non-union singers, auditions Feb. 9, by appointment only. OUT OF TOWN (Parts Available ) "Babes In Anns” (MC). Produc¬ ers,^ Lee Guber, Frank Ford & Shelly Gross. Available Parts: male actor-dancer-singer, 18; Soprano, 18, Elizabeth Taylor type. Mail photo and resume to Eddie Blum, c/o Rodgers & Hammerstein, 488 Madison Ave. Ballet Florence & Frederic De Paris, c/o. Music Corp. of America, 598 Madison Ave., N.Y. 22. Avail¬ able parts for femme dancers, 5’ 516”-5' (in bare feet); modern ballet essential. For tour of XJ.S. and abroad. Mail photo and resume. "Bells Are Ringing” (MC). Pro¬ ducer, Theatre Guild. Equity call for singers Feb. 5, at Alvin Thea¬ tre, 250 W. 52d St.: male, 11 a.m.; femme, 12 noon. Also needed a bass-baritone. CHICAGO Dulcy” (C). Producer Carl Stohn. Parts: male character lead in in 50’s; wife, 30’s; young male lead in 30’s; character butler, 30-40; comedian, 30’s. Auditions Feb. 13; contact producer at Drury Lane Theatre, 2500 W. 94th PL, Evergreen Park, Ill., PR 9-4533. SUMMER STOCK “Song of Norway” (MD), to be repeated from mid-June through Sept. 7 at Jones Beach, N.Y. Pro¬ ducers, Leonard RusMn & Guy Lombardo, 730 Fifth Ave. N.if.C. Paris' available for leading $nd ensemble singers, ensemble dancers. Mail photo and resume to above address. FUTURE SHOWS "And So Farewell” (D). Pro¬ ducer, Norman Twain <na produc¬ tion office set). ' V v "Before the Fall” (D). Pro- l ducers,^ Betty Lee-, Himt & Ira Cirker (no production' office set), "Dear ; Liar** ..(CD). PfbdueBr, ; Guthrie McCIMtic, 1270 "Sixth : 7 ^ 152 ;* < -V'*;r.^ * “Happy Town” (MC)* Producers; B & M Theatre Productions, *c/o LennyvDebih, 140-W. : 58th St.- ?■ = "Lend An Ear” (MR). Producers, Stephan Slane & Jenny Lou Law, (no. production office set). Let’s Go Steady (MC)—producer Edward Padula (1501 Broadway, LA 4-4860). “Purging of Simon Madden” (C). Producer, Norman Twain (see above). ' "Satin Legs Smith” (MC). Pro¬ ducer, Warren Coleman, 729 Sev¬ enth Ave. “Skin. Deep” (MC). Producers, P. R. B. Productions* "Tobacco Road” (CD). Producer, David Moss Productions, 580 Fifth Ave. SHOWS IN REHEARSAL t BROADWAY "Destry Rides Again” (MC). Pro¬ ducer, Daivd Merrick, 246 W. 44th St., LO 3-0830. "Gay'Felons” (C). Produrers, H. Clay Blaney & Geoffrey Jones, 36 "Look After Lain” (C). Produc¬ ers, Playwrights Co. (745 Fifth Ave., PL 3-7500), Charles Russell, Lance Hamilton & Gilbert Miller. "Most Happy Fella”-(MD). Pro¬ ducers, N. Y. City Center Light Opera Co., 131 W. 53d St., JU "Sweet Bird of Youth” (D). Pro¬ ducer, Cheryl Crawford (49 W. 45th. St.; JU 2-3466). OFF-BROADWAY “Beaux Stratagem” (C). Produc¬ ers, T. Edward Hambleton & Nor¬ ris Houghton, 189 Second Ave., OR 4-7160. “Buffalo Skinner” (D). Produc¬ ers. Monte L. Frierson & F. Fitz¬ patrick White (Linda Productions, 665 Fifth Ave.). “Clearing in the Woods” (C). Producers, Paul Michael & Gayle Hinckley (99 Seventh Ave., So.). "Electra & Harlequinade” (D&C). Producers, Rita Allen Pro¬ duction, Milton Cassel & Harry Rigby, 120 Madison Ave. “Golem” (D7. Producers, George Morforen & Robert Kalfin, 244 W. 14th St. “Royal Gambit” (D). Producer, David Ellis, Sullivan St. Theatre, 181 Sullivan St. SIGNED BROADWAY Desert Incident: Shepperd Strud- wick. Destry Rides Again; Jack Prince. Lovely Star, Good Night: Don¬ ald Cook, Mark Richman. My Fair Lady: Pamela Charles (succeeding Sally Ann Howes). Sweet Bird of Youth: Charles Ty¬ ner, Earl Sydner,' Bruce Dern, Mil- ton J. Williams, Monica May, Hilda Brawner, Charles McDaniel, James Jeter, Ronald Harper, Pa¬ tricia Ripley, Kenneth Blake, Glen StenseL OFF BROADWAY Buffalo Skinner: Neil NappL Rocky; Muro, Louise Manning, Julia Clay. Clearing in the Woods: Susan Lee, Jan Jarrett, John Karlen. Enemy of the People: Ted Tes- ser, Albert Viola, Dave Woodman. Golem: Ronald Weyand, Rachel Armour, Paul Andor. Look Bade in Anger: Lynn Wood (succeeding Atidree Rae). Power and the Glory: Deborah Moldow (succeeding Ina Beth Cum¬ mins). Films “Parrish,” adaptation of Mildred Savage novel* Producer, Warner Bros*-Joshua Logan* Available: title role, 18-22, about 6 ft, medium build, handsome, an “unknown” actor. Mail photo and resume to producer-director Logan, c/o War¬ ners, 666 Fifth Ave., N.Y. “Tall, Dark Man*” Producers, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, .729 Seventh Ave. Available part for femme, legally 18 but looking younger, beautiful, sensitive, some exper¬ ience. Mail photo and resume to producers. HOLLYWOOD "Give Your Heart to the Hawk*,” frqm Robinson Jeffers’ epic poem set in California. Prefer “unknown” talent. Available: male lead, 21-30, at least six feet tall, strong; femme lead, 21-25, requires sustained dramatic characterization; support¬ ing players, male and. femme, 25- 65. Production scheduled for late summer start Mall photo and resume to producer-director N. H. Cominos, c/a Alba Productions, 506 No* Foothill Road, Beverly Hills. . - . .. -Television ' ■'Cumm .'Btaree,' editeitioual; •drama,. CBS;-producer, jahn Jlc- Shows oil Broadway Reqniem for a Nun Theatre Guild and Myers & Flelsch- mann presentation of three-act (seven scenes) drama by William Falukner. Direction, Tony Richardson; scenery and costumes. Motley, supervised and lighted by Marvin Reiss. Stars Ruth Ford, Zach¬ ary Scott; features Scott McKay, Bertice Reading, House Jameson, Christian Flan¬ ders, John Dorman. Opened Jan. 30, *50, at the John Golden Theatre, N.Y.; $6.90 top ($8.05 opening). Nancy Mannigoe.Bertice Reading Mrs. Gowan Stevens.Ruth Fora Go wan Stevens . Scott McKay Gavin Stevens .. Zachary Scott Governor... House Jameson Pete .. Christian Flanders Mr. Tubbs .John Dormah After being presented in various languages in 14 foreign countries, “Requiem for a Nun,” finally reached Broadway last week as a joint presentation of the Theatre Guild and Richard Myers & Julius Fleischmann. The reputed reason for the reluctance, of Broadway producers to do the William Faulk¬ ner drama here is its questionable commercial prospects. On. the basis of this production, the lack of popular appeal seems all too apparent. Although it’s by a Nobel Prize author and contains strong writing, with a relentless sort of drive, it tends to he all in a single, sombre key. There are no changes of pace, light moments Giffert. Submit photo and resume for consideration. Nat Greenblatt (524 W. 57th St). Dela McCarthy Assoc., 515 Mad- fison Ave. Casting, Colin D’Arcy* Submit photo and resume for con- t sideration. | Grey Advertising, 430 Park Ave. ! Casting, Jim Kaye. Submit photo and resume by mail only. •— I, filmed on location—CBS; pro¬ ducer* Gilbert Ralston; casting through Marc Merson; address by mail only, Barbara Tuck, CBS, 524 j W. 57th St Available parts: un¬ usual types, interesting faces, good physical conditions, will consider I applicants having had odd occupa- i tions. Submit photo and resume. ! J. Walter Thompson ad agency, 420 Lexington Ave.; casting direc¬ tor, Evelyn Peirce. Commercials only; cast from file; application for ■appointment photo and resume by mail. “Johnny Eager” MGM-TV, 1540 Broadway. Available part: male, 35-40, greying hair, young face, Jeff Chandler type. Mail photo and resume to MGM Talent Dept, at above address. Kastor, Hilton, Chesley, Clifford & Atherton ad agency, 420 Lexing¬ ton Ave. Casting, Richard King. Mail photo and resume. Lamp Unto My Feet, religious drama, CBS; producer* Don Keller- man; director, James MacAllen. Submit photo and resume for con¬ sideration. Nat Greenblatt (524. W. 57th St). Lawrence Welk show. (Plymouth Motors), ABC-TV — Seeking teen¬ age vocal and instrumental per- pormers for guest appearances or. as permanent band members. Sub¬ mit disk or tape nome-recorded acceptable) of wellknown pop or standard numbers, plus recent photo, short biographical summary. Address Plymouth Show, ABC Studio, Hollywood* .or 2623 Santa Monica blvd., Santa Monica. Look Up & Live, religious- dramatic, CBS. Producer, Jack Kuney; casting, Marc Merson, 524 W. 57th St Casting from files. Mail photo and resume. National Screen Service, 1600 Broadway. Casting, Carl Carbone. Submit-photo and composite for consideration. North Advertising, 6 E. 45th St. Casting Frank Higgins. Cast from . files for the Toni commercials. Pre¬ fer models with good hair. Mail photo and resume for considera¬ tion. Reach, McClintion & Co., 505 Park Ave.; casting, Esther Latterell. Photo and ' resume accepted via mail only for commercials; boys, girls; middleaged and elderly men and women; also young and mature women for shampoo commercials. Schwartz & Luskin, 15 E. 48th St. By mail only, photo and re¬ sume, actorsv 18-25, at least 6 feet tall, preferably unknowns. Ted Eshbangh Studios Ino, 1029 E. 163d St., N.Y. 59. Experienced models with good figure; send bath¬ ing suit and leg photo and com¬ posite to Jack/Grey, above address. The Verdict Is Yours, unre¬ hearsed courtroom dramas. CBS; producer, Eugene Burr; director, Byron Paul; casting contact, Liam Dunn, CBS, 524 W. 57th St. (do not phone): No open casting; all done from files; Submit photo and res-1 time .for consideration. *%■ i WBCA-YV; Plaza, N.Y. 20). cations fof auditions eral .talent,- exeewdn,__ atterbate’Tfifcsdayifc -Aww-; to “Cpeb y Auditions/’ Rockefeller nor vivid theatrical scenes. The effect presently becomes monoto¬ nous. ^ The play is not a requiem and contains no nun, hut is an inexor¬ able sort of morality drama about expiation and salvation through faith. It’s a continuation of Faulk¬ ner’s novel, “Sanctuary,” present¬ ing the bemired heroine, Temple Drake, as a now-respectable and apparently wealthy southern ma¬ tron. Most of the lurid action is offstage—in the past. When a former companion-in- sin, a Negro whor* and dope ad¬ dict, is sentenced to death for murdering the heroine’s small child, mounting moral pressure is exerted to compel Temple to re¬ veal her past and explain the sordid background of the case. The defendant's lawyer, the uncle of the heroine’s tortured husband, hovers about in lugubrious disap¬ proval, and Temple and her spouse alternately berate him or squabble with each other. As staged by British director Tony Richardson in front of Mot¬ ley’s simple but imposingly formal settings suggesting a southern mansion interior with a wide flight of steps rising toward the rear, the cast plays on unvarying beat and tone. Ruth Ford, for whom the work was written, plays Temple alternately as proudly unrelenting and prostrately repenting. Her costar - husband, Zachary Scott, scowls and looks fierce and resentful as the lawyer, a role the author doesn’t clearly define or explain. Scott McKay is believa¬ ble and understandably hang-dog as the betrayed husband whose youthful oat-sowing started Tem¬ ple on her former career of-sin. Bertice Reading gives a relaxed and eloquently quiet performance as the devoted nurse condemned for killing the child, while John. Dorman lends individuality to the small role of a garrulous jailor, and House Jameson and Christian Flanders are acceptable In bit parts. “Requiem” sums up as unexcit¬ ing theatre, and Offers little for pictures, stock or other “residuals.” Hobe. Tall Story Emmett Rogers & Robert Weiner pres* entation of three-act (nine scenes) com¬ edy* by Howard Lindsay and Russel Cronse, suggested by Howard. Nemerov** novel "The Homecoming Game." Direo Jerry Teller, arranged by Edward Thomas. Features Hans Conried, Mara Connelly. Marian Winters, Robert Elston. Robert Wright, Mason Adams, Nina Wil¬ cox, Opened Jan. 29. *59, at the Belasco Theatre, N.Y.; $6.90 top ($9X0 opening). Herb .Jeff Harris Connie . Nancy Baker Don . Richard Franchofc Walter .Wayne Tippift Hazel .. Janet Fox Agnes . Sally Jessup Nancy ... Joyce BuUfant Mary . Sherry LafoUette Eddie .. Kevin Carpenter Joe.Donald Dawson Prof. Osman.. Marc Connelly Prof. Solomon .. Hans Conried Myra Solomon .......... Marian Winters County Prosecutor.Jamie Smith Jane Ryder ..Nina Wilcox Ray Blent . Robert. Elston Sandy Hardy.. - Mason Adams Mike Giardinerl.Ralph Stantley Baker...Tom Williams Grant .Charles K. Robinson Jr. Fred Jenson ... Haxen Gifford rieda Jenson ..Patricia Finch _ick Stevens ..Edmund Williams Albert Solomon . Ray Merritt Myers . Bob Lynn.Jr Simpson.Wayne Slppit Wyman . Jeff Harris Pres. Nagel .. Robert Wrignt Collins .... John Anin Clark . Rex Everhart Beneath the moderately funny but synthetic comedy of “TaU Story” is an equally amusing Rnd much more legitimate play that’s been lost somewhere between original -premise and opening night performance. As a boxoffice ven¬ ture for Broadway, this Howard Lindsay-Russel Crouse dramatiza¬ tion from the Howard Nemerov novel, “The Homecoming Game*” is a lightweight item likely to re¬ coup its cost through its pre-pro¬ duction film deal v As played. It’s a wacky concoc¬ tion about how an attempted fix of a midwest conference champion¬ ship basketball game has repercus¬ sions involving academic freedom, pure ethics as opposed to “the human equation,” and an old- fashioned juvenile-ingenue ro¬ mance, this time between a star athlete and an adoring cheer leader* The first act is long and tedious, the second brighter and the third busy and fairly enter¬ taining* *V There Is,, however, the basis for a real play behind the shallow She¬ nanigans actually presented. Per¬ haps adaptors Lindsay and Crouse deliberately minimized the funda¬ mental sftuatioh (presumably .'con¬ tained in : the original hovel), thd * confiik' jof attitudebetween the . self-iighteous eth&s professor and hii ewfixt faculty jcollea^de-;- jt -rBiay \ (Cohtinued pnapage 761 V LEGITIMATE 7a Wednesday, F<bnnry 4» 1959 PKssmfr Road OkayrGirls $2#30S,deve.; ‘Jimo’ 3^D. C; ‘Anger $28G, Gu; ‘Sim $21,100, Pkffly; ?oker’ Fades - Road business. was generally •satisfactory last week. Several shows played to solid business. However, . a few of the tryouts didn’t fare too welL “Girls in 509,” the seeond post- Broadway tourer to hit the road in the last fortnight, got off to a fair, start in Cleveland. Estimates for Last Week Parenthetic designations for out- of-town shows are the some as for Broadway, except that hyphenated T with show classification indicates tryout and RS indicates road show. Also, prices on touring shows in¬ clude 10% Federal Tax and local tax, if any , hut as on ' Broadway grosses are net; i.e. exclusive of taxes. Engagements are for single r week unless otherunse noted. BALTIMORE Dark at the Top of the Stairs, Ford’s (D-RS) ($4.88; 1,819; $45.- 000)7 Over $27,300 With Guild subscription. Previous week, $16,- 000 for five performances at the Playhouse, Wilmington. : BOSTON . Majority of One, Colonial (C-T) (1st wk> ($4.95-$5.50; 1,590; $43,- 000) (Cedric Hardwicke, Gertrude Berg). Opened Jan. 26 to four affirmative reviews (Doyle. Ameri¬ can; Hughes, Herald; Kelly, Globe; Maloney, Traveler), < one yes-no (Norton, Record) and one so-so (Maddocks, Monitor); over $34,- .100. Previous week, $35,900 at the Fhrrest, Philadelphia. CHICAGO Look Back in Arger, Blackstone (D-RS) (2d wk> ($4.95-$5.50; 1,450; $38,000) (Donald Harron. Pippa ' Scott), Almost $28,000. Previous' week, $21,300. ~ My Fair Lady, Shubert (MC-RS) (C5th wk) ($7;-‘ 2,100; $72,979) (Michael Evans, DiSne Todd). Over $70,300. Previous week, $63,100. Two for the Seesaw,.Todd (CD- RS) (6th wk) ($5.50; 1,090; $34,461) (Ruth Roman, Jeffrey Lynn). -Nearly $24,900. Previous week, $25,800. CINCINNATI Mnsie Man. Taft (MC-RS) (2d wk) ($6; 2,510; $80,000). Almost $78,- 900. Previous^ week, $66,800, with flood conditions hurting -business. CLEVELAND Girls *in 509, Hanna (C-RS) (1st wk) ($4; 1,515; $27,000) (Peggy Wood, Imogene Coca). Almost $20,800 for first week of tour. PHILADELPHIA Old Vic, Erlanger (Rep-RS) (2d wk) ($4.50-$5.50; 1,884; $40,000). Over $46300. Previous week, $30300. Poker Game, Forrest (CD-T) (1st wk) ($4.8(P$5.20; 1,700; .$40,000) (J. Carrol Naish, Doretta Morrow, Aline MacMahon). Opened Jan. 27 to three pahs (Gaghan~ News; Murdock, Inquirer; Sqjiier, Bulle- tm); almost $11,600. Folded Satur¬ day (31), cutting short scheduled two-week run here. Previous week, $4,500 -at the Shubert, Washington. Raisin ha the' Sun,-Walnut (D-T) (1st wk) ($4.80-$5.20; 1,340; $35,000) (Sidney Poitier). Opened Jan. 26 to three affirmative notices (Gag- han. News; Murdock, Inquirer;. Schier, Bulletin); over $21,100. ; Previous, week, $17,500 for five performances at the Shubert, New Haven. Redhead, Shubert (MC-T)- (3d wk) ($6-$7.50; 1,884; $65,000) (Gwen Verdon). Nearly $58,100 for seven performances.- previous week, $66,300. SAN FRANCISCO View From the Bridge, .Geary (D-RS) (5th wk) ($4.30-$4.85; 1,550; $39,000) (Chester Morris). About $9,500. Previous week, $17,000 at the next-door Curran Theatre. Warm Peninsula, Curran (CD-T) (1st wk) ($430-$435; 1,758; $42,- 000) (Julie Harris;. Opened Jan. 26 to five inconclusive reviews all singling out Miss Harris for praise' (Morton, Examiner; Knickerbocker, Chronicle; Hall, Call - Bulletin; Steif, News; Cone. Oakland Trib¬ une); almost $28,000.' Previous week, $37,200 at the BUtmore, Los Angeles, ' ' ' WASHINGTON Jmio/National , CMD-TJ ; (2d Wk* ($5.50-$8.05;' 1,677; $50,800) (Shir- ley Bdbth- Melvyn-Boug^as). Al¬ most $87,^500. .Previous, week, $4£5Q0., • Listen tolhe MoekiiifgBfrd; Shu¬ bert (C-T) (1st wk) ($3.25-$4.85; 1,518; $38,000) (Eva Le Gallienne, Billie Burke). Over $6,800 for four performances, with the last half of the week cancelled because of a Sse in the theatre. Previous week, $17,400 for seven performances at the Hanna, Cleveland. WILMINGTON God and Kate Murphy, Play¬ house ($4.80; 1,251) (Fay Comp¬ ton). Opened Jan. 29 to one favor¬ able review (Crosland, Journal) and . one on-the-fence (Klepfer, News); almost $5,700 for four per¬ formances. SPLIT WEEKS Auntie Mame (C-RS) (Sylvia Sidney). Totalled -$35,900 for seven-performance split Previous week, unreported, totalled $26,000 for seven-performance split. Lil Abner (MC-RS, bus-and- truck). Totalled $34,600 for eight performances, as .follows: Royal, Columbus, Ga., Monday (26), two, $4,100; Sidney Lanier Highschool, Montgomery, Tuesday (27), one, $3,800; Highschool, Tuscaloosa, Wednesday (28), one,_$7,0G0; Temr pie, .Birmingham, Thursday-Satur- day (29-31), four, $19,700. Previous week, $21,100 for seven-perform¬ ance split Romanoff and Juliet (C-RS) (Bert Lahr). Totalled $20,100 for six-performance split. 1 Previous week, $28,600 for eight-perform¬ ance split Of (-.Broadway Shows (Figures denote opening dates ) Antony & Cleopatra, Heckscher (1-13-59); closes next Saturday (7). Boy Friend, Cherry Lane (1-25- 58). Crucible, Martinique (3-11-58). Fashion, Royal (1-2Q-59). Hamlet of Stepney Green,' Cricket (11-13-58). Heloise, Gate (9-24-58). Ivanov, Renata (10-7-58). i Look Back hi Anger, 41st St. (11-7-58) Man Who Never Died. Jan Hus (11-21-58).. Many. Loves, Living Theatre (1- 13-59). Mistresses & Maidens, Orpheum i (1-21-59). - - ■ * On the Town, Carnegie Hall Playhouse (1-15-59). i People & Poppets, Theatre Easti (1-26-59). Qnare Fellow, Circle in Square j (11-27-58). 1 Saintliness of Marjorie Kempe, York (2-2-59). J ' She Shall Have Music, Theatre Marquee (1-22-59); has to vacate! theatre next Sunday (8). Threepenny Opera, deLys (9-20- 55). Tis a Pity She’s a whor*, Play¬ ers (12-5-58). Touring Shows (Feb. 1-15) . Aontfe Stem*. (Sylvia Sidney)—Granada, Santa Barbara (2); Civic Aud., Pasadena (3-4), doses). Canadian Players—College, Maryville (2); College. Warrenstiutg (3)? College, Pittsburgh (4>i Univ.. Fayetteville, Ark. 15); Civic Aud., Midland, Tex. (7); College, Stepbensville, Tex. ©); Univ., Denton. Tex. (10); College, Hammond, La. 02). Dark at the Top of the Stairs—Stanley. Utica (3); Erie. -Schenectady (4); Aud., Rochester <5-7); Hanna, -Cleve. (8-14). First Impressions (tryout) (Polly' Ber¬ gen, Farley Granger* Hermione Gingold) —Shubert, N.H. <2-7)i Forrest, Philly (9-14). Girls In 5*t (Peggy Wood, • Imogene Coca)-r-Haima, Cleve. (2-7); Shubert, Det. (9-14). Corf and iCate MOrphy (tryout) (Fay Compton)—Wilbur, Boston (2-14). Juno (tryout) (Shirley Booth, Melvyn Douglas)—S&ubert. Boston t4-14) '(Re¬ viewed in VARIETY, Jan. 21, J 59>. LIT Abner (bus-and-truck)—Memorial Aud., Spartanburg, S.C. (2); Township Hall, Columbia/ S.C. (3); Ovens Aud;, Charlotte. -N.C. (4-5); Aycodc Aud., Greens¬ boro, N.C. (6-7); Keith Albee. Huntington. W. Va. (9-10); George Washington H.S., Danville, Va. <U); Center, Norfolk <12h Mosque, Richmond (1&14). Look Back In Anger (Donald Harron, Pippa Scott)—Blackstone, Chi (26-7); Pabst, Milwaukee (9-14), Majority of One (tryout) (Cedric Hard- wicke, Gertrude Berg)—Colonial, Boston (2-7) (Reviewed in VARIETY. Jan. 14. ’SB). Music Man (2d Co.)—Music Hall^ K.C. (2-7); Shubert, CM (11-14). My Fair Lady (2d Co.) OGchael Evans, Diane Todd)—Shubert. QM (26-7); Riviera, Det (9-14). Old Vic—National, Wash. (2-14). Raisin ,hri the Soa (tryout) (Sidney Poirier)—WalnuLr Pbilly (2-7); Blackstode, Chi 00-14). (Reviewed in VARIETY, Jan. 2S, J S9L RoitMnoff and JuHri (Bert* Lahr)— tL, Charleston (8>;‘lndtena tJ., Blooming-' Ion-: <®*7); SL Mary’a College. South Bendr Indiana (8); Memorial Aua.. LVille (9-10); Tennessee Theatre, Naa&VHle (ID; Whit- RehjL Aud.*- Cctwrabus, Miss. (32); Munici¬ pal. rr.6. (14-15). - Sweat Bird of Yctrth (tryout) (Paul Near- 1 man, Gerialdih* - Page)—Ltocust. Philly (9-14). a . - - ; Tao fbr rte-ie'ekaW (2d CoJ (Ruth* Romdm Jeffrey iCynh)—Todd. Chi (3-1C. Warm Penfosuln ftTTSUIJ/fJylie jSasris). J —Curran, SJ’. (7-14) (Reviewed in VARI¬ ETY, Nov. 5, *53). ' ' OfMTway Review \way Perky; ‘Rashom*on $38,500 (9), ’ (Por CAA /C\ <\I_> (Pi 0 AAA * C Sbe Shall Have Music Stuart Bishop, Dede Meyer & Edwin West, presentation of two-act (16 scenes) xcusiett cemedy based -on Wycherley's "The Country Wife," with music and lyrics by Dede Meyer; book by Stuart Bishop. Direction, Louie MacMillan; pro¬ duction design, Herbert Senn .and Helen Pond; musical direction, Julian Stein; ’ — costumes, McGovern. ___ __ the Marquee Theatre, N.Y.; * 4.60 top. Cast: Skedge Miller, Irene Perri, Law¬ rence- Celsi, Lawrence Weber, Cerry David, Edgar Daniels* Barbara PavelL Betty Oakes, Honey Sanders, Michael Aubrey, Rudy Tronto, Rhoda Levine, Peggy Ann. Watson, Barbara Quaney, Arden Andersen. Ray Morrissey, Pat Toil- son, Ken Fields. It’s hard to add jazz to the Res¬ toration, but the people responsible for “She Shall Have Music” have surely come up with a new beat They’ve made singers and dancers of the strumpets and cuckolds, of William Wycherley’s “The Coun¬ try Wife,” and turned the whole into a tuneful amalgam, which opened last week- at the Marquee Theatre. The songs are pleasant, if not memorable. The biggest problem occurs when the music strays from the bedroom tarts in the attempted direction of Rodgers and Hart. Then it gets a little sticky, and in¬ stead of a tuneful- amalgam it’s more like hasty pudding. ~ Dede Meyer, who wrote: the music and lyrics. Is at his best When he stays with songs that mir¬ ror the period his story is por¬ traying.* Best examples are the title song and “Maud the Bawd.” There are a couple of good ballads, too. One in particular, “Who Are You ” ought to be heard in some of the east side cafes, at least. A fine cast, knowledgable about the kind of roles they’re playing, add to the fun at the Marquee. Betty Oakes, as the country girl gone wild in the big city, offers : a charming voice and a pleasantly reckless manner. Skedge Miller is ; almost as fey as he dares be* play¬ ing the part of Foppling, • and . .Cherry Davis is excellent as a sing¬ ing and dancing servant girl. The people have been guided through their good-natured paces by Louis MacMillan, who has maintained the flavor- of the Wycherley piece and most of its theatrical pace. The choreography by Tao Strong comes off well con¬ sidering the cramped quarters of this showcase. There are 18 people in the cast, just about the limit possible. T§e production designers, Her¬ bert Senn and Helen . Pond, have helped out in the small theatre by drawing their set backdrops of Restoration London with good perspective to • give an illusion of spaciousness, Ned t. Tohetent Group Offers Training Gourse Again The Musical Arena Theatres Assn, is reopening classes Feb. 19 for the training of theatre person¬ nel It’ll be the group’s second annual pre-summer session for the grooming of administrative talent for tent theatre employment. The course, to run for eight con¬ secutive Thursday nights, will cov¬ er payroll preparation, union con¬ tracts and regultions, boxoffice p *o- cedures, house management, office mangement, royally contracts, pro¬ duction, promotion and publicity and casting. There will also be four Saturday morning courses from March 21-April 11. The program will be under the direction of Prof. Edward O. Lutz, of Brooklyn College, Lutz, an ac¬ countant, and-his partner, Robert M. Carr* are executive directors of MATA. LONDON SHOWS tFigures denote opening dates ) LONDON At Drop of Hat, Fortune n-24-57). Aunfte Manic, Adelphi (9-10-58). loy Friand, Wyndbam’s (12-1-53). ‘Breath of Spring, Duke York's (3-26-58). . Brouhaha, Aldwych (8-27-58). Chrysanthemum, Wales- ‘ (11-13-58). Cinderella, Coliseum 02-18^58X. Day In Life Of, Savoy UD-1-58X D'Oyhr Carte, Prince’s (12-15-58). Ffva Finger Excrclsa, Comedy (7-16-58). For Adaits Only, Strand (6-25-58). Friends A Nefghfeors, Vic. Pal. (11-11-58). Grass Is Greener, St. Mart 02-3-58). Hook,-Line, Sinker, Piccadilly (11-19-58). Irma La Deuce, Lyric (7-17-58). LiyJe* for Measure, Garrick (7-10-58). Lont, Short, TaU, Royal Ct, (1-7-59). Repertory, Md Vic (9-17-38). Mousetrap, Ambassadors 01-25-52J. My Fair JLady, Druxy Lane (4-30-58). Hot in fMrBoek, Criterion (4-2-58V * Bear Like a . Dove, Pboen'x (9-25-57). ' Bose Tattoo, New (1-15-59). i Salad Days;* Vaudeville (*5-54), Staple Spyman, Wnitehalt (3-79-58). Traveller Lvtteg* Arts (1-29-59). Tunnel of Leva, Apollo <123-57), TWO for SeeeatK,. Hayaarkef (12-17-5*), Unexpected Boast, Da&hese (5-12-53). VafmottHtr Seville (1-27-59). - Wheee's: dsarlay. Palace <2-20-58V . ' West Side story, ’Majesty's (12-12-58). WdMkn^DB Stair, WebMaster tt-St-m . . .... SCHEDULB^-. ■ . Taste of Hdnfy, Wyndh?mV (2-19-5^). ‘ Flings Ain't, Stratford Royal (2-17-59). Mory mm vo;, (inrinyr Broadway was spotty last week, but indications that business will be slower this stanza. Sellouts and virtual capacity en¬ tries included “Flower Drum Song,” “La Plume de Ma Tante,” “M ar ri a g e-Go-Round,” “Music Man,” “My Fair Lady,” “Pleasure of His Company,” “Shakespeare’s Ages of Man” and “World of Suzie Wong." There was one closing last week* and two openings are due this week. Estimates for Last . Week # Kegs: C (Comedy), D (Drama), CD ( Comedy-Drama), R (Revue), MC (Musical-Comedy), MD (Musi¬ cal-Drama), O (Opera); OP (Op¬ eretta). Other parenthetic designations refer, respectively, to weeks played , number of performances through last Saturday, top prices (where two prices are given, the higher is for Friday-Saturday nights and the lower for weekhights), number of seats, capacity gross and stars. Price includes 10% Federal and 5% City tax, but grosses are net; Le., exclusive .of taxes. Bells Are Ringing, Alvin (MC) (Ulth wk; 884 p) ($8.05; 1,453; $59,- .000) (Judy Holliday). Nearly $46,- 900 on twofers. Previous week, $43;900 on twofers. Exits March 7, to tour. Cold Wind and tbe Warm, Mor- osco (D) (8th wk; 64 p) i$6.90; 946; , $38,200) (Eli Wallach, Maureen Stapleton). Almost $24,600. Pre¬ vious week, $26,500. Disenchanted, Coronet (D) (9th wk; 69 p) ($6.90; 1,101; $36,131) (Jason Robards, Jr., Rosemary Har-! risl. Nearly $25,400. Previous week, $25,700. Epitaph for George Dillon, Mil¬ ler’s (3d wk; 24 p) ($3.60; 946; $20,- 000) (Eileen Herlie. Robert Stev- ] ens). ' Over $11,500. Previous week, $10,000. Has to vacate thea¬ tre Feb. 21. Flower Drum Song, St. James (MC) (9th wk; 72 p) ($8.05; 1,615; $62,632). Another $62,632. Gazebo, Lyceum (C) (8th wk; 58 • p) ($6.90; 995; $29,600) (Walter; Slezak, Jayne Meadows). Over $18,400 for seven performances. The cancellation of- the sellouts Saturday night (31) performance because of fire iu a nearby build¬ ing cut the take nearly $4,300. Previous week, $24,800. Goldilocks, Lunt-Fontanne (MC) (16th wk; 129 p) ($990; 1,402; $69,- 852) (Don Ameche, Elaine Stritch). Over .$36,400. Previous week, $35,500. Jamaica* Imperial (MC) (60th wk; 476 p) ($8.35; 1,427; $64,000) (Lena Horne, Ricanlo Montalban). Al¬ most $43,300 on twofers. Previous week, $41,400 on twofers. Mon¬ talban is vacationing this week, with his understudy Alan Shayne subbing. JJL, ANTA (D) (8th wk; 60 p) ($6.95; 1,185; $46,745) (Pat Hingle, Christopher Plummer, Raymond Massey). Nearly $45,500. Pre¬ vious week, $44,300. La Plume de Ma Tante, Royale (R) (12th wk; 95 p) ($7.50; 1,050; $41,800) (Robert Dhery). Over $42,800. Previous week, same. Look Homeward, Angel, Barry¬ more (D) (62d wk; 492 p) ($6.90; 1,076; $41,191) (Miriam Hopkins, Ed Begley). Almost' $27,400 on fers. Previous week, $22,700 on twofers. Exits March 7, to tour. Make & Million, Playhouse (C) (15th wk; 116 p) ($6.90; 994; $36,- 700) (Sam Levene). Nearly $21,- 100. Previous week, $23,300. Marriage-Go-Round Plymouth (C) (14th wk; 109 p> ($6.90; 1,062;. $42,500) (Charles Boyer, Claudette Colbert). Almost $42,900. Previ¬ ous week, $43,000. Music Man, Majestic (MC) (59th Wk; 468 p) ($8.05; 1,626; $69,857). SCHEDULED N.Y. OPENINGS (Theatres Set ) BROADWAY Legend of Llzkle, 54th St. (2-&-59>. Most Happy Fella, City Center (2-10-59). Malorliy of Ont, Shabert (2-16-59). Say, Darling, City Center (2-25-59). Look After Lulu, Hiller’s (3-3-59). June, Winter Garden (3-5-59). Sweet Bird, Beck (3-10-59). Raisin la Sun, Barrymore (wk. 3-11-59). First Imp ressi o n s, Alvin (3-12-59). ■ Destry RWes Again, imperial (4-23-59). Gypsy, Broadway (5-7-59). OFF-BROADWAY Enemy of Reojrte, Actors (2-4-5*).. . Clearing in Woods, Sheridan Sq. 12-12-59). : Efectra, Rita ASm (2-B^a). Buffalo SkkHHSri Harqoee (2-19-59). BoyahGambit, Sullivan St. (wk. 2-23-59). Beauk Stratagem, Phoenix (2-21-59). ; Griem. St. Hartfo (2-24-59)^ . . widowers' Houses, Downtown ’ 3-2-59). Ole, Greenwich Mews (3-18-59). mm Over $70,700. Previous week, $70,600. Sellout business of over $70,060 has been underquoted in recent weeks. My Fair Lady, Hellinger (MC) (151st wk; 1,203; p) ($8.05; 1,551; $68,935) (Edward Mulhare, Sally Ann Howes). Over $69,900. Previ¬ ous week, $69,400. Pamela Charles succeeded Miss Howes last Mon¬ day (2). Once More With Feeling, Na¬ tional (C) (15th wk; 119 p) ($6.90; 1,162; $43,800) (Joseph Cotton, Arlene Francis)? Almost $30,900. Previous week, $33,900. Pleasure of His Company* Long- acre (C) (15th wk; 117 p) $6.90; 1,101; $37,600) (Cyril Ritchard, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Charlie Ruggles, Walter Abel). Nearly $36,200, with parties. Previous week, $35,600, with parties. Rashsmon, Music Box <D) (1st wk; 7 p) ($6.90-$7.50; 1,010; $38,500) (Claire Bloom, Rod Steiger, Oscar hom*olka, Akim Tamiroff). Opened Jan. 27 to five affirmative reviews (Aston, World-Telegram; Atkinson, Times; Coleman, Mirror; McClain, Journal-American; Watts, Post) and two negative (Chapman, News; Kerr, Herald Tribune); over $38,- 500 for first seven performances and two previews. Requiem for a Nun, Golden (D> (1st w Ir, 3 P) (P-6.90; 800; $30,000) (Ruth Ford, Zachary Scott). Opened last Friday night (30) to two ap¬ provals (Aston; World-Telegram; Kerr, Herald Tribune), three thumb-downs (Chapman, News; Coleman, Mirror; McClain, Jour¬ nal-American), one yes-no (Watts, Post) and one inconclusive (Atkin¬ son, Times); almost $12,800 for first three performances and two previews. Sunrise at Campobello, Cort (D) (53d wk; 420 p) ($6.90; 1,155; $38,- 300) (Ralph Bellamy). Almost $33,400. Previous week, $32,400. Tall Story, Belasco <C) (1st wk; 4 p) ($6.90; 1,037; $37,127). Opened last Thursday night (29) to six favorable notices (Aston, World- Telegram; Atkinson, Times; Chap¬ man, News; Colemlan. Mirror; Kerr, Herald Tribune; McClain, Journal- American) and ofcie so-so (Watts, Post); nearly $25,600 for first four performances and two previews. Third Best Sport, Ambassador <C> (5th wk; 39 p) ($6.90; 1,155; $43,800) (Celeste Holm). Nearly $22,0fK). Previous week, $24,800. Touch of the Poet, Hayes (D) (18th wk: 140 p> ($7.50; 1,139; $43387) (Helen Hayes, Eric Port- man, Kim Stanley, Betty Field). Almost $35,500. Previous week, $32,700. Two for the Seesaw, Booth (CD) (55th wk; 436 p) ($6.90; 780; $32.- 300) (Dana Andrews, Anne Ban¬ croft). Over $27,900. Previous week, $28,500. West Side Story, Winter Garden (MD) (71st wk; 564 f>) ($8.05; 1,404; $64,213). Nearly $51,200. Previous week, $45,900. Moves March 2 to the Broadway Theatre. Whoop-Up, Shubert (MC) (6th wk; 48 p) ($8.05; 1,453; $59,147). Almost $36,200. Previous week, $39,000. Closes next Saturday (7). World ef Suzie Wong, Broad- hurst (D) (16th wk; 127 p> ($6.90; 1314; $47,400). Over $46,200 with parties. Previous week, $46,300 with parties. Miscellaneous Power and tbe Glory, Phoenix (D) (8th wk; 63 p) ($4.60; 1,150; $29,382). Almost $12,800. Previous week. $11,100. Closes next Sun¬ day (8). Closed Last Week Shakespeare’s Ages of Man, 46th St. (DE) (5th wk; 40 p) ($5.7o; 1397; $41,500) (John Gielgud). -Nearly $39,600, with Show-of-the- Month Guild commissions cutting into the capacity take. Previous week, $40,900. Ended limited five- week run last Saturday (31) at an approximate $55,000 profit on a $30,000 investment. .Opening This Week Redhead, 46th St (MC) ($9.29; 1,297; $62,410 (Gwen Verdon). Robert* Fryer & Lawrence Carr E resentation of musical with book y Herbert and Dorothy Fields, Sidney Sheldon and David Shaw; music by Albert Hague, lyrics by Dorothy, Fields; opens tomorrow night (Thtirs.). Rivalry, Bijou (D) ($6.90; Sfa, $22,500) (Richard Boone, Nancy Kelly, Martin Gabel). Cheryl Craw¬ ford & Joel Schenker presentation of play by Norman Corwin; opens Saturday night (7). Kim Hunter has resigned as a member of the Actors Equity council. Her term. was to have expired next June. * useirnmTB V February 4, 1959 Ike Belatedly Names Cultural Trustees; Significant Omission: Robert Dowling Shows Out df Town . Washing!*®, Feb. 3. After an ialmost five month de¬ lay, President Eisenhower has named the 15 non-government trustees of the National Cultural Center, failing to appoint anyone nationally prominent for having an active interest in the performing arts. The President drew immediate criticism from Rep. Frank J. Thompson Jr. (D-N.J.), co-sponsor j)f the law authorizing a $15-$25,- 000,000 National Cultural Center here, for not selecting Robert Dowling as a trustee. Thompson called Dowling “the major source of- inspiration” for^the legislation authorizing the Center. It was Dowling who had given Congress his personal pledge that the necessary money to build the Center in Washington’s Foggy Bot¬ tom section wodld be raised. Al¬ though the Government is provid¬ ing the site, money to build, and operate the Center must be raised privately by the hoard of trustees. They have until Sept. 2, 1963, to accomplish that mission. There was no apparent reason, except for Dowling’s active inter¬ est in Democratic Party politics, for his exclusion from the board. In advance speculation, he had been considered a cinch. Another name omitted from the list which had been expected to be in¬ cluded wrs Roger Stevens, also a prominent Democrat. The 15 chosen by the President Included 10 Republicans, .three. Where Are the Arts? The Washington Post com¬ plained editorially that it was “unfortunate” that “Republi¬ can politics” had “impeded” the selection cl Cultural Cen¬ ter trustees, commenting fur¬ ther:. : “. . . The board is heavily represented with persons of wealth and power, -and this augurs well for the fund-rais¬ ing chore, running into the millions. It is regrettable, how- ever, that few outstanding fig¬ ures in the world of theatre and the performing arts will share directly in the vital pol¬ icy matters which will be be¬ fore the board. It would be simple prudence for the new board to consult extensively with seasoned fund-raisers and producers in the theatre as it makes its plans for the financ¬ ing and construction of the sorely-needed Center . Washington for too long has .lacked the cultural facilities which a world capital de¬ serves.” Democrats and two identified as independents. Terms range from two to 10 years. Who’s Who .Selected for 10- year terms were: • L. Corrin Strong, Washington banker. Republican, former am¬ bassador to Norway and onetime (1939-41) president of the National Symphony Orchestra Association. John Nicholas Brown, Provi¬ dence, banker. Democrat and 1 former (1946-49) Assistant Secre¬ tary of the Navy. - Frank H. Ricketson, Denver the¬ atre operator. Republican and president of the Central City (Colo.) Opera House Asdn. Picked for 8-year terms were: ; Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, New York independent who is Under Secre¬ tary General of the United Na¬ tions. ,Mrs Norman Chandler, wife of the publisher of the Los Angeles Times, RenrHican and executive vice presid i of the Southern California Symphony Assn. Robert L. Wood, Midland; Tex... oil man and a Democrat. Chosen for 6-year terms were: Winthrop Aldrich, New York banker. Republican and former (1953-56) Ambassador, to Britain. Ethel Garrett, wife of former. Ambassador to Ireland, a Washing¬ tonian and Republican and vice president of the Washington Opera Guild. Daniel W. Bellt Washington banker and a Republican. Appointed to four-year terms Were: - ‘ Philip M. Talbott, Washington department store executive. Re¬ publican and immediate past presi¬ dent of the U.'S, Chamber of Com¬ merce. Floyd D. Akers, Washington area Cadillac dealer and a Democrat. j John-J. Emery, Cincinnati Re¬ publican industrialist and presi¬ dent of the Cincinnati Institute of fine Arts and the city’s Art' 1 .Museum. Named to two-year terms were: Mrs. Jouett Shouse, Democrat- turned-Republican member of a Boston mercantile family main¬ taining her home in Washington, where she is active in local cul¬ tural activities and is vice presi¬ dent of the National Symphony Orchestra Association. Henry Clay Hofheimer II,: Nor¬ folk businessman and ' financier who is *an independent. Ralph E. Becker, Washington at¬ torney and Republican who is gen¬ eral counsel for the 'National' Assn, of Legitimate Theatres, the Na¬ tional Assn., of Concert Managers) and League of New York Theatres, as well as serving as-chairman of the Washington Board of Trade’s Cultural Development Committee. 15 Bureaucrats, Too / * The Cultural Center’s Board of Trustees win also have 15 Govern¬ ment members, with the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (a post now filled by Arthur.-S. Flemming) serving as the board chairman. Six of the 15 Govern¬ mental members, will be members of Congress, Rep. Thompson, Rep.- Jim Wright (D. Texas)* Rep. Car- roll Kearns (R.-Pa.), Sen. J. Wil¬ liam Fulbright (D.-Ark.), Sen. Joseph S. Clark (D.-Pa.) and-Sen. Leverett Saltonstall (R.-Mass.). Other Governmental members (designated by jobs rather than by names’of individuals) are the Librarian o! Congress, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Af- B’WAY LEGIT STAGERS ORGANIZE OWN GROUP A meeting to organize the So¬ ciety of Stage Directors "will be held in Sardi’s restaurant, N.Y M next Monday night (9). Over 200 Broadway directors and choreog¬ raphers have been invited to at¬ tend the conclave, after the thea¬ tres have let but * The purpbse of the Society, as outlined at a recent meeting, is “the establishment for all stage directors and choreographers-of a standard of dignity and security long enjoyed by our colleagues in every ether craft of the theatre.” The organization also plans 'to as¬ sist young directors and it’s planned that once the Society is established, oS^Broadway stagers and choreographers will be in¬ vited to join as an affiliated group. Shepard Traube is acting chair¬ man of the Society, with Jed Hor¬ ner as acting secretary and Ezra Stone as temporary publicity chairman. The-organizing commit¬ tee consists of Elia Kazan, Cyril Ritchard, John Gerstad, Albert Marre, John C. Wilson, Bretaigne WindUst, Reginald Denham, John Stix, Alan Schneider, Stone, Hor¬ ner and Traube. Theatre Party Orgs ' Set House Seat Plan A formula for the allotment of house seats at* benefit perform¬ ances has been worked out by reps of most df the leading theatre party organizations in New York. The party sponsors, who’ve been stewing over the large holdout of choice houseseats by some produc¬ ers, have agreed not to sign con¬ tracts .for benefits that don’t in¬ clude the requirements outlined in the,formula. The . house _ seat arrangement agreed to by the organizations al¬ lows a maximum of 48 for a mu¬ sical, split • equally ’ among good, fair'and poor seats. The maximum number of house seats for a straight play is 36, evenly divided in the three categories. The ob¬ jection of the organizations to ah excessive holdout of house .seats' is that it limits the amount that can be raised at a benefit. All that’s reeded now is the ap¬ proval of t’o producers. Ceeil Bea(on will design<the cos-, tumes for “Dear Liar.” fairs, chairman of , the „ Federal Commission on Fine jArts, presi¬ dent of the District of Columbia Commissioners, chairman of the D. C. recreation board, director of the National Park Service, U. S. Commissioner of Education, and the secretary of the Smithsonian In¬ stitution. . . Rep. Thompson also criticized the White House for dropping Herbert May from the 15 non-Gov- ernment trustees “at the last min¬ ute.” May is a Pittsburgh indus¬ trialist who recently married the .former? Mrs. Merriweather Post,) Washington cereal and oil heiress reported to be one of the world’s Inchest Women. May is a Republi¬ can. . . ; Rep. Thompson claimed to have reliable informatidn that May was on the list to be appointed, but Sherman Adams telephoned Presi¬ dent Eisenhower to complain that be luid already- promised the ap¬ pointment to another man (re-. > portedly Becker). At any rate. May was not appointed. • Thompson called the incident “a mosi regrettable circ*mstance,” adding: “Commitments wade by Mr. Adams while a member of the President's'Staff should not be con¬ sidered binding at this time on the American people, particularly in •view of the. circ*mstances whlfcie led to Mi*. Adams’ departure/’ (Adams left after the House Harris committee investigated Adams, vicuna coats and Bernard Goldfine.) Still to be. appointed is the ad¬ visory committee for the National Cultural Center. It'is supposed to give advice to the trustees, whose job is threefold: finance, "supervise construction and oversee the opera¬ tion of the national center for the performing arts. Small World Dept Buffalo, N.Y. Editor, Variety: Scanning the doggedly sophisti¬ cated pages of The Playbill at the National Theatre the other evening during an intermission of “Once More With Feeling,” I ran across an item in the “Who’s Who- In. The Cast” column regarding a com¬ pany member named' Ralph Bunk¬ er. It stated that Bunker is a Harvard graduate who “played his first "role In Arthur Hopkins* production of ‘Good Gracious,.An- nabeHeV’ The .first allegation; ac¬ cording to Mny recollection, is ap¬ proximately correct. But as to the second, I have ample reason to regard it with some suspicion, as witness the following: One winter morning in the year 1914, the Harvard (undergraduate daily ) Crimson ""Carried an an¬ nouncement that the producers of a new comedy by Cosmo Hamilton, the title of which escapes me and which was scheduled to open at a Boston theatre, would hold tryouts open to Harvard undergraduates for tl)e juvenile role. The winner was to be accorded the privilege of playing one full week at salary with the otherwise strictly profes¬ sional cast. The idea was of course a publicity stunt hut it brought a mob of aspiring student actors to the stage door where they dutifuly proceeded to read various assigned pages of dialog before a panel of quite obviously bored judges. The lucky winner, announced after several days of judicial cog¬ itation, turned out to be Bunker, who got the part and thereafter went on to become ultimately a fullfledged Equity member. The second prize of a pair of tickets for the opening performance was conferred upon the runnerup, who following graduation returned to his home -town where he became, of all things. Your Buffalo correspondent, Sidney Burton . P.'S.—Bunker was pretty good in the parti Edward Hochman and ' Martin Schuster have acquired the U.S. rights to Arthur Adamov’s comedy, “Ping-Pong,” initially presented in Paris in 1955. 'The English trans¬ lation is by Robert Cordier and Richard Howard. The former will also direct the production* slated for mid-March presentation at an undesignated off-BroadWay thea¬ tre. First Impressions ' New Haven, Feb. 2. George Gilbert and Edward Specter Productions, Inc., presentation of two-act (17 scenes) musical comedy based on Jane Austen's novel, "Pride and Prejudice." and th*. dramatization of the same title by Helen Jerome; book, Abe Burrowfe music *Bd lyrics, Robert Goldman, Glenn Paxton,' George Weiss, v Direction, Abe Burrows; choreography, Jonathan Lucas; decor. Peter Larkin; costumes, Alvin Colt; musical ' direction, Frederick Dvonch; orchestrations, Don Walker; lighting, Charles- Elson; dance music arrangements, John Morris; vocal arrangements and direction; Buster Davis; hair styles, Ernest, Adler. Stars Polly Bergen, Farley Gran- ger, Hennione Gingold; features B.'ram Sherman, Mary Finney, Phyllis Newman, Donald Madden, Sibyl Bowen, Lynn Ross, Marti Stevens, Bill Carter, Ellen Hanley, Laurie Main, Lois BewTey, Lauri Peters, James Mitchell. Opened Feb. 2, '59, at the Shubert Theatre, New Haven; $6 top. Mr. Betmet . Laurie Main Mary Bennet ...Lois Bewley Mrs. Bennet .;. Hermione Gingold Lydia Bennet ... Lynn Ross Kitty Bennet .........- Lauri Peters *Jane Bennet.Phyllis Newman Elizabeth. Bennet.Polly Bergen Maid.. Beverley Jane Welch Lady Lucas. Sibyl Bowan Charlotte Lucas. Ellen Hanley Caroline Bingley . Marti Stevens Charles Bingley ..Donald Madden Fitrwilliain Darcy.Firley Granger •Coachmen.. John Starkweather, Garret Lewis Capt. Wickham . James Mitchell Lt, Denny Bill Carter Rockingham .». Stuart Hodes Sir Wimam Lucas........ .Richard Bengal Butler Norman Fredericks Mr. Stpbbs .. Casper Roos Williams .'.Jay Stem Collins .:.Hiram Sherman Butler as Rotings Casper Roos Lady>Maty ........ Mary Finney: Officers m *he Tavern Norman- Fredericks, Jay Stern Dancers: Arlene Avril, Janlse Gardner, Sally Gura, Harriet. Leigh. Martha Mathes, Dorothy Jeanne Mattis, Wendy Nickerson. Alvin Beam, Jim. Corbett, Stuart Fleming. .Richard Gain, Stuart Hodes, Garret jfeewJi. John Starkweather. - . Singers: Adrienne Angel, Susan Baker. Marian Heraldsan.- Jeannine Masterson, Louise Pearl, Beverley Jane W^-b, Sttiart Damon. Norman Fredericks, \7rr- ren Hays, Casper Roos, Tony Rossi, Jay Stern. Musical numbers: “^ive Daughters." "I’m Me," "Have You Herird the News?" The Assembly Dance. "A Perfect Eve¬ ning," "As Long as There’s a Mother," "Jane," "Love Win Find Out the Way,” "I Feel Sorry for the Qirl," "Fragrant Flower,” ."Not Like Me,”. "Finnletto." "Wasn’t It 'a Simply Lovely Wedding?" "A House in Town." “The Heart Has Won the Game,” "Goodbye, Kind Sir, Goodbye," "The Shropshire Whim,” "Reflections,’' "Let's Fetch the Carriage." It’s going to take work to l ft “First Impressions” from the “pleasant” status into the solid hit circle, but the effort can well pay off. The show'is breaking in at tbe Shubert here. Talent in every department : abounds in this musical version of the Jane Austen classic. “Pride and Prejudice,” and Helen Jer¬ ome’s straight-play version.of 20- odd years ago. Exploitation of that talent is the factor Requiring con¬ centration. While the general reac- i tion is on the favorably side; certain individual segments require attention. For example, the score Is pleas¬ ing but-lacks a smash number. The choreography sets a fine level in the first act but peters-out in the secogcL There is a first rate femme singer, Ellen Hanley, who is prac¬ tically brushed off with a single number. • General familiarity with the original novel may leave little of a surprise element in the story, and consequently that element serves primarily as a foundation for en¬ tertaining dialog and diverting lyrics. The mixture of romantic and comedy wordage has been well balanced. pn tiie basis of a first hearing, the score impresses more as in¬ strumental than vocal fodder. 'Con¬ tinued plugging, however, may land “Love- Will Find Out the Way,” “Goodbye, Kind Sir, Good¬ bye” and “I’m - Me” in the- top upper brackets;. The orchestra¬ tions have exceptional merit. There is an interesting blend of choreography with story develop¬ ment, as the principals dialog their ! way through dance numbers, backgrounded by ensemble work. A “Shropshire Whim” routine, in tbe Second act seems a bit frantic and fails to reach the level of earlier terps. : The cast leads come through nicely. Polly Bergen rings the. bell on vocals, straight acting and a modified bit of dancing. She ! seems thoroughly right for the part of the prejudiced Lizzie of the Austen novel. Farley Granger’s chirping leaves something to be desired, but he pulls that portion of his chore out of the fire by personable talking of his numbers. As an actor, he sco.res as the romantic lead. . For Hermione Gingold, it’s a case of a talented vet cashing in on every opportunity. She scores jheavily'on comedy and adds a couple, of show stoppers in “As Long as There’s a Mother” and "A House in Town.” The supporting lineup shines capably, including Hiram Sherman as a bristling-wlth-business suitor, Mary Finney as a domineering dowager, Phyllis Newman, Lois Bewley, Lynn ROss, Lauri Peters as Rennet daughters, Donald Mad¬ den and Marti' Stevens as upper crust brother and sister, Miss Hanley. as attractive young neigh¬ bor and'Sibyl Bowan as her moth-’ ,er, Laurie Main as a mild-man¬ nered father.. Bill Carter as a- gawking youth and James Mitchell as a racy army officer who turns * .over a new leaf. .The latter .two are standouts in dance numbers. ' The production, an exceptionally heavy one. has been designed in keeping with its 1813 period, fea- *turing -an old-style proscenium with curtain opening fan-style r drops * and flats as used in. the period, and almost complete ab¬ sence of modern paraphernalia such as revolving units. Several outstanding effects have been achieved scenically, and the beauti¬ ful costuming is a nice complement. Abe Burrows’ double duty scrip- ' ting-staging gives every evidence of developing into a stellar overall contribution. Bone . God and Kate Murphy Wilmington, Jan. 30. Carroll and Harris Masterson & Charles. R. Wood presentation of two-act drama' by Klersn Tunney and John Synge. Di¬ rection, Burgess Meredith; setting and -lighting, Ben Ed Wards; costumes, Betty Coe Armstrong.Stars Fay Compton. Opened Jan. 29 , '59, at the Playhouse, Wilmington; 94.80 top. Shelagh O’Connor ....-Lois NetUeton Carrife Donovan ....-Maureen Lelany Sean Murphy . Mike KeUiu Patrick MoUoy ........... John McGiver Norah Black . Pauline Flanagan Kate Murphy .. Fay Compton Rary Murphy-*.> Larry Hagman' This controversial Irish drama, stands little chance of repeating its London success on . this side of the Atlantic. It’s a heavy handed, slow tale of misguided, selfish mother love which clouds four lives but finally achieves its goal—a priest in. the family/ The latter was the . play’s original title abroad. On the credit side are a fine cast, choice comedy scenes and a handsome physical production. However, the story of Kate Mur¬ phy and her maneuvers to force her younger son into the church’s service, after denying his older and more willing brother the same chance, is apt to grow wearisome and repetitious to those, not famil¬ iar with the Irish temperament or Catholicism, As such, the show has limited appeal. Also the fact that the mother is anything but a sympa¬ thetic character, using lies and deceit to further her aims, does not help the play’s chances.. There are some individual scenes of merit, including a well executed climax - when Kate’s perfidy is exposed. The casting is excellent. Fay Compton stars as the mother, and makes believable the fanatical desire to see her son a priest as a .balm to her conscience after spending a good part of her life acquiring money. Miss Compton, an established British star, is an actress of considerable charm and dramatic ability. Larry Hagman is fine as the reluctant son who finally enters - the priesthood after his mother uses trickery to nip a budding ro¬ mance, and Mike Kellin is effec¬ tive as'the older son who finds solace in alcohol as compensation for.bis lost dreams. Maureen Delany Is good for laughs on etery appearance as a dowdy Irish character fond of horses, whiskey and the latest in . gossip. John McGiver bolsters the comedy as a pub patron and Lois Nettleton, as the girl cheated out ‘ of romance, and Pauline Flanagan, as Kate’s worldly wise sister, round - out the Cast. Burgess Meredith has directed and Ben Edwards has designed a . good setting of an Irish pub. Klep. APPOINT HELEN HAYES Gov. Rockefeller Names Hereto Board of Rehabilitation Hospital Albany, Feb. 3. Helen Hayes has been named by Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller to the board of the N.Y. State Rehabili¬ tation Hospital, West Haverstraw, N.Y. It is a non-salaried position. The hospital treats crippled «or deformed patients. Miss Hayes is, a resident of Nyack, N.Y., a few miles south of Haverstraw, on the Hudson River. Her daughter, Mary MacArthur, died of polio some years agp. TOLEDO SHOW TRAIN Toledo, Feb. 3. The next Toledo-to-Broadway show train will )leave April 12. There have already been . 49 res-, ervations, including one from * legit enthusiast in Los Angeles. > “Flower Drum Song” and- ^Plgasure. of His Cdmpany”. are the .only show selections thus far, Wcdnend my* Tebnurf 4, 75 BROADWAY anil HOLLYWOOD. -« WANTED !! ''ASIA .. , m is oneof the most professional danc¬ ing dollsin showbiz." TRANK FARRELL, New York WorU-Tehgram 'ASIA . ♦ . Broadway's newest sensation!" WARD MOREHOUSE, U*wh6ut* firifxaftons 'ASIA ., . die sensational new sex symbol in 'WhboprUp'.- TRANCES HERRHXSE, N. r. PM "ASIA .. . a formidably stacked menace." JOHN CHAPMAN, New York Daily flaws VIOLATION: Stealing Ike mw Feuer aid Martin musical ‘ c Whoop-Up“ and inciting riot in the minds of flic masses. DESCRIPTION: WOWltll HISTORY: ASIA .. Broadway's gee whiz girl this sea¬ son.*" WAITER WMCHELL, New York fiaify Mirror 'ASIA... is walkingaway. with the show at ■ the Shubert Theatre." v ED WALLACE, New York WoM-Tetegram "A phenomenon simpiynamed ASIA." ■ WALL STREET JOURNAL "The stage's answer fo Brigitte Bardot who in the shapely hands and torso ofASIA has the audience inQni[mrmsye|y abearance." Asiabavittg been bom and caked in S hangha i of WUft Russian parents bie n n i a a soloist et tbe Battet Russe de Shanghai at the age of 11 She acted and danced ht the far East mrrit she was 1B« then came to the United States where shemmiediateiyjeined lie charm of the Metro- pofttoo Opera Ballet Company. After having worked there for three years, Broadway at¬ tracted her, and since flten Imtf one year ago} she has had a sensational rise. Asia k pi ih a ps the ntost exciting young talent to arouse public a tt en t i o n in spite in wM fe . C a uti o n s he Is dangerously beguiling. GET HEM! ■ Manager K. DEMBAR 295 West End Ave., Mew York. N. Y. -Wt 7.MF*. 1*7-5233 76 uBcrmran Legit-tv actor Staafs Cotsworth has recorded “Macbeth** for .the Great Bodes program of record¬ ings for the blind. Legit actress Elizabeth. Basils has returned from vacation in New Orleans. Joe Shea'has taken over as com¬ pany manager of “Whoop-Up,” succeeding Ira Bernstein, who con¬ tinues as general manager for prwlocers Cy Feaer and Ernest H. Martin. , " Leonard Bernstein ana Lillian I Helhnan were in Washington last] ' eek to catch the tryout musical, "Juno,” and make suggested revi¬ sions. * "Say, Darling,” which ended its Broadway run Jan. 17, will-resume for tfro weeks,"beginning Feb. 25, as part of the N.Y. City Center’s musical season. Harold Clnrman will stage Ber¬ nard Shaw’s “Heartbreak House,” which Robert L. Joseph plans bringing to Broadway next season after a 12-week road tour. Bart Brtnckerhoff, also returning to home territory, will appear in the play in the role he originated on Broadway. • ’ Maria Piscator, director of the Dramatic Workshop, N.Y., is sched¬ uled to resume her acting classes at the school in February. She re¬ cently returned from Europe, where she spent six months work¬ ing with her director-husband Erwin Piscator. Acting classes will also be conducted by Alfred Ryder;, who’s joined the Workshop faculty; while speech consultant Dr. Simon | R. Bfttchneck, a longtime faculty; member, will have a special class in individual speech problems. Mitch Ryan and James E. Brod- head, repeating the roles they played last summer in Abingdon, va., will appear in Robert Porter¬ field’s Barter Theatre production of Agatha Christie’s “Mousetrap,” which begins' touring next Mon¬ day (9). I Composer Burton Lane plans making bis Broadway managerial debut as co-producer with Hermit Bloomgarden of a tnuSical version of Edna Ferbert novel, “Giant” which Warner’s released as a film in 1956. Lane also intends com¬ posing the score for the tuner. Metro has purchased the film rights to^ the Playwrights Co.- Frederick Brisson production of Alee Coppel’s “The Gazebo” for $250,000. The release date on the picture, which will be scripted by George Wells and produced by Lawrence Weingarten for Avotf Productions, is July. I960. Abel Plenn and Richard Lane’s “A Trumpet Calling.” based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s "The Scar¬ let Letter,” is planning for Broad¬ way production next season by Ed¬ die Dowling and Se-rn Caliory. Alan Schneider has withdrawn - as director of the forthcoming "Lovely Star, Good Night,” with Warren Enters succeeding. Mag Brown, an investor in David y Merrick ^productions, will get as¬ sociate producer billing on Mer¬ rick’s production of “Destry Bides Again. Bernard Miller, co-producer of the current Broadway presentation of “Epitaph for George Dillon,” 5000 Sp. FEET (AFP.) StrNt iirtrantt. High Ceiling. Suitable for; ..Theatre, Re h e ar sal, Dane*, or Vocal Statics. HOTEL GREAT NORTHERN Tit West 57 St„ New York Coil Maaager Cl 7-1900 leaves this week for London where he’ll direct Peter Baubeney’s forth¬ coming West End production of “Judastree,” by Anthony Creigh¬ ton, co-author of “Dillon.” Hermit Bloomgarden has dropped plans to present a musical version of George W. Campbell’s novel, "Cry for Happy.” [ * ‘‘A Desert Incident” is tbe new [ title, for Pearl Bock’s play, former¬ ly titled “Three Against Time.” [ .Charles Hollertt will be asso¬ ciated with Carmen Capalbo in the forthcoming Broadway production of “Faster, Faster.” William Pitkin, | Ruth Motley apd Lee Watson will I design the sets, costumes and light¬ ing, respectively. [ Aldytb Morris' “The Secret Con¬ cubine” is planned for Broadway production next spring by Idska March and Jane Sehenker,- with Dan Petrie as director. John Wildberg has optioned Sterling Quinlan’s novel, “The Merger,” for Broadway production. “On the Town” is being pre¬ sented by the Equity Library Theatre at the Lenox Hill Play- hone, N. Y., through next Sunday ; afternoon (8). “Song of Norway” will he re¬ peated at the Jones Beach Marine Theatre, N.Y., from Jilne 26-Sept, 7, with some changes ih the produc¬ tion. Jean Anouih’s “Waltz of the Toreodors” has opened at Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm. Douglas Crawford and' Victor Jory have abandoned plans for a Broadway edition of “The Pris¬ oner,” but are looking for another suitable script far their managerial bow next Aeason. Jane Howard, an artist-designer under the name Berlandina, .has an exhibition of paintings at the Alexander Iolas Gallery, . N.Y., through Feb. 14, Sheldon Secunda is an associate with pressagent John Lathan Toohey for the incoming Broad¬ way musical, “First Impressions,” and the - off-Broadway “On the Town.” No Bookiig Jam I Continued from page 71 i Angel,” vacates March 7, with “Raisin in the Sun” due the fol¬ lowing week. Beck: Vacant, with “Sweet Bird of Youth’/ due March 10. Belaseo: “Tall Story.” 1 Bijou: • Vacant, with “Rivalry” due next Saturday (7). Booth: “Two for the Seesaw.” Broadhurst: • “World of Suzie Wong.” x Broadway: Vacant, with “West Side Story”, moving over March 2 from the 'Winter Garden and then subsequently vacating to make way for "Gypsy,” due May 7. Coronet; “Disenchanted.” Cort: “Sunrise at Campobello.” 34th St.: Vacant, with “Legend of Lizzie” due next Monday (9).’ 46th St.: Vacant, with “Red¬ head” due tomorrow night tThurs.). Golden: “Requiem for a Nun.” - Hayes: ’Touch of the Poet.” Bellinger: “My Fair Lady.” Imperial: “Jamaica,” with “Des¬ try Rides: Again” s due April 23. Longacte: “Pleasure of His Company..” Lunt-Fontanne: “Goldilocks.” Lyceum: “Gazebo.” Majestic: “Music Man.!!, Miller’s: “Epitaph for George Dillon,” with “Look After Lulu” due March 3. Morosco: “Gold Wind and the Warm.” Music Box: “Rashom*on.” National: “Once More With Feeling.” •' Playhouse: “Make a Million.” Plymouth: “Marriage - Go- Round” Royale: “La Plume de Ma Tante.” St. James: “Flower Drum Song.” Shubert: “Whoop-Up,” J closes next Saturday (7), with “Majority of One” due Feb. 16. Winter Garden: “West Side Story,” moves March 2 to the Broadway, with “Juno” due March MONTGOMERY COUNTY MEMORIAL BLO'G DAYTON 3, OHIO Available For Summer theatre Rental 24S# mt Conditioned Theatre. Fully equipped stage,-44'iets of HMivlfh most m s dsra stage lighting: *quipmsrit and preset board. 11 dressing rooms# capectfy iffc. Theatre recently, renovated. at cost of nearly ttttlMC. Located In Dayton* OMo# population, potential: draw Within * radius of M mites, %NMN> Ample perking fedttMO*. • 1 . * For Iomo from June W& «5T throuok sirf 34th, Wt; F.C. ALttN, Mmagw r pAkWfc 3-75SI PTSaeff Wednesday, February 4»1959 Binghamton,N.Y., Mgr. Sues Mary. Martin, CAM Mary Martin and Columbia Art¬ ists Management, booker of her current concert tour, “Music With Mary Martin,” have been named defendants.in a.law suit st emm in g ffom the cancellation of the show’s scheduled Jan. 5 stand at the Cap¬ itol Theatre, Binghamton, N.Y. Lou Roach,, sponsor of the one- niter at the 2,232-seater and plain¬ tiff in the action, is asking $3,000 for loss of profit and $10,000 dam¬ ages. ‘Mnrder’ Pre-London Aberdeen, Scotland, Feb. 3. “Murder on Arrival,” a melo¬ drama adapted, by Peter Hoar and Gawn Grainger from the original of American playwright George Batsdn, opened a pre-London tour last night (Mon.) af Iter Majesty’s Theatre here. Margaret Lockwood is the star, 1 with a cast including Cyril Ray¬ mond, Joy Shelton, David Aylmer, Kerrigan Prescott, Joby Blanshard and Mela White. The production has been staged by Wallace Douglas, with decor by Peter Rice. Petef Saunders is producing, * Sbuberi,D.C.. SS Cdhtiaae* from pare 71 of the damage to the Shubert,.-op¬ erated by * I. Hirst Enterprises,” of Philadelphia, under a lease report¬ edly running- to September? 1960. The building is owned by the Washington Theatre Co., of which Dr. Stanley White is head. Robert Alex Baron, company manager of “Mocking Bird,” esti¬ mated damages to scenery add cos¬ tumes at $75,000, and said more than $100,000 was tied up in the show, which originally .opened in Boston Dec. 27. From .Washing¬ ton’s critics, it received one favor¬ able notice (Coe, Post) and two unfavorable (Carmody, Star, and Donnelly, News). Cause of the fire was not estab-. lished, but Miss Burke had an idea. “Cigarettes were being flipped all around,” she exclaimed. “Mr. Zieg- feW would never permit, smoking in his theatres.” While the stage area was gutted, the asbestos curtain prevented flames from reaching the audience area. Only carpets were damaged by the flood of water. Dressing rooms suffered only minor harm. The fire climaxed what seemed to Be jinxes on both the Shubert and “Listen to the Mocking Bird” this season. The show had received generally .adverse notices on tour. And the company meager report¬ ed, “Heavy snow kept the audi¬ ences away in Boston. When we left for Cleveland, there was a train wreck on the track ahead of us which held us up for hours. In Cleveland, we had blizzards and floods. Now, we’re burned out.” The Shubert’s run of luck has been bad this year, too. One show, “Starward Ark” played three per¬ formances. Another “Jewel Box Revue,” lasted four. Tallulah Bankhead in “Crazy October” ran through two weeks, but folded be¬ fore hitting Gotham.' “Poker Game,” the most recent entry (it folded last week in Philly) grossed Only about $7,500 in 11 perform¬ ances. “Third Best Sport,” star¬ ring Celeste Holm, was the only production playing the Shubert this season which has made'New York. ■*" * / The fire cancelled out- only one advance Shubert booking,. a one- night jazz concert, although there had been preliminary negotiations for other plays. The Shubert, which always suf¬ fered because of its location in a less desirable section of downtown Washington, had formerly been the Gayety burlesque house, built in 1907. It was closed, refurbished and opened as a legit theatre in’ February, 1950, with “l*he Barretts of-Wimpole Street.” .Although never as popular witfi performers or Washington audi¬ ences as the National, it did house a number of hits in its time, in¬ cluding “Mister Roberts,” “Bus Stop,” “Hatful of Rain,” “Visit to a Small Planet,” “Cat. on ~a Hot Tin Roof” and^Two for" the Seesaw.” - An added .problem in post-fire bookkeeping was that'“Listen to the; Mocking Bird” was on-Theatre Guild subscription. Arrangements] are Being made to exchange* tbqse tickets stRl outstanding for a Sub¬ sequent prddueilpB. , y ,... * Shows on Broadway 2 -Continued Troup pare 1Z s IWl-Stery have been .a decision based on box- office considerations. -• On the other hand, the different emphasis could conceivably been a matter of casting; and, in conse¬ quence, changed performance, values and Story elements. As it; is, the authors’ spokesman (Marc Connelly) *and the audience’s hero emerges as not much more than an incidental character, not the dominant one he should be, " The 4c£y scene, In which the broad-minded professor - persuades his narrow-minded colleague to recognize “the human equation,” tends to be merely a plot device relating to the basketball game. It should be the -decisive moment of the play, more taut and color¬ ful, and also more diverting. If it were, “Tall Story” would there-' by not be so tall, but would have more depth and stature, as well as more genuine humor. There are- several good scenes in the show; and numerous laugh- evoking lines, But, at least partly because of miscasting, the. yarn isn’t quite believable and the com¬ edy tiever gets rolling with enough ] momentum to carry an audience i along with it Contributing factors J may be the slow scenes changes ] and the ear-*assaillng sound effects during the waits. Under Herman' Shumlin’s cohe¬ sive, no-monkey-business direction, the performance is uncluttered and ably paepd, but uneven. As the ethics professor who sees every question in terms of his own un- corruptable morals, Hans Conried gives an expertly tight-lipped por¬ trayal, despite the opening-night handicap of an apparent case of laryngitis. • Playwright and occasional actor Marc Connelly, making a rare ap¬ pearance on Broadway, just about gets by in the strategically vital and juicy role oof the moral but worldly physics professor. He doesn’t give a “bad” performance —it’s just not a performahee at all, at least in the sense of^pro- fessional work, with larger-than- life dimension and vivid theatrical impact It’s possible- to imagine that with, say, a Paul McGrath or Hiram Sherman (or any of a dozen players who might or might not be avail¬ able and within budget limita¬ tions), the philosphieal professor as the Outstanding figure of the story and, in consequence, a much •more substantial, compelling and at least equally amusing play. As the ' befuddled basketball star, Robert Elston isn’t credible as either a college athlete or bud¬ ding scientific genius, but Marian Winters impresses in tbe mostly- reacting (but with a number Of -laugh lines),part of the resigned BUt devoted wife of the straight- aced "professor. Nina Wilcox is passable as the ardent coed, Robert Wright is plausible as a realistically diplo¬ matic college prexy. Mason Adams gives a skillful portrait of a Coach who wants no nonsense about academic over-emphasis, and there are acceptable bits by Janet Fox as a waitress, Jamie Smith as a local-minded public prosecutor-, Ralph Stantley as a racketeering restaurant proprietor and Ray Merritt as a precocious moppet. George - Jenkins has designed visually suitable but slow-changing scenery depicting a. restaurant, a gymnasium office, two professors’ living rooms and the college, presi¬ dent’s office, and Noel -Taylor has provided appropriate costumes. The production is -presented by a new firm, Emmett Rogers and Robert Weiner, being the man¬ agerial debut for-the latter, - Under the^. pre-production film deal, Warner Bros, pays $200,000 down, plus bonus payments of 10% of the weekly gross'oh Broad-;, way (on profitable • weeks); to - a maximum total of $500,000. tiobe. Rashom*on David Susskind ii Hardy Smith-presenta¬ tion. of two-act 'drama by Fay and Michael Kanin,- based on stories by Ryimosuke Akutagawa. Direction. • Peter GlenvUle; settings • and qpstumes, Oliver - Messel; lighting, Jo Mieldner; Laurence Bosen- thafc associate producer, Michael, Abbott. Stars. Claire. Bloom, Bod Steiger, Oscar hom*olka. Akim Tamiroff; features Noel Willman, Hath. White, 'Michael.. Shillo. £3sa Freed, Jack Bittner. Opened Jan. 27, J 59, at the Music Box Theatre, N.Yj *6.61 top, - Prieit* . Michael Shillo Woodcutter ... Akim Tamlroff Wigmaker . Oscar hom*olka Deputy - /...Jack- Bittqer Bandit .. BOd-Stelger , Husband ................ .. Noel Willman'I Wife V...Claire BloOm Mother. .. Buth White: Medium- ....., Hs» Freed . !Fhis. production of -“Rashom*on” Is.a notable -and nearly successful attempt to* recapture on .stage .the magie - and -.wisdom of the prize-., - winhing Japanese Jfilm y b$ V195L Both adaptations were made from the same stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, giving four' different accounts of the same murder and rape.- But this time the picture has a slight edge on the play. it isn’t that the FayLand Michael Kanin dramatization of the 1,000- year-old fable lacks excitement, beauty or integrity. On the con¬ trary. It has even clarified the point that all truth is necessarily colored by the eye of the beholder and the desire of the participants. But if doesn’t quite achieve the legendary enchantment of the film, or that rare artistry. - Partly it is the inevitable limita¬ tion of the stage, although it would be hard to imagine a more spell¬ binding set than Oliver Messel’s, with its jungle rain and moving bamboo forest. Partly, also, it. is the playing, which, though superb, cannot attain the extreme styliza¬ tion of Japanese actors trained in Kabuki. -And the realistic farce of the last scene almost destroys the far-away mood. But it is nevertheless rich thea¬ tre, particularly in the two ver¬ sions by the bandit and raped, woman, and it deserves a long rim. Peter Glenville’s staging has al¬ most a ritualistic Hinge without losing suspense. Rod Steiger, whether passionate romantic or braggart, is a zestful bandit. And Claire Bloom, though a bit studied in her speech, graces each of her characterizations. Oscar hom*olka, as a cynical listener, does most to unify the four parts and give the play needed humor. Also effective are Akim Tamiroff as the crafty wit¬ ness, Noel Willman as the Samurai- husband and Michael Shillo as the priest bewildered by tbe nature of truth. - T toy. Sylvia Drulie, associate pro¬ ducer of “The Music Man,” “West Side Story” and other Broadway shows,, is convalescing in the Virgin Islands, after a severe at¬ tack of pneumonia. She is due back in about two weeks. Miss Drulie was in the hospital over the Christmas-New Year period, and left for the Caribbean with her family in mid-January. SYLVIA SIDNEY IN CRASH San Francisco, Feb. 3. Sylvia Sidney and Benjamin Strobach, respective star and stage manager of the bus-truck com* pany of “Auntie Maine,” were in¬ volved In a three-car collision en- route from Oakland to San Jose last week. Strobach's car was too badly damaged to be driven, but the star and stage manager reached San Jose - in time for the "Mame” per¬ formance there Monday night (26). EOR SALE ExcellMit conditio*. Heavy Grcr Valoar. lined. 13 pieces coasistim of 6 lags, 3 borders, and 2 drop la 2 sections. Size: 30 ft. fdgli borders 50 ft. wide, legs 12 ft. wide PLAYHOUSE THEATRE Wilmington 1, DeL ^ OLympia 5-4401 PLEASE NOTIFY ROBERT GREEN ACTOR and Artist from N«w -York and Florida— TO CONTACT: JOHN CLAYTON ' Immediately In Nashville, Tenp. YOUNG MAN- MAN FRIDAY Desires bookkeeping - secretarial posi¬ tion/ pretetrably In New York — out of town considered « salary warrants. Good skills. Various experience includ¬ es theatrical. Contact .Box V-TM-59, VARIETY, 154 W. 44th St. New York 34. SECRETARY Young attractive ceUeget.gredudte with. good'sklUs wants Interesting- and dlvershUd feb* f-'m Me-perfect get Friday wftfi uAtlmiteid petantlet. Box y-J&it* YARIITY, ' ' 154 pr. 4$fr T st.'tlew,Yerk45. UTERATT 77 ; Wcteday, February 4,195$ Literati Saga of tie: Van Borens Dorothy Van Dofed's Saga of her family, “The Professor and I,”'will, be In the "bookstalls Febf 25 under imprint of Appleton-Century- Crofts. Story will tell of her life with Prof. Mark Van Doren, her hus¬ band. and raising of two children,- Charles and.John, the former the quiz champ and now an NBC staffer as well as English teacher at Co¬ lumbia Univ. Van Boren’s Book Before BVay Usually the book version of a Broadways legit is published after its stage production, but Hill & Wang is publishing Hark Van Doren’s first play. “The Last .Days of Lincoln,** next week ahead of its mounting. Alexander EL Cohen and Ralph Alswang, in association with Arthur' C. Twitcheil Jr., will produce it next falL They bought the stage rights after seeing an advance copy. * Columbia Univ. Prof. Van Doren has had many bodes of poetry, fic¬ tion 'and non-fiction published, in¬ cluding his recent • memoirs, but this is his first play. The pre-Broadway publication was paralleled this year by another poet, Archibald MacLeish, first having his play, “J.B.," published before the current dramatic stag¬ ing on Broadway. B-O-M Takes ‘Ross* James Thurber’s “The Years with Ross," which originated as an Atlantic Monthly series and was expanded to book length, will be published Sept. 8 by Atlantic- Little, Brown as a dual selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. The author was closely associated with. Harold Ross from 1927 until the New Tinker mag editor’s death in 1951. Thurber was reluctant to write about Ross, but was finally per¬ suaded to tackle the assignment by Atlantic associate editor Charles W. Morton. McCall Buys Home Eee Mag McCall Corp. has entered into an agreement with Topics Pub¬ lishing Co. Inc. of New York to purchase its* Forecast for Hom« Economists' effective with the mag- azine-’a February issue. Mag has a circulation of about 60,000 and covers- homemaking topics for home economics teach¬ ers. Publication will be printed in McCall’s Dayton plant. Purchase price was undisclosed. Shuffle British Board The successful hid by the Daily Mirror group for the Amalgamated Press, „■> Britain’s ^biggest periodical publishers, has brought about the folio wing board changes:—Cecil H. King has been appointed chairman I of AP, mid Hubert K. Cudlipp deputy chairman. James Cooke has been appointed a director. King is chairman, of Daily Mirror Newspapers and Cudlipp and Cooke are directors. -Queen Liz Can. Bally - Rod Mdhnes, public relations chief of Trans-Canada Air Lines, will coordinate publicity for the 1959 visit to Canada of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Mc- Innes, veteran publicist in Royal visits to Canada, will have strong aid from Robert Dunn of the Dept of External Affairs, also expert' eneed in such work, and Jacques LaRivfere of the Dept, of Northern Affairg. . Offices will be set . at 74 Sparks St. in Ottawa to coordinate coverage by all media. a production assistant to Henry Caldwell at the BBC studios. Since then-she has progressed, into com- mentating, script writing and other branches of the creative side of the industry and has now described her experiences in “The . Small. Screen” (Cassells, London, $1.95) in a way aimed at giving the viewer a glimpse into behind the scenes studio activity. It is a lightweight and, in the main, superficial study; but what emerges clearly is the fact that Mrs. Fairley is a very enterprising person, determined to make a sue-: cess of her career. In her narra¬ tive she, uses fictional names for ; her characters, but they are thinly [ disguised and many of them are clearly recognizable. She has a conventional, racy style of writing, which is adequately suited for her first person treatment. Myro. Scot TV Guide Clicks l A success story is being notched up in Scotland by Roy Thomson’s TV Guide, program sheet of the commercial web in Auld Lang Syne-land. From an initial 75,000 circulation, this weekly' is now nearing 300,000 mark. One of the- principal staffers is Gordon Irving, correspondent in Scotland for Variety. Sheet is edited by James S. Adam, with Boh Huggah as his assistant and disk critic.-' Jacqueline Sherry contrib¬ utes the Hollywod page. Publish¬ ers "are officially the Thomson- British Publications, an offshoot of the Roy Thomson" setup. ‘Season’ Lacks Seasoning The central figure of Martyn Goff 's novel, “A Season with Mam¬ mon” (Putnam’s. $2.10) is a ruth¬ less, egotistical film tycoon operat¬ ing in .Britain and Italy, as seen through the eyes of a young free¬ lance newspaperman who joins the magnate’s staff as his personal assistant. Goff presents only a shadowy etching of the man’s personality and the novel lacks the bite that a satirical study of the film world should have produced. Some of his subsidiary characters are well drawn, however, and the . author has an easy sense of narrative' and dialog. It Is only Ms second novel and experience may teach him how to differentiate between fascinat¬ ing and detailed observation and padded trivialities, i As a study of aii unusual per¬ sonality “A Season With Mammon” [ holds the interest. But as a pro¬ vocative peek at the crazy film I business it misfires on several cylinders. Rich. Rinehart’s NBC Textbook Rinehart Sc Co. is rushing into early publication “Atomic Age Physics,” a layman’s guide to atom¬ ics and nucleonics, to dovetail with the start . the second term of NBC-TV’s “Continental Class¬ room.” Idea "is that the book, penned by Prof. Harvey E. White (U. of California), can serve as back¬ ground for non-pros who follow the NBC science course. Sure ‘Running’ Big James Jones* ‘/Some Came Run¬ ning” in a specially abridged paper¬ back under the New American Library imprint within four weeks ‘went back to press for a. total of four printings apd 1,000,000 copies. Signet publication of “Some Came Running” was keyed to opening ! of Metro version of novel, i . Jones’ “From Here fo Eternity” [has sold 3,000,000 copies to date. Ben HibbsV Speech, and Honor Ben Hibbs, editor of Saturday Evening Port, will deliver the Wil¬ liam Allen White lecture at the University of Kansas Feb. 10. - .„ Anv alumnus of the - University (’23) he will be the recipient of the William Allen White Foundation’s annual national citation for jour¬ nalism. Lee GottUeb Upped Lee Gottlieb, programming edi¬ tor of TV Guide, New York, named assistant managing editor at thej mag’s national headquarters in Philadelphia. Succeeding him' in; the N.Y. spot will be Nigl -Gilson, a member of the national program¬ ming staff. Gottlieb has been with the weekly since Its founding as a na- tionai publication ifi -1953: He was" a fornrer . associate editor of Mac? fadd^Dublications. The Small Screen’ Roma Fairley (wife of the.-joint chairman of Loudon's Mecca Cafes, whgse operation includes the Cafe de (ParisF moved ‘Into tds vision a ‘Famous Writers School’ Famous Artists Schools of West- port, Conn., has created an affili¬ ate, Famous Writers School, to teach writing by correspondence. “Guiding Faculty” will include 'Faith Baldwin, John Caples, Bruce Catton, Bennett Cerf, Bob Consi- dine, Bergen Evans, Rudolf Flesch, J. D. Ratcliff, Bod Serl'ng, Max Shulman and Red Smith. Albert [Dome, pfexy of Famous Artists [School, also will head up the new correspondence school Director [will be Gordon Carroll, former ; editor and publisher -of Coronet. Exec editor will be Richard L. To¬ bin, former editorial staffer of N.Y. i Herald Tribune. ! ‘Before We Sleep* Hank Rlobrngarden, whose erudi¬ tion came to the fore with a pro¬ tracted and profitable stand on "Twenty One,” has become one of America’s angry young men with the publication of “Before We Sleep 5 ’ (Putnam, - $3.95, 246 pp.), a partisan peek into Ameri¬ can medical research and pfac- few-years hackj -when-shebeeaine . fice. However, Btoomgarden’s ■•anger is controlled,-hehas selected U2S3E Rrkj. targets that need the buckshot, of indignation to get' them ipto the 20th century* and Be has stated his arguments with simplicity 'and .effectiveness. Present .practices, Blooihgarden ■claims, . are' forcing the United States to lag behind in medical schools and development of medi¬ cos, and to fall behind in research on basic' human ailments while hogs and'cows are beneficiaries of [a 'more enlightened Government view. Bloozngarden most of all pleads for a crash program of research that will force a break- though in some of the areas that have defied the attempts of private research. The doling out of funds by individuals and institutions; he calls the “tincup” approach and claims they are hardly sufficient to meet -modern day requirements. He also feels that the public should he given greater enlightenment into the status of varied medical projects still under, the micro¬ scopes. it's his viSw that progress will be accelerated in ail fields once such education is more wide¬ spread. Jose. Tom Curtiss’ ‘Detour* N.Y. Herald Tribune (Paris) drama critic and quondraan Variety correspondent Thomas Quinn Curtiss took 7 Vz hours to make the trans-Atlantic flight by jet hut,, because of the fog, he was grounded in Philadelphia. It took him almost ns long-^-six hours— to get from Philly to N.Y. For some reason there was no; M.D. for the' vaccination inspec¬ tion routine; one had to he brought in from Delaware, says Curtiss, “because apparently all the offi¬ cial Philly M.D.S were at the Gov¬ ernor’s ball.” Whether because it was an inter¬ national flight, hence a novelty, or because of some other reason, the customs routine also was overly intensive. One of the passengers, a theatrical agent, even had his toothpaste and shaving cream tubes squeezed and pockets searched, tor some pecular reason, since he was 100% clean and had little to declare. i CHATTER Elick Moll working on original I “Days Of Wrath” at Metro. I Frank Gruber profile appears in April issue of .The Writer. Rdbert Carson plugging current article in Holiday via TY inter¬ views. . Mike Jackson, one-time movie reviewer for Liberty Magazine, now scribing column, “The Local Line” for LA Examiner. Robert Lapalme, French Can¬ ada’s top political cartoonist, has shifted from Le Devoir to La Presto (both dailies published in Montreal).- Er und Sie, a top Swiss weekly with wide circulation in German- Speaking countries, has started a Robert Stolz serial entitled “Two Hearts In Three-Quarter Time.’* Author of the yam is Kurt Em- menegger. Financial Information Issuing j Co. Inc. has been authorized to conduct a business as publishers in New-York, with capital stock of 200 shares, no par. value. Direc¬ tors are Martin. Leider, John L, Wood and Anne Eostoker. Viking will publish Joseph Schildkraut’s autobio g, “My Father and I,” hitting stand's March 17 almost simultaneously with/release of George Stevens’ “The Diary of Anne Frank,” in which actor stars. ' Bennett Cerf turned in a boff stint for some 1,000 members of the Memphis Sales Exec,.the Ad and Memphis Sales Clubs. He ap¬ peared at the City Auditorium with Memphis newsmen and radio and tv members also on hand. Third revised edition of Jean and Robert Bed dick’s- “Television Works Like This,” an illustrated primer for moppets and laymen, just published by McGraw-Hill Alan H. Steinberg named ad¬ vertising research manager of Ziff-Davis. •• Elliott Schryver starts Feb. 24 as a senior editor at Doubleday. He had been ditto at Putnam’s and prior thereto with Viking and Woman’s Home Companion. He Was an economic editor and-execu¬ tive officer with the Office of Strategic Sendees during the war. Although believed to be in finan¬ cial need, Octavos Roy Cohen, famed creator of the “Florian Slappey” (Satevepost) and other stories left his $50,000 estate to the femme companion who nursed him in his last 10 years of illness in Hollywood where he died last month. Ben Benson’s latest whodunit, “End of Violence” was sold to Milo Frank, MGM . producer. .Leading character,‘ Massachusetts State Trooper Ralph LiridsayJ exempli¬ fies law enforcement agencies. Pro- ; ducer plans to cast newcomer in ; [ SCULLY’S SCRAPBOOK ! t x ► By Frank Scully +♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ! Hollywood, Feb. 3. Though it is 30 years since Tin Pan Alley went goofy over horses i and 60 years since their number was up, as far as i mode of transpor¬ tation was concerned, more money had been made breeding horses in this century than in the entire previous century of the Republic, ac¬ cording to my certified private accountant. Among racetracks, trotting courses, rodeos and the manufacture of westerns In pictures and on television, more dough is spent annually than Russia spent getting its lunik orbiting around the sun. That’s why a picture like “The Horse Soldiers” can cost $5,006,009 and no one bats an eye when handing the bill to the front office. Of course, the fact that three pieces of human flesh—Mesrs. Marion [Michael Morrison, William Beedle and Sean O’Feeney—nicked the till for. $2,000,009 shows that the man who sits on top of the horse is j still a pretty expensive commodity, too. Messrs- Mahin and Rackin, who are the producers of “The Horse I Soldiers,”'built their picture around Grierson’s Raid of Union cavalry Who sloshed their way In 1363 through 600 miles of Confederate ter¬ ritory and, in fact, made possible not only Grant’s successful attack on Vicksburg but Sherman’s march on the sea. In these sanguine maneuvers the horse was a vital issue and spelled the difference be¬ tween success and failure. Horses And Horses Berrieres More than 1,200 horses and not a few horses’-fannies played their part in the raid. Harold Sinclair, who wrote the book on which the picture is_batod, didn’t claim he was writing history. In fact, he called his brilliant tactician not Colonel Benjamin Henry Grierson but Colonel John Marlowe. Nevertheless, they are (me and the same per¬ son. Actually, Grierson was a music teacher and hated horses. And with reason. He had been kicked in the face by a horse when he was a kid, was blinded for weeks and bore scars from the boot for the rest of his life. On the other hand, John Wayne, portraying the cavalry leader, has always liked nags, and indeed most of his climb from being a so-so member of a USC football team to his present eminence and opu¬ lence has been due to his success in looking like a man who belonged on a horse. Raoul Walsh discovered this first. Wayne began looking like a horseman in “Stage Coach” and more so in “Tall in the Sad¬ dle,” “Fort ApaChe,” "Three Godfathers,” “She Wore a Yellow Rib¬ bon” and “The-Fighting Kentuckian.” BUI Beedle Holden Tall In Saddle Too But Bill Holden has not been associated with horsey pictures very much, though he sits pretty tall in the saddle himself. Aside from the love of big money, Holden and Wayne had another thing in common. Wayne’s father was a druggist and Holden’s a manufacturing chemist. And both .were raised and educated in Southern California about the time that Santa Anita dropped bucking for saints and became asso¬ ciated withequines. As for Jack Ford, I have never seen him on a horse. Coming from Portland, Me;, he has been partial to ships ever since he got out of the U. of Maine, and between pictures has ridden the waves with such suc¬ cess that he. now bears the rank of Rear Admiral in the Navy. Ford Downgraded By Gov. While the Horse Soldiers were smacking around the south on loca¬ tion, the governor of North Carolina made Ford a colonel, which is the first instance where an admiral took a demotion in another branch of the services without batting an eye. Or maybe he did bat an eye, but Ford wears dark glasses aU the time, so one couldn’t be sure. As for John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin they have never^been closer to horses than in a carpenter shop. When Mahin caine out of Harvard he wait to work on the Boston Examiner, then the New York Sun and the Post, He even worked as an actor on Broadway for two- years, but in 1930 he got himself tied in with Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur and his first assignment was as dialog writer on “Scarface,” which, would have been a good nickname for CoL Grierson. “Scarface” cemented him into Metro and except for a three year interlude with the Air Corps, he was on the Metro lot up to the time -the Mayer dynasty collapsed. hfahm saw a chance to climb aboard the indie-producer gravy train, and there he met Martin Rackin whose knowledge of horses came sec¬ ond-hand because he worked in Fred Kelly’s hat store near the Strand Theatre on Broadway. Every week it was his job to deliver a pork-pie hat to Damon Runyon. On these occasions he learned about horses from Runyon and the Runyon characters who knew about horses only as horse-players. Mahin And Rackfs No Herse Players Rackin got tp Hollywood by plane, not by pony express, after writing “Buy Me That Town” with Murray Boltinoff. Par couldn’t buy the town but they bought -the book, and Rackin with it In a long list pf scripts since, he never got near a horse but in such company as Wayne, Hold¬ en and Ford, not to stress Harold Sinclair’s original researchers in the othorsesRaOun found a way to make it plausible to present a bill to Mxrsch-Batjac for 5 000G on a Civil War horse opera. Long a student, of the War Between the States and being married to a gal who was bom in North Carolina, and whose people fought for the South while he fought for the North, Ford isn’t likely to rtart another Little Rock with how he has Seated Grierson's Raiders. He s an old hand at knowing that if a movie moves, yon don’t need to stir up a Jot of . bad blood with side issues, to hold an audience. Hav- mg made 48 westerns since “Cactus, My Pal” he has looked on “The Horse Soldiers,” as just another western wife a top wienie and a great chase. Gnersons Raiders were volunteers. They rode south oft April 17.- J enn ‘ 11 took thera *1* <52ys to "make tbennfrch through Mississippi and Louisiana, sever the- Vtoksburg railroad and baffie Confederate Intelligence by cavalry feints, fights, aad gallops as he carried a sort of guerrilla warfare on horseback. He entered Baton Rouge on May 3 at the head of the mpst battered and bedraggled heroes of any war. General Grant thought Grierson’s raid shortened the war by a year and it certainly made it possible for General Sherman to complete his famous or infamous (vote for one) March to the Sea, which cut the Confederacy in half and doomed Jeff Davis’ rebellious republic* The New York Times devoted its whole front and back pages to the success of Grierson’s Horse Soldiers. , ; Now let’s ~see what they do with Ford’s. star role and hopes to turn this into series, a la “Andy Hardy.” Thomas B. Co stain has donated mss. of his “Son of a Hundred Kings” to Brant Historical Society in his native Brantford, Ont. Also fee paid him for appearing recently, on CBS-TY’s qtdz^One of a Kind.” ' Costain .was for. years editor of Maclean’s, then editor of SEPost, before becoming a fulltime novel¬ ist-historian* Maurice Harris, ex - San Diego newspaperman, is new publisher of Herald-Enterprise Publications, in Bellflower, California: Five com¬ munity newspapers in - the greupi will carry extensive show business lineage with Harrison Carroll, Beth Norman—emcee of KFI's “Meet A Celebrity,” and Mary McCarthy among the name byliners.' Carl E. Lindstrom, ex-executive editor of the Hartford limes and vice president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, has been appointed to the journalism department faculty of 4,he U. 6f Michigan, Ann Arbor. He’ll be. visiting professor of journalism for the spring semester, 1259.. He re¬ cently retired at Hartford after 40 -years’ service. - 78 CMATTB1 _ . PMsieff • London iCOVent Garden 0135-6-7) Wednesday, February 4, 1959 Hollywood n i mannati met with U.S.and Italol lanAiM [directs, Giutetta Marina and Eddie - HflllvWflftll Broadwav film company press office. chiefs * WBuOIl Constantine are the leads. IWlljfWvQH The Hy (Marilyn) Gardner* to set P^ weU to advance o£ the (COVent Garden 0135-8-7) wh^^en^sfdlng do ? erbert returned t0 Lon ' birthday-partied Jimmy Durante T^in nrftrfiippr nffavin Pocrf off- Hazel Court planed out for lin, recently returned to West Garv CooDer to Sun Valiev for Snhbl^^SuBdiga). . Hollywood tostoin en Alfred jfchinSto«JattwoM *835*« th“ “ Norton V. 1931 OTA ha ™ Mar *“ bere lrom *» Stevens, and of Kay Ashton- j un A Povsi is looking for Yank Bitchey off to Paris to set up a pie “Three From the Filling-Sta- Anthony Steel here from Lon* Stevens (Kathryn Kris, former S' id fenmp S 8 new'production deal after a^hrief tion.” Pip stars Lilian Harvey, do „ nony toieel **** ™ SS and Wolf Man- “aeto^Al^fflce winds np MftacrKS thl CriUcf’ CteclfS- pSSSr“2d^ ttr “ JtMdteSrt M ri ll dlto ll S l 3te®o? r feted at an AiSSdlhf'World” (Tte*Jo»pfr »^ r celebrate<i a P«S forGroSr. I €^0?TS^-Bom^d iS GerM^LmiaUon S'MSSS&^&SSk"" a-s S ^acS C ^ 0rP “ a * do “ Thorpe planed to Lon- for^o^e ^ ^jgSR &SS? *^h* 5 ^c 8 £J& £££ MeirSHospS, Batthno*. ”f‘ tomatl . <! Bbows ’ Both Its London run at the Palace. Feb. Tenenffa Marocco. Mallorca to ^?ck T^gSen “d b ^“nt& after betog dfccharged preraartrdy H(M!TOS st!irfcl .-r, Terrore »*«.. _ »*«.,. & e . *$!?, «iS dominal surgery.. tomMtS-sftiSdJo£SjHopSS Terrort Tha„two British .producers* or- Sea Sei? Sererai Polydorrecord: u ^£ OsSck returned from fwv5rt wherp he had cone for a ■?*} .SarDari (Barbarian Terrorl ganglions are tossing a. lunch for ing artists appear in the cast. Gntham checkup Vet booked has been Ito* wilTsuTto *a Ale ’iStShttS^ 13 !? Sm • ^mre w* e 114 films preemed Bob oSy joined Abner Gresh- having tteSser trouble. ; utetoe^Si ML‘ £2 ^ ^ '3 + 5™£ %&!£* ISL^-JKS ■ ? er °® ce as an associate to handle beckup. vet Dooxer nvs ueeu «a rrhfmpdpt?" He will star in a t* ™7n • r. - . iuu» juod uakiey joined Abner uresn* aving ticker trouble. _ fM^d^H^c^es^ nictiSe this Talk £2 d * X * ^ a ? 071 ! 4 ^ many ¥ st 5 ll ar o M ? s J ler office as an associate to handle Ambrose (Brogi). retired maitre SXSTw ifirtromnletid ^ , at th ®x' S f v ^ y -J e t? , A 19 * ^ * of the pix (34) came from the Soviet tv deals, d’hotel of the** Waldorf-Astoria, SgJ Jgg Deril”^ itomband ^ sso S at * e t i + B i :iti S t £ S iS5 ?«?{£ Union. DEFA (East-Germany’s sole Bob Crosby named Man of the died at 79 in Libertyville, HI, at ^goslavhL D ™ E m! Producing outfit) contributed 16 Year by Southern California Mul- *he home of one of his daughters. Iugos avia *_ Savoy following the Royal Com- films, eight from Italy, seven from tiple Sclerosis Society. Ambrose was long major domo of 5? 3111 ToF ^ 111 Performance on Mon- Yugoslavia, six from Hungary, five - Gov. Edmund G. “Pat" Brown the home of one'of his daughters. 6 _ Ambrose was long major domo of the Waldorf’s famed Empire Room D*n 1... ,,,!■ and Starlight Roof and before that ilttSDIirSfl *F &om I ' l0liaa tG By Hal V. Chea Arrirt^Today (Wed.) by Laeka- (ATUmtic 1A100J wanna at Hoboken, the Cleveland Charlie Barron underwent eye Symphony personnel will go from surgery in a Philadelphia hospital. , ,_._from France, four each from Rou- will be principal speaker at “Jessel Florence Geddes, AmerieanJjorn mania and China and three from Golden • Jubilee” banquet Feb. 24. a luwwga wife of British film director, Henry Poland. By-Hal V. Cohen Geddes, has started a sendee in (ATlantic 1-6100) London called “Americans Abroad Charlie Barron underwent eye Lt £*” . rtfwvin a Philarielnhia hosbitaL_Peter Hall took the Comet to Miami Beach Symphony personnel win go irom surgery in a imuaaeipma nospiiaju * /5m By Larv Solloway t0 «ome alter nuaaimg nere wirn Church St to Columbus Circle in Clay Flagg, of White Barn Thea- (30) to _«>nfab writers for upcoming Titanus two “reserved” subway cars, then tre, to Bell Air, Fla., for a few with Boris Aronson on the desi^is vx/oa w«w * \ FUms product. hilrA to Carnegie HalL Last like weeks. £ upcommg production of Corf- Jimmy Hurante has a mid-Month Edward Anhalt back from three event: Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jack Kahn in South Side Hos- blanus at Stoatford-on-Avon; Sir date with the Latm Quarter. . months in Israel, where die scripted from Brooklyn to M a nh atta n by pital, where part of his collar bone c£ first draft o£ “ Mar y Magdalene” “reserved” subway in 1957. was removed. Metro hosted a press reception Hunt show in final week of tap- for David O. Selznick. - Comedian Marty Allen (and y ^5 day(Tues)forChe- ingsatthe FontamebleaiL - Stanley Kramer’s “The Defiant n DeWood) home for a few Slavs valier, who’s in town for the • Gigi Ciro s reopened, with an Alan Ones” and John Ford’s “The Last BoStOfl while art had a short laySf. Kay Brown *** the Hurrah” nominated by Motion Pic- Yul Brynner closing his Alciona office hero to set up headquarters for next year in Switzerland. Goffredo Lombardo planed back to Rome after huddling here with DeWood) home for a few days while act had a short layoff. , , Herbert A. May, head of Civic preceding the Royal Archers added. ture Sound Editors as best sound* _ By Guy Livingston n»ht On#»ra rpcienwl ns cpninr Film Performance. Donald O Connor firmed up his edited indies of 1958 ^42 Little Bldg.; HAnco*ck fr8386) ' Tetesita de Alba curtenfly mak- deal to foUow Frjmk Siaatra Into rXS m W Vokel is acting Tina Louise m for press rounds Marv Chandnois wife of the ex- her British debut with a cab- the Font s LaRonde in mid-March, chairman of Foreign Language mn* nnrcnnolc JHaiy qnflnOlS, Wile OI Ule CA ftn sf enaenn at tVio fiAnipttr The YftUnff Pht thnich T?rv*kpp Prvar nil _m _ and personals. . steelers hackfield star put in season a t the Society. The Young Chi thrush Rwikee Pryor Committee for upcoming “God and Kate Murphy” current ch JL, n f www Philippino vocalist arrived in town and vet blackouteer Roy Sedley Qscar sweepstakes whBe Air man at the Wilbur on tryout of ti3Tl Wneel modeling ]ast Simday (1) and was gu est 0 f into the Murray FraiMin-Paul Lui gi Luraihi is in Europe. “Les BaUets Africans” opens for jo^Vrawfor^ to town two davs honor at a P^ss reception the Gray all-nite waekmess shop. - a week at the Colonial Monday (9). ^ith^cr husband Alfred^Stert? same ffay. Sammy Davis Jr., took an eight- r ,. Phyllis Ponn, Hub-based ballet Sr oD^ins of new P^si S A check for more than ^O* 000 * deal at Eden Roc’s Cafe Pom- CuICHSO terper, at Monticello, Framingham. L /’j 16111112 01 new ^ epsl U)la the proceeds of the Royal preem peii, be ginn i n g March 4. It s his , va ® W Emlyn Williams in for five per- ^ * __ of “Me and the Colonel,” was first appearance hereabouts in sdv- (Delaware 7-4984) formanceS at Jordan HaR in “A handed over by Mike J. Frankovich era! years. .... ... Sally Rand at the Brass Rail. Boy ^Growing Up ” nLnlj.Ll!. to the Duke of Devonshire, chair- , Memorial show at the Auditor- Lee Lind Duo now at Tony’s La “Juno” opens at the Shubert Wednesday (4) for a three week pre-Broadway tryout. * Chicago man of th- ^rand Council of the [ium for late Ben (brother of dou- Pe tite. (Delaware 7-4984) Sally Rand at the Brass Rail. Lee Lind Duo now at Tony’s La By Jerry Gaghan' British Empire Campaign. irfe\Schary guesi spoke at 26th } (319 N*. 18th St.; Locust 4-4848) unnl Goodwill pinner of Brother- A stone was unveiled at the Ravlm hood of Temple Ohabei Shalom. grave of Manie Sacks, Feb. L WIUU Joe Levine, prexy Embassy Pic- Lawrence Langner to be fea- By H»«« Hoehn tures, back from trip to Japan tured speaker at Arts Festival (76-02-64) where he acquired rights to Nip- drama forum at Free Llbarary (10). Paramount reissued its “Sunset ponese films. _ Baritone Mack Harrell sings at Boulevard” at Allecro Boh Messenger, Columbia Rec- benefit for his alma mater, the ords promoter, hosted party for Settlement Music School (4). Percy Faith and Four Lads at Henry Haftel, concertmaster of * yhats Jazz * on 1116 George Wein’s Storyville. the Israeli Philharmonic, is a Swedish jazz expert bletalking Al) Kelly a sellout, two weeks before the date Feb. 9. Boy Hope confirmed the emcee Bev Kelley in ahead of “Music Man,” due at the Shubert Feb. 12. Linda Darnell in town rehearsing request for Variety Tent 33 for ‘‘i^te tore/’ not up at Drury its annual Variety Children’s Hos- Lane. Blue Angel recently enlarged its S° n S f eUbe at capacity and did some redecorat* Roc beginning Feb. 4. Edgar Bergen and Elaine Dunn . . r . . . . , ,, i Jimmy Lee, onetime Chez Pares I lin e singer now warbling at the Philips, has brought an LP Roc’s Cafe Pompeii until Thursday Hucksters c .TaTy7 f> nn tha marlrbf I /9Q^ urTion Boronn’c PKnt*Hb IOToi*- I _»i__! uiud uwvcu you iui OctUcmcOL iMXaOOl ~ ~ 77^^. — Wi* -ItT— —-— 7«X7 ,— „ c —7 —— ““—nucEdien, Percy Faith and Four Lads at Henry Haftel, concertmaster of ^ yhats Jazz * on 1116 market ^9) when Bergen s Charlie Mac- Dorothy Olsen has replaced George Wein’s Storyville. the Israeli Philharmonic, is & Swedish jazz expert Lars Res- Cmthy and his other wooden aides WGN’s Ami Silvestre at Sheraton The Metropolitan Opera is patient to Valley Force Heart berg held lecture at Free Univer- didn t-arrive on due-date, Jan. 28. Hotel’s India Room keyboard. skedded for nine performances at Hospital. * sity. -- Jim Sultan of NBC-Chi mail Metropolitan Theatre here, April Bichard Klein son of Boxing With Bellevue as latest addition, VlPIM/l room etched some sides on the 13-19, one more than last year. Commissioner Alfred Klein, pre- West Berlin now has seven art ireiuia Gone label as a member of the Pearl “Mqm” Landers, known seating the Jose Lbnou Dancers at cinemas. By Emil W. Maass vocal quintet, Mike Joseph and the for her work with show folks and the YMHA (14) NF’s “Girl Rosemarie” was the (Grosse Schtffgasse Downbeats, vet hospitals in the area, received Bill Hackett* forinerlv at the most screened pic in this country’s 1A,- Teh 356156) Jack Kirsch, head of Allied The- lJ2^V$£.&%JSS£2gt *«*» .°°«Mar now SSfft-wl-* W Ernst Krenek directed radio con- Jg&g room etched spme sides on the Gone label as a member of the vocal quintet, Mike Joseph and the Downbeats. Jack Kirsch, head of Allied The¬ atres of Illinois, heading for 10th pres^d^ her by Eichsrd Card!- SSSSMJSS, [came new chairman of Club of [ nt ’ day Boland Jr., son of the den- ^^^jouraalists. Balsar’received Honorary Ring of Pakn Rpsrll Fir) tist-deffer, is the musical director Actress Sabine Be thmann ofi to C jty c { Vienna. Idml DCaUl 5 rid. of the new off-Broadway promotion Hollywood to appear __ In Kirk Part of new mnsfc hnr tav will I amusem*nt division of the annual fund raising campaign By A. P. Scully “Fall-Out” ~ Douglas pic - spanacus/' ^ ^ used to subsidize local cafes 1 (FAirview 4-1828) Van Clibum was so enthused « ^ e ^ er A 1 4 Ii ^^T^ tarta + < i 1 d ^ ec " with “live-music.” fto' <Snv” i fnrnS^ i n 0l J Edgar Bergen looking over his over hi* reception at the Academy A1 ^ pi 5 n »/525 f j5® Day “ America House offering series of fSk concert at Eiehth S^^Thea SS£ SeV^^ of Music’s anni program (24). he book/a Womans Doctor/ lectures with disk playtog of fa- S&eet Thea * of the new off-Broadway promotion Hollywood to appear In Kirk im.f, n_ l m w * rWnislnn nm u CnaptaMic " . “Fall-Out” Van Clibum was so enthused Douglas pic, “Spartacus. 1 Part ft? m win Studs Terkel, Win Stracke, Chet L b ?* Hpble. Brother John. Sellers ond Sstton Ses acreage. ~ ol Music’s anni program (24). he I lectures with disk playing oi ta- tre nertSonth Nacio Herb Brown and bride offered to return next year and Fritz Kortner handed Kindler mous u s sQtoi^g, m ext mo nin. (ex-Mrs. Jimmy Fidler) honey- donate his services for a Pension publication (Munich) his autobio- Italo-American conductor Ar- mooned at Howard Manor. Fund Concert. f^phy which is to appear next - mando Aliherti signed for guest Rosalind Russell anfi hubby -— . 17 mi1nM , directing in Stuttgart. Freddie Brisson spending week- r , t d 2wo • P^st Ann Scheto gave concert end’s at Wrather’s L’Horizon. F firnkf lirf - * S d ?? S qiS^ m Schwarzentferg ^toce, spop- Dan Schorr, CBS’s Warsaw cor- iiiuiiuhii is to start this month. Sheldon sored by Ahaerica-House. respondent, took week off from By Hazel Guild Reyn? 1 ??, wul direct. _ Michael Redgrave, of London, mooned at Howard Manor. Rosalind Russell ana hubby Freddie Brisson spending week- * end’s at Wrather’s L’Horizon. Dan Schorr, CBS’s Warsaw cor¬ respondent, took week off from lecturing and spent it at the Desert Inn. Fund Concert. Mexico City Frankfurt By Hazel Guild (Rheinstrasse 24: 776751) ^nrfda wili direct. ■ Michael Redgrave, of London, VeraCruz! 26th-F6x preemed “Inn Of Sixth lectured in Little Josefstadt Thea- AllanM unnlnAcu" rti lKlmKilahnA U/lon 4,. _ _ A it.. xWlOll All. By Emil Zubryn Bruno Pagliai, industrialist, and wife Merle Oberon vacationing in Allan M. Noye, 20th-Fox Mexi- Hans Egolf chosen new general I r^hFmb^C I problems o{ English] C an, manager, >ck from N. Y. Oniy Phil Harris and Desi Arna2 mS^cr S Bros" ffSS performed at Thuderbird benefit many next preem at Atelier am Zoo. I Vienna Philharmonic Orch elect-] nrowts^t^be 1 imfSled C here to Tatiana fisnvslrtr fthipf ohnro. Prnf Offn Stmccor or 1 Pfri ® 013 10 °® UniUTiea Here m for nurse’s home. Hope, Crosby and Mario T^nya signed by Ger-1 Tatjana Gsovsky, chief chore- ed Prof. Otto Strasser as chief J9597 Sinatra reported too til to make it. ma^acCCFilimfor °V d ^ lc ^ 1 Be ^ E e h ^ vIoUnlst of Do] Der Btogle, still fighting a cold, | German-lingo pictures. lin, also took oyer the management the orchestra. aret, he did wrtL By Robert F. Hawkins (Stampa Estera; Teh 675906) ftSS’ftrtra l Pulver and Robert Graf. It’s a Witt | awarded the- Philips scholarship! The German jazz orchestra Of f oroduetion for Constantin release. Philharmonia Hunvarioa H«i SyfSSSwlJf United 'Artists’ “Defiant Ones” garian male orchestra^ inked declared particularly valuable by 66 concerts to U.S., Canada and SF Sa W€St German film classification other countries for September and ? y '«?£? *4fSrt?1w out third Russian film on its pro- board. Means considefable tax re- October. ^ provisionally titled Maria Cor- ffpam “Malm# ” Kbm/ 1 nn Ilia . ftTlftl.’* tnnurHtp pfinmtlupf-fnn production for Constantin release. Philharmonia Hungarica, Hun-1 Dolores Del Rio resting to Aca- • pulco after successful tour of prov¬ inces to “Lady Wtodemere’s Fan.” Plans second theatrical venture next year; modem version of “Grand Hotel.” . Mexican producer, Olallo Rubio onel,” tripartite coproduction among Mexico, Spain and Italy. Top Mexican money earner for 1958 is Pedro Armendariz, with Maria'Felix second, and Mario Moreno (Cantinflas) third. Cantto* Louis De Funes, French come- gram, “Malwa,” based on the 2e? ^ " -- * -:_1- tripartite coproduction dian, to for stint to Franco-Italian noveL Curt Goetz’s “Miniatures” (three C. n U___ •___ aD nrIl? iJKSJiS co-production^.“I Tartassati” (The _ Monpti, starring _Romy one-acters) at Renaissance Thea- u8D iTSllClSCO Overtaxed). Schneider is the first UFA film to tre SRO for rest of run. Goetz re- Bv wmilim iSS KSfP'l JSS Gianna Maria Canale to Berlin be released to the U.S. by Bakros turns with it in February for five / S, . Maria Felix s«:ond, and Mano for r<Hnt in International Films. weeks _ (Evergreen 6-9201) Moreno (Cantinflas) third. Cantto- “Appojntment With Fear” tele “Nicbts Neues aus Hollywood” . A total of 116 feature pix were SC t® en I had been lead man for years series,^her first in the medium. (Nothing New from Hollywood), produced in West Germany and PcAune Frank at but recently -cut Mexican activity Juliette Greco slated to appear Curt Goetz play, as the New Year West Berlin last year. Of these, 48 1,4 {^ e ?, t Q ?«,r^ ra ^ cis ' i. ,,, ° ne Si 51 ?? 6 - a ,7 ea ^ „ . on Italian tele show, “Musica adla entry at Little Theatre to the >Zoo, were shot to Berlin and 32 to Ben ° y ! n to rehearse with Film- Salt of the Earth, star- Ribalta,” together with Vera Nepy, with Fritz Remond staging. Munich. conductor Ennque Jorda for Ws ring Rosaura Revueltas, caimot be Maurice Baquet, and the Armando Hessischer Rundfunk, local tele “The Red Baroness” (Seitz- March 2 Frisco Symphony benefit shown to local houses as it s dubbed Orefice Orch. Outlet, just preemed a new Italian Union), “Hit After Hit” (Ulrich- f or symphonyV pension fund. Communist propaganda. Ruling The end-of-February San Remo film, “Friends for Life.” Three UFA), “What a Woman is Dream- Clint Mosher, political editor of apparently does not hold for tv Jazz Festival, in which several to- days after-the tv showing, the pic tog in Spring” (CCC-Prisma) into. Hearst’s Frisco Examiner, Quit to smee film is shown oyer various . teraationally well-known combos started to theatres of nine West production here. become fecial consultant to the channels, at^egular intervals, are participating, will be picked German cities. Journalist Peter de Mendelsohn, California- State Central Commit- Anthony Quinn will get $1001)00 up live by RAI-TV on Feb. 22. “Jacobowsky and Colonel” (Col) who was British press officer to te e of the GOP. tor his role to La SoldadCTa (The Abbe Lane and Xavier Cugat lost and Metro’s “Dunkirk” rating the Berlin after 1945 and now a writer , Catholic Entertainment Giuld Female Soldier) to he produced by a suit filed agamst them by a “outstanding” classification of Ger- in London, was awarded with the held its post-commumon breakfast Jose Bolanos. Actor will alsoget Rome publicist, Giuseppe Perrone, man Film Classification Board, Federal Cross of Merit. at Frisco Press Club, where Adnen 15% of the profits. Film, based on and must pay some 210,000 Lire meaning German cinemas where Local producer Kurt Ulrich ac- Falk discussed The Neighborhood Mexican Revolution, is scheduled ($350) damages. . .he two pix play get some tax quired remake rights of “Three- Theatre’s Contribution to a Happy for June with Emilio Fernandez Venice Fest topper Floris Am- reductions. Penny Opera*” Helmut Kaeutner Co mmun ity.” directing. ZJissiBfr 79 Wednesday, February 4, 1959 FRANCES WILLIAMS Frances Williams, 57, Shubertj and “Scandals” inusicomedy star, died'Jan. 27 in New York, after a long illness. She launched her career at age 14 in the chorus of Gus Hill’s “Hans and Fritz” and was in New York two years later with the Yip Yap Hankers, an acrobatic troupe. Her first big break came in her west.coast appearance in George M. Cohan’s musical, “Mary. She made her N.Y. debut in Lynn Riggs' “Big Lake” at the old Amer¬ ican Laboratory Theatre. - Miss Williams appeared in “Mar- tine” and “The Three Sisters” and at the old Civic Repertory Theatre on 14th St. where she alternated with Eva Le Gallienne in “Cradle Song.” She later joined the Group Theatre productions of “Gold Eagle,” “Gentlewoman” and “Casey Jones.” In 1925, she appeared in “Artists and Models” and with the Marx Bros, in “The Cocoanuts.” From 1928-29 she was in George White’s “Scandals.” In 1930 she replaced Gertrude Lawrence in “Interna¬ tional Revue.” In 1939 she sang with Morton Downey at Billy Rose's “Aquacade” at the N.Y. eluded such names as Benny Good¬ man, GeneKrupa, Bud Freeman, Jimmy McFartland and Eddie Con¬ don. He, however, stayed in Chi¬ cago and starting In 1927, spent most of his time for the next 20 years playing at the Liberty Inn on North Clark Street. His best known recorded solo was “The World is Waiting for the Sunrise,” with Jimmy McPart- land’s band on the Decca label. During the late 1940's and early 50’s, he worked most of the time in Chicago niteries. In 1953, be left them and entered a monas¬ tery of the Order of Servite Fathers, a Catholic seminary. SARA PERRY Sarry Perry Stainach, 87, legit actress who at the age of 87 emerged from retirement for the second time to play in her first motion picture “The Damned Don’t Cry,” a 1951 film starring Joan Crawford, died Jan. 18- in White Plains, NeW York. She came out of retirement earlier to play Ada in the Broad¬ way and road productions of “To¬ bacco Road” for nine years. Earlier she played opposite. William Gil¬ lette in the London production of IN LOVING MEMORY OF LEW BROWN . fab. 1751-1759 DEVOTED WfK—JUNE World's Fair and later appeared as. a headliner in vaude at the Palace Theatre. In 1941-42 she was in the road company of “Panama Hattie.” She was in ^Bright Lights of 1944,” and in the 1947 production of “Toplit- sky of Notre Dame.” She returned to the Palace in 1950 to head -a vaudeville bill. Her last appear¬ ances were In tv with Bert Lahr, Milton Berle, Ed Sullivan and Perry Como. Other Broadway productions in which she appeared were “Every¬ body’s Welcome,” in 1931, in which she introduced the song “As Time Goes By.” In 1934 she was in “Life Begins at 40.” She was mar¬ ried five times, her last one, to In Loving Tribute to MacGregor Gibbs Hit Ffitn4s of "CAMEOKLLO II” actor Frank Lovejoy, ending in divorce. Mother and brother survive. CUCA ESCOBAR DE PERRIN Cuca Escobar de Perrin, 40, Mexican radio and television per¬ former, died recently in Mexico City of hepatitis. B0m in Durango, the actress first appeared with touring theatrical companies in 1933. In later years she won ac¬ claim with her radio, program, “Cuca La Tefefonista” (Cuca, the Telephone Operator). From 1944 through 1947 Mrs. Petrin worked hi New York dub¬ bing Spanish language into Amer¬ ican films. Returning to Mexico inf 1947, she wed actor-newsman Tomas Perrin. The couple founded the “Caniino de Esperanza” (Road of Hope), a popular telecast which CaldwelML Brown, Jr. 1911 *1934 resolved personal problems of underprivileged' families. Mrs. Perrin, in 1952, launched the only Mexico City radio station staffed entirely by women. “Radio Feminina,” now an established suc¬ cess, was the outcome of a one- woman battle to give “the weaker sex” representation on the air waves. ' Surviving, besides her husband, are three children. BOYCE BROWN Brother Matthew, 47, who as Boyce Brown gave up a career as one of the country's leading jazz saxophone players to enter a mon¬ astery, died Jan. 30-in Chicago. He was one of the group of young jazz musicians in Chicago in the late 1920s vybp created what Is now knpwn as “Chicago Jazz.” His colleagues at that time in- “Secret Service,” Later she alter¬ nated with the late Ina Hards as leading lady in weekly stock pro* duced by their husbands, Stephen Stainach, and Ira Hards, MACGREGOR GIBB MacGregqr Gibb, 52, actor and muralist, died Jan. 28 in New York. He returned to N.Y. on Jan. 8 from a tour with the national company of “Sunrise at Campobello,” in which, he played Franklin Calder. Bom in China, he lived in Eng¬ land and Denmar, before coming to New York to appear in the Mer¬ cury Theatre production of “Julius Caesar.” He acted in numerous Mercury productions and was the dialogue director of pageants held at Madison Square Garden and in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio. In 1951, Gibb was with Louis Calhem in “King Lear.” He also played roles in support of Walter Slezak, Laurence. Olivier, Robert Montgomery and Orson Welles. He also appeared in many tv produc¬ tions. His wife and mother survive. .HENRY LEFKOWITCH Henry Lefkowitch, 87, composer and publisher of Jewish music, died Jan. 31 in New York. He operated the Metro Music Company in N.Y. He studied com¬ position with cErnest Bloch and wrote many Jewish art songs and some Hebrew liturgical music. He served as a conductor and founded two symphony orchestras that were later absorbed into other groups. For many years he was secre¬ tary of the Society of Jewish Com-’ posers. He had been guest con¬ ductor at the Cantors Assembly of America, lectured On music .on radio and also conducted at Cooper Union. His wife, son, daughter, three brothers and two sisters survive. MOLLY PEARSON . Molly Pearson Hales, 83, actress who retired from the stage in 1940, died Jan.'26 in Newton, Conn. - Bom in Scotland, she canie to the U.S. in 1906 with Olga Nether- sole's Co., appearing in “Carmen” in Pittsburgh. In .the 1920’s, she played leading roles in the Thea¬ tre Guild’s road productions of “The Silver Cord,” “Arms and the Man,” “The Guardsman”, and “Mr. Pirn Passes By.” In the next decade. Miss Hales appeared in “The Unsophisticates,” “Lean Harvest,” “They Don’t Mean Any Harm,” ' “Housewarming,” “The Anatomist” and ‘‘Save Me the Waltz” among others. Her last performance was in “Ladies in Retirement.” billy McDermott Billy McDermott, 74, veteran vaudeville, performer, died Jan. 29 in New York. He appeared in vaude with a spng and dance act called “McDer¬ mott and Wallace,” touring all major circuits. He wad also called the “Cohanesque” comedian, be¬ cause of his close physical resem¬ blance to the late George M: Cohan. His legit credits includej a. Chicago company of “Excess Bag-' gage:” In 1934, he joined Loew's Theatres and managed several of their houses. More recently he was with the Criterion Theatre in N.Y. He retired in'1954. •His wife, son, brother and five sister* sundye. LOUIS MOLINARI (GIGD Louis (Gigi) Molinari, 51, a. fam¬ iliar greeter |n Manhattan’s, ‘posh nitery circuits for years, died Jan. 30 of a stroke at St. Clare’s Hos¬ pital, N.Y. * As director of restaurants of the Waldorf-Astoria, where he had been brought over from the Hotel Plaza, Gigi was known to thous¬ ands of spenders. He was long at the Hotel Pierre and inaitre d’hotel of the Coq Rouge, a onetime class nitery. on East 56th St. He also operated the Montauk (L.I.) Surf Club and managed the Montauk Beach Club. A sister survives. ELSE MAUHS Else Mauhs, 74, retired actress who at one time was Holland’s top tragedienne, died' recently in Amsterdam. A native of Muehl- heim, Germany, she came to The Netherlands in 1899 where she studied, voice. Switching to drama, she debuted in 19Q3 as an ingenue. in subsequent years. Miss Mauhs turned to more serious roles. She was seen in such plays as “L’Aig-r Ion,” “Hamlet,” “A Doll's House” and “Tovarich.” She was guest actress in 1924 with Vienna's Burgtheatre. After illness forced her retirement in 1940, she taught at the Amsterdam ; Academy : of Dramatic Arts until 1949. Her daughter survives. GEORGE C. PONS George C. Pons, 66, head of the Helene Pons Costume Workshop in New York, makers of theatrical costumes for many years, died Jan. 29 in N.Y. ' The Pons shop made costumes for many current and recent Broad¬ way productions including “My Fair Lady,” “Jamaica,” “Romanoff and Juliet,” “Barrets of Wimpole Street” and “Kiss Me-Kate.”'Both in Russia, he had been a pupil of the late Stanislavsky. • His wife, daughter, brother and sister survive.' MME. THKRRS F behb SCHNABEL Mme. Therese Behr Schnabel, 82, contralto and widow of pianist Artur Schnabel, died Jan. 30 in Lugano, Switzerland. She was best known for her lieder singing. She first appeared in New York in a 1923 joint recital with her hus¬ band. They settled in N.Y. in 1939 where she taught singing. She returned to Europe after her hus¬ band’s death in 1951. Her two sons, Karl U., a pianist and Stefan, an actor, survive. HYMAN SHAPIRO - Hyman Shapiro, founder of the National Record Mart stores in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio, died in Pittsburgh Jan. 24 of can¬ cer. Three sons, Samuel, Howard and Jason Shapiro, have been in. active charge of' the big chain operation during the long illness of their father ana will continue the business. In Pittsburgh alone, there are half a dozen Record Marts and holdings extend to sev¬ eral other cities in the tri-state area. , Survivors also include his wife, a brother and three sisters. HAROLD E. SHEFFERS Harold E. Shaffers, 63, .broad¬ caster and savings and lbap com¬ pany executive, died. Jan. 6 in Washington, DjC. He was v.p. and director of the First Federal Sav¬ ings & Loan Assn, of Washington. - Formerly, Sheffers served for 10 years as sales' manager of Wash¬ ington radio station WOL,' later shifting to- WTTG-TV in the same capacity* Subsequently* he became general manager and eventually president of radio station WUST- FM, retiring last March but retain¬ ing a large stock interest. His Wife survives. WILLIAM FLANNERY .William Flannery, 60, Vet art director, died-of a heart attack Jan. 25 in Hollywood. Winner- of an Academy award for his art direc¬ tion on “Picnic,” he had been with Columbia Pictures since 1954, and prior to that at Paramount for many years. While at Paramount he was closely associated with Cecil B. DeMille and Worked on such Par pix as “Going My Way” and many of the Hepe-Crosby “Road” films. Surviving are his wife and son, John, theatre manager. GRACE MANNING Grace Manning, former vaude- ville-musicomedy performer, died Jan. 1 in New York. With her Sister Agnes, she appeared in a dance act called the “Hall Twins. * i They played the leading’ vaude- 1 circuits including the Palace thea¬ tre end' appeared on Broadway in' numerous productions including I the “Pissing Shows” at the Winter • Garden; - “Adrian,” “Bombo” and “Dancing Around.” Her sister survives. - SYBIL VANE Sybil Vane, 63, former vaude¬ ville headliner who retired 10 years ago, died Feb. 2 in Holly¬ wood. Born in Wales, she made her singing debut at the Covent Garden in London, where she be¬ came known as the “Welsh Prima Donna.” She came to the U.S. in 1918. With her late husband Lee Donn at the piano, she toured the major vaude circuits. Sister survives. FRANK CONNOLLY SHANNON Frank Connolly Shannon, 84, legit-film actor who debuted in “Shenandoah” with Maurice Barry¬ more, died Feb. 1 in Hollywood. He was a lead in the 1921 produc¬ tion of Eugene O’Neill’s “Anna Christie.” He appeared in more than 20 plays prior to coming to Hollywood in 1935, where he did films and radio. Daughter and son survive. JAMES D. PRESTON James D. Preston, 83, superin¬ tendent of the U.S. Senate Press Gallery for 35 years, starting in 1897, died Jan. 29 in Washington. Known in newspaper and broad¬ casting, circles as a human encyclo¬ paedia of facts about Congress and political history, he went to Holly¬ wood in the ’30s as technical, ad¬ viser for the film, ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Surviving, are his wife and a son. CARL KINSLEY Carl Kinsley, 88, electrical engi¬ neer whose work helped pave the y/ay for commercial broadcasting, ♦died Jan. 30 in Falls Church, Va. He installed America’s first radio station at Fire Island, N.Y., and was one of first in this country to .experiment with . wireless trans¬ mission. Wife, three daughters and brother survive. WILLIAM A. BECKFORD William A. Beckford, 56, assist¬ ant exec secretary of Screen E x t ras Guild since 1 1946, died of a heart attack Jan. 26 in Hollywood. For 30 years he was’ an extra and was Clark Gable's double for three years in the ’30s. He later became Hollywood rep for AGVA. Son, two daughters, two brothers and two sisters survive. LARRY STEPHENS Larry Stephens, 35, radio and tv script writer, died of a cerebral hemorrhage Jan. 26 In London. His best known credits were “The Goon Show” on radio, on which he collaborated, and “The Army Game” for Granada-TV. His wife survives. BERNARD FREEDMAN Bernard Freedman, 72, a musi¬ cian, died Jan. 31 in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Old Arch Street Theatre orchestra for 25 years and held an honorary life membership in Local 77, AFM. Surviving are two sons, six daughters and a sister. - . THOMAS ’COLEMAN* Thomas Coleman, 62, double and stand-in for Ben Alexander on “Dragnet” teleseries, died Jan. 28 in Hollywood, He had been - an actor for several years nrior to taking over assignment. His wife, three brothers and two sisters sur¬ vive. PHILIP TONGE PhiliD Tonge, 61, vet actor, died Jan. 28 after a short abdominal illness in Hollywood* At the time of his death, he had been appear¬ ing in Metro-TWs “Northwest Pas¬ sage” teleseries. His wife, survives. JOHN DEEDING John Deering, 54, vet radio-tv actor, died of a cerebral hemorr¬ hage Jan. 28 in Hollywood. After suffering, loss of his voice in the early '40s. he had been a bit player and extra in recent years. His wife and son survive. ALBERT HAAG Albert Haag, 72, a performer on the old Keith and Pantages circuits, died Jan. 18 in PhiladelDh»a. He was a member of the musical com¬ edy team of Haag & Lavere from 1910 to 1927. Wife and son survive. Mrs. Freda B. (Peaches) Bush, 50. wife of veteran entertainer Eddie Bush, died of a heart attack Jan. 30 in Las Vegas. Her hus¬ band, formerly 'with the Harry Owens orch, has his own group at Hotel El Cortez in Vc^as. In addi¬ tion to husband, surv'vors are two sons, a sister end five b*c‘hers. Irving Smith, 30, disk jockey at station WINS, New York, died at result of auto accident Jan. 31, in N.Y. He was previously with WCAU, Philadelphia and with sta¬ tions in Kansas City and Minne¬ apolis. He joined WINS in 1957. Surviving are his wife and two children. Ernest J. Mauney, 34, who with his twin, Miles, gave many duo- pianist concerts, d ; ed Jan. 28 in New York. They formed the con¬ cert team eight years ago and sine* that time gave numerous concerts throughout the U. S. His parents als survive. Morris Perilla, an entertainer in his youth and father of publicist Bob Perilla, died suddenly in N.Y, on Jan. 23. In recent years, he was the owner of the N.Y. firm of Perilla Fabrics. James Failes, 82, veteran theatre manager, and for 12 years prior to his retirement nine* months ago, manager of the .Gramercy Art The¬ atre in New York, died Jan. 22 in N. Y. Alexandre Roguedoff, 80, mind reader and impresario, died recent¬ ly in Lisbon. He started his thea¬ trical career as a mind reader in Czarist Russia and for a time was impresario of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Antonio Vasques, 77, onetime Portuguese impresario, died Jan. 6 in Lisbon. He was fatally stricken in the lobby of the Teatro Avenida of which he was front house manager. . Wife of John J. Maloney, Metro’s veteran Central Division sales manager, died Jan. 27 in Pitts¬ burgh after a long illness. Also surviving are two sisters and two brothers. Pedro Vilches, 90, retired im¬ presario, died Jan. 11 in Valencia, Spain. Before his retirement some 20 years ago, he was a top producer of Spanish revues and operettas. - Florida Martinez Nile, 23, an actor, died Jan. 8 in Madrid. He Was the son of Spanish film direc¬ tor Florian, Rey and singer Im- perio Argentina. MARRIAGES Dori Scheri to John Eller, Las Vegas, Jan. 22. Bride and groom are thesps. Jacqueline Carnes to Joe Con¬ ley, Hollywood, Jan. 24. He’s an actor. Donna Jean Anderson to Stan Freberg, Los Angeles, Jan. 24. He’s a comedian; bride’s his secretary. Geraldine Hill to Colin ‘Sher¬ borne, London, Jan. 24. Bride is a ballet dancer. Mary Parker to Linder Charlie Hobbes, Pasadena, Jan. 24. Bride is hostess on KTLA’s “Romper Room” Mary Lou Anderson to Julian Drob, Pittsburgh, Jan. '31. He is product!A supervisor of KDKA— TV and son of late Benny Drob, longtime prooerty man for a num¬ ber of Pitt theatres. Rosalind Mas^ow to Dr. Morton Luger, New York, Jan. 31. Bride is a feature writer on the N.Y. Jour- nal-American Sttsan ‘ Schaper to Frank Ball, San Antonia, Jan. 10. He's a mem¬ ber of' the 'disk jockey staff of WOAI in that city. births: ' Mr. and Mrs. David M. Segal, son, Denver, Jan. 26. Father is president of Mftj-America Broad¬ casters Inc. (KOSI. Denver; KOBY, San Francisco; WGVM, Greenville, Miss.). Mr. and Mrs. Barnard Hughes, daughter, 'New York,* Jan. l 28."• Mother is actress Helen Stenborg; father is an actor, currently ap¬ pearing in “A Majority of One” in Boston. Mr. and Mrs. Adam West (Nga Tokaruaimatauaia), son, Santa Mon¬ ica, CaL, Jan. 25. Mother’s a Tahi¬ tian dancer;;., father's a Warner Bros, actor. Mr/and Mrs. Jack Straw, daugh¬ ter; Hollywood, Jan. 25. Father’* an actor. Mr. and Mrs. William Lennon, daughter, Santa Monica. Cal., Jan. 24. Infant’s sisters ate the Lennon Sisters quartet. Mr. and Mrs. Adam Kennedy, son, Santa Monica, Cal,, Jan. 27. Father's an actor. Mr. and Mrs. Carl Ferraro, daughter, Cincinnati, Jan. 29. Father is manager of Keith’s Thea¬ tre there. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Stewart, daughter, San Antonio, recently. Father is disk jockey and news¬ caster on KITE in that city. Mr. and-Mrs. Frank* Shakespeare Jr., daughter, Milwaukee, Jan. 27. Father is general manager of WCBS-TV. THE HI-LO’SI Featured on CBS-TV April JO IN TEXACO'S BIG SPECTACULAR, “Swing Into Spring” f'JBtatt . ..... Fttomr 4. 195» Weekly At ISA West 46th Street. New York 36. N. Y* by Variety. Inc. Annual subscription. $15. Single copies. 35 cents. Second Class Postagft'Pald at New York. N. Y. COPYRIGHT, 1959, BY VARIETY, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED VOL. 213 No. 11 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1959 80 PAGES GLADHANDING THE SAD SONGS - ——:— - -—— = —— * ■ ■ •* — — - itji TiflilTi “Redhead,” Broadway* newest musical smash, is due to recover j iti investment by the first week iA, Jqi& yhafi on tiie basis of an anticipated operating profit of $12,000 a Week and an opening- night.cost of$216,000. The latter figure }$ unusually modest for a IgusicstL show, by contemporary standards. . The Robert Fryer Sc Lawrence Carr presentation was financed at $300,000' and according to general manager Ben Stein's tentative figuring, involved a production cost of $225,000. That was reduced $19,000 by operating profit on its five-week tryout tour, but involved about $10,000 preliminary and opening-week expenses at the 40th Street Theatre, N.Y., Where it premiered last Thursday night (5). : Although “Redhead” can ulti¬ mately gross about $63,000 a week with standees, theatre party com¬ missions ~ will limit the receipts to artfund $61,000 for the first several months. The show breaks even at about $30,000, with;the production retaining about 55% of the differ¬ ence between the break-even and the gross. The royalty setup calls for a theatre rental of 30% of the gross to $20,000 and 25% thereafter, plus 8V£% to the authors (Herbert and Dorothy Fields, Sidney Sheldon Jihd_, David Shaw, book; Albert Hague, music; Dorothy Fields, lyrics),. 7 Mj% to the star (Gwen Verdon), # 3% to the director- choreographer (Bob Fosse) and 1% to the producers. (Go-libret¬ tist Herbert Fields, Dorothy’s brother, died a year ago.) When the show pays off, Fosse’s royalty goes to 3V4%, while Miss (Continued on page 74) Goldeason Reiterates Opposition to Pay-TV ErenonTrial-Rist Basis & Stooges Shorts Back On Screen in TV Wake kesurgence of the Three Stooges, via the closure of their old two- reelers on television. Is resulting id in almost 200% increase In bookings of their new shorts fn theatres, according to Maurice Grad, Columbia’s short subject sales manager. Grad noted that in past few weeks, as Stooges became more prominent through Screen Gems release, of their old comedies, most Columbia branches have been able to book* solidly available Stooge shorts. Key city first-runs houses are also asking for the Stooge two- reelers, Grad said. Tin Pan Alleys Private Eye: IBM International Business Machines techniques will be called in to set¬ tle plagiarism suits under a scheme to punch out the first four bars of a million tunes on IBM index cards for ready reference. George Goodwin, head of the Tune-Dex and Song Dex operation and owner of the largest private music research library, estimates that it will take IBM about Six months to index the base material -needed to research.any “you stole my song” suit. Goodwln.recently bought out the nine-ton music collection of the late Alex M, Kramer, who carved out an important niche in Tin Pan Alley as the leading researcher in plagiarism actions. Kramer’s li¬ brary has been added to the exten¬ sive holding of Goodwin who has done massive anthologies of public (Continued on page 62) . On the heels of boara chairman Robert Samoffs statement that JJBC would go the pay-video route if the Government okayed it and it was a success, Leonard H. Gol- denson, the topper of American Broadcasting-Paramount theatres; said last. week that he was dead set against it on any basis, even a limited trial run. This was a re- iteratioh of his previous state¬ ments, this latest one evidently prompted by the Sarnofi stand; Goldenson, whose company em¬ braces ABC-TV, declared that sub¬ scription tv would “eventually lead to tiie destruction of free televi¬ sion. Permitting a test of pay television is equivalent to starting an epidemic to test a new vaccine. Even ‘limited’ tests,, because Of the investment required, would create economic interest which once established would be virtually; impossible to, dislodge.” ■■ Bede Best Singer of Yore And Blind, Co-Developer Of Braille Music-Method Bostont-Feb. 10. Bede Best, who sang with the Joe Rines orch at the St. Regis Hotel in New York 25 years ago, and Whose falling sight halted a career in radio, has developed, with .Larry Berk, director of the Berklee School of Music here, a method of simplifying the teaching of jazz and pop music to the blind. Their system will become part of the curriculum at Berklee next September, and Miss Best, now Mrs,. Elizabeth Welker, will teach the new system, which boils down an entire song to one .sheet. The new symbols, they report, (Continued on page 18) i Hollywood Wrestles With Tormula By MIKE GROSS There’s beema shift in the mood of the record-buying audience] that’s turning unhappiness into a- thing called dough/ Tunes dealing; with hanging (“Tbm Dooley”),, gtmr j play . (“Don’t Take Your Guns Tn Town”), burying (“Springtime In Alaska”), prison (“Life To Go”) and solemn vow* (“I Walk the Line”) are moving out of their folk and country % western origination and into pop areas long dominated by rock ’n’ roll. The “unhappy” or “cry in the beer” songs, as they are sometimes called, are piling up nefty disk sales around the U. S. and also are importantly berthed In "Such diver¬ sified areas as Canada and Aus¬ tralia. The “unhappy” songs haven’t made their mark in Europe yet but it T s expected that there will soon be a crying jag on a global scale if the songs continue the cur¬ rent pace of their pop projection. One of the top exponents of the new disk mood is Johnny Cash who was recently wooed away from the Sun label by Columbia Records. Incidentally, it was the same Sun company that incubated Elvis Presley before his worldwide. splash via RCA Victor. Columbia is banking on a splash for Cash, a 26-year-old composer- singer-guitarist. He’s already come through with a elicko single, ‘Don’t 1 Take Your Guns To Town,” and] (Continued on page 62) Zeckendorf Would i St. Regis & Roxy | On the heels of Mayor Robert ; Wagner’s formal announcement (from a .Gracie Mansion setting) of the new $66,000,000 48-story Zeck¬ endorf Hotel in Rockefeller Cen¬ ter, N. Y., the head of Webb & Knapp, William Zeckendorf, , is known to be interested also in acquiring the posh St. Regis from the Vincent Astor estate and also the Roxy Theatre. The latter would be either for Investment or, the more likely alternate, to be razed for an addition to the adjacent Taft Hotel, which was recently joined to the string of Zeckendorf Hotels. This now gives .him more rooms in New York than both the Hilton and Sheraton chains com¬ bined. Zeckendorf Jr., long groomed as head qf the hotel chain to bear the family name, already has the Astor, Manhattan, Commodore, Drake, Berkshire and Taft under i (Continued on page 24) EMTs Louis Sterling Left $1,400,000 Estate London, Feb. 10. Sfr Losofe Sterling, who came to ; Leadwi from the lower east side of 'Stew York as a yesing man and who became the head of Electrical Sc Music Industries, and who gave away more than $3,000,000 in his lifetime, left about $1,400,000 when be died last June. Inhis will, he remembered al- jhosfc everyone from whom he had received personal services. The managers of the Savoy restaurant and the Savoy Grill, waiters at the hotel and at the Caprice restau¬ rant as well as his barbers at the Dorchester received $280 each. His secretary received $7,000; his bank manager,- $1,400 and he gave a similar sum to his masseur. To his wife he left $28,000 free of duty, plus all his personal chattels. He was 7$ when he died. Phi to Restore Ford’s Theatre Washington, Feb. 10. Tbette’s a Ford in Uncle Sam’s future. The National Parks Service yesterday- (Mon.) unveiled plans to restore Ford’s Theatre by April 14, 1965, the centenary of Lincoln’s assassination there. The agency has authority, but not the neces¬ sary $1,750,000 for reconstruction. Sen. Milton Young (R-ND.) is fronting Congressional effort to get part of money this year, and figures that the anniversary angle may lead Congress to vote for it. After restoration, Ford’s Theatre could actually house plays on special occasions. A long-run especially- written Lincoln play is being dis¬ cussed for anni-opening year. ] The theatre proved a disastrous! (Continued on page 77) j Big Factor in Havana Casinos’ Reopening Are 10,000 Now Unemployed Havana, Feb. 10. The reopening of Havana’s lux¬ ury casinos appears to be a likely possibility, although they’re closed more than a month after the over-; throw of Dictator Fulgencio Batis¬ ta. Nevertheless, when and under what conditions the casinos will reopen is currently under study. Nine casinos are presently shut tight A three-man commission, con? sisting of the prime minister and the ministers of labor and social] welfare, are at present studying the (Continued ot* page 54) 1 By FRED HIFT After a long period in which it viewed the American Negro almost completely in terms of his conflict with the white society around him, Hollywood is gradually changing its approach. Tendency in a num¬ ber of upcoming films is to present the colored man either within his own surroundings, with the color of his skin no particular dramatic importance, or to “integrate” him into the broader American scene as just one of many characters. This is not to say that the black- white “tension” pictures are being shut off, although even here the approach—as in United Artists’ “The Defiant Ones”—tends to be different, with the Negro treated and presented less and less as a stereotype and more as a human being caught in the web. of preju¬ dice or some other social situation under which he i$ made to suffer as an individual. Regardless of which way its added up, there’s no question that the public today appears more primed to respond to the image of the dramatic figure of the Ne¬ gro on the screen, and that the number of pictures with bi-racial themes offer a considerably widened scope of opportunity to Negro actors in films. Two current films in which Ne¬ groes play prominent parts are “The Defiant Ones“ and “Anna Lucasta.” In the former, with its (Continued on page 22) Cloak & Dagger ‘Jazzster’ Pagers 3O0G Drug Ring la Bestoa ‘GoofbalT Case Boston, Feb. 10. How an investigator of the Massachusetts food and drug divi¬ sion, a former Hub policeman, posed as a jazz musician to expose members of a $300,000 illicit drug ring was revealed here 10 days ago with the arrest of a family of four, including two teenagers and a Beacon Hill couple. It was the second major drug case to break here within 24 hours. The first was the theft of $250,000 in drugs from the Massachusetts General Hospital. The ring, one of the biggest in the state’s history, was nabbed by the undercover of¬ ficer who frequented Hub jazz spots. The investigation was spear¬ headed by the pure food and drug division of the state department of public health. It was launched by George 'A. Michael, director of the division, with the cooperation of state and local police. Michael said the probe resulted from hospital reports of increased admissions of persons suffering from overdoses of harmful drugs. Investigator Richard Kafil, posing 1 (Continued oo page 54) MRttBUftNY 'Wedtiea&a y, February 11, 1959 Japans a Maas Coimiry; Hostesses, Not Floor Shows, Are Nitery Draws By DAVE JAMPEL Tokyo, Feb. a. More than one foreign headliner has said in disgust after a per¬ formance in a Tokyo night dub, “They come only for the hostesses. If not for the hostesses, the night dub business here would die." Those remarks, albeit resulting from professional injury, are gen¬ erally true. Hostesses are the top draw In most Japanese clubs, caba¬ rets and even coffeeshops with the floorshows taking a back seat. As advertised, Japan is a mans coun¬ try. and most guests at public places of night entertainment, both Japanese and foreign, come stag. Ipso facto, the lure of the profes¬ sional dates. Hostesses are attached to their respective dubs and are hired by the hour at a set fee plus payment of their check and often a tip. Most night spots have areas for idle hostesses, usually around the tor, where the guest comes to select his partner for the evening. Foreigners prefer the latter procedure, but most Japanese guests will order a : hostess through the waiter. Direct contacts are also made with host¬ esses meandering around the dub for just the purpose. There is surprisingly little pres¬ sure placed on the guest tohire the services of a hostess, wife the pressure tending to be reduced at the bigger dubs. In most instances, it is the guest who makes the first approach, one of tho delicacies of decorum that takes the hostess out of the B-girl class. And it is at the larger, more elaborate dubs that a greater percentage of guests ceme with their wives or outside dates: ' ,, . , Hostesses come in all shapes and manner, from the demure to the devilish. They can be commas-, deered in a kimono if the guest requests, but usually, they are found in a Western-style revealing evening dress. . ■ In return- for their fees, these (Continued on page 20) JACK BENNY PLAQUED BY OJA AT FLA. MEET Miami Beach, Feb. 10. ' Jack Benny was cheered by 1,600 ] American Jews who gathered here on Saturday (7), from all over the United States to help launch .the 1959 campaign of the United Jew¬ ish Appeal, A guest of honor, with Israeli Ambassador Abba Eban, at the na¬ tional inaugural dinner of UJA, the comedian heard millions ’of dol¬ lars pledged to the 1959 UJA cam¬ paign for rescue, resettlement and rehabilitation of Jews in Israd ' and 25 other countries. Benny was warmly praised by] UJA'chairman Morris W. Berinstein 1 for his many services to UJA and; other Jewish and non-sectarian causes. In a special message read to the assemblage, Prime Minister Ben-Gurion of Israel praised Ben- (Continued on page 54) . GRAPEVINE CRACKLE ON MEXICAN GAMBLING The arrest* by the Mexican gov¬ ernment of 22 U.S. citizens who had been run ning a. “hot’^-crap game at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, 15 miles across the border from San Diego, further dispel the' recurrent re¬ ports about Tijuana Agua Cali- ente and Ensenada “mulling" a re¬ vival of gambling and the like. Ro¬ sarito Beach is a few miles further south of Caliente. These reports cropped up anew, coincidental with the murder of gambler Gus Greenbaum and his wife at their Phoenix (ArizJ home.. Greenbaum was formerly associ¬ ated with the Flamingo and latterly was president of the Riviera Hotel, both- in Las Vegas. Ben Goffstein . succeeded him in*the top Riviera berth. The so-called “inside" re- ' ports had it that Greenbaum was eyeing Mexico as “a new Las Ve¬ gas” and that “the boys” allegedly wanted uxme of that. Apparently, if anything of this nature figured in the Nevada gambling circles it was without the sanction of the-Mexican govern¬ ment which quite a few .years ago shut down gambling across the San Diego border. All that Tijuana offers today is weekend raring and jai-alai, ' ; ' : 1 i Broadcasting & Press I Yktins inTkat Afflme Tragedy inftY.LastWk. j A number of broadcasting figures ‘ and editorial workers were among * the 65 passengers on the illfated American Airlines flight last week (3) which crashed off La Guardla • Airport, N.-Y. Beulah Zachary, producer of the J ‘‘Kokin, Fran and Ollie” tv pro- ■ gram .was one of the victims. .She ■] was on her way to Gotham to work ] out a revival of the show which went off the air two years ago. Miss Zachary, a former school- 1 j teacher, made her home in Chicago. [ She previously was a. Broadway stage manager. Also killed in the crash was S, Harris Shevelsen, .42, former man* i aging editor of Coronet and former editor of Pageant Magazine. He re- ceVly had bqeomd editorial'direc¬ tor of Madison Avenue Magazine. One of the survivors was Edward Gottlieb, 49, of Edward Gottlieb A Associates, public relations firm. < He suffered broken legs and other injuries. . Doctors, hope for his - full recovery. Gottlieb, before or- ■ [ganizing his own public relations > [outfit, was with the Carl' Byoir i public relations concern, where he , had headed up the magazine sec- , tion and radio department at vari- , ous times. Several churchmen Identified with religious broadcasting also _(Continued on page 54) World, American, N. Y., Premieres In City Center’s : Subsidized Spring Repertory BETTY MADICAN j Now.. .Five weeks.. .COTILLION ROOM, Pierre Hot el. Now...Day¬ time TV PETER LIND HAYES SHOW. Just completed.. .Four weeks COPACABANA, New York: William Morris Agency CORAL RECORDS. HoodsScareOff Honest Juke Ops, Subscription Order Form Enclosed find check for $ O One Year Please send VAEIETY for □ Two Years O Three Years (Please Print Name) City...Zone.... State. Regular Subscription Rates One Year—$15.00 Two Years—$20.00 Three Years—$39.00 Canada and Foreign—$1 Additional Per Year 154 West 45th Street I^MilETT In New York 36. N. Y. Washington, Feb. 10. Bigtime mobsters, frequently with political and labor connec¬ tions, have muscled in bn the coin machine industry in ever-increas¬ ing numbers, the Senate rackets committee charged today (Tues.). Result, Chairman John L.> Mc¬ Clellan (D., Ark.) said* is that nearer every area ’ of .nation has seen efforts by., the and.erworid to exert a strangleholdsom-tiie lucra¬ tive business of' placing, coin ma¬ chines, mainly jukeboxes, / ; Committee investigator Arthur Kaplan, leadoff .witness for the hearings, said ‘too matter where you go, you find people with*crim¬ inal records and rackets connec¬ tions” in the business.- In some big cities, legithhate businessmen have thrown up their hands and bowed out because of the unsav- • (Continued on page 64) France May Tax Resident Yanks Foreign executives of the Amer¬ ican picture companies, along with other overseas American indus¬ tries, which pay their key person- nel in dollars, are faring a some¬ what rude awakening under Gen. DeGaulle’s “new” France. He wants expatriates to pay taxes; if they don’t pay Uncle Sam, for reasons of being “foreign” residents, then the French government threatens to step up its taxation campaign. “Paying" taxes in . France in times past has been on a -musical comedy catch - as - catch - can basis. However, the new DeGaulle re¬ gime is “more earnest.” Seems to have particular eye on the Amer¬ ican expatriates working in France and earning., dollar income, taxable ^either in the U. S. or abroad. ED StnilVAN PROWLS EUROPE FORTY SHOW Madrid, Ffeb. 3. ' Television must emulate film in¬ dustry treks to foreign locations and give video viewers a change of scenery. Point was made by Ed Sullivan who stopped off in Ma¬ drid en route to join his produc¬ tion uniL. in Portugal to shoot a walk-on . with Gina Lollobrigida, Marisa Pa van, King Vidor and producer Ted Richmond all foot- marked inside Solomon’s harem for a “Solomon and Sheba” seg¬ ment Sullivan will telecast later in the year. Location tele filmin g in foreign lands has proved successful after pioneering hertzian hops by the Hopes and. Sullivans, he maintains, and looks for a sharp increase in lensing junkets abroad this year. Sullivan is bringing his Portugal show to-the Estoril Carnival which takes place the end of next week, but shooting time for. the entire (Continued on page 56) , CUBA OKAYS ‘CASINO’: POWELL ROLLS IN MAR. . . Hollywood, Feb. 10. Fidel Castro’s Cuban Govern¬ ment has given 20th-Fox producer- director Dick Powell the greenlight to shoot his film, “Casino," in! Havana. < Powell had planned to lens his pic there, when the revolutionists overthrew Fulgencio Batista. In light of the developments he asked the U. S. State Dept, what course to follow, and was advised in view of chaotic conditions there it might be best for him to go there per¬ sonally and show the new govern¬ ment his script, .Powell was mulling shooting his picture in Portugal, when he de¬ cided to call Castro personally about his venture. Castro was out of town when the' producer called, but his office advised Powell that Castro would he glad to talk to him on his return. Meanwhile, the Cuban Government gave Pdwril permission to shoot “Casino" there, and he now plans to roll it in Ha¬ vana the first or second week, in March. # Powell said ‘1 don’t want to show Cuba in a bad light, .and our script doesn’t.” He mentioned that the below-the-line, cost on his film is $1,300,000. He has not yet cast the picture. Showfolk Rap ^Neglect’ Smce Hampshire Honse Forced OwnersMpStatas Type of proxy fight that rarely makes the headlines is one involv¬ ing New York’s Hampshire House, plush Central Park South hotel which went cooperative in I94SC Fighting management for" control is a. group of tenants led by Edwin L. Weisl, prominent Wall Street attorney and board member of Paramount Pictures. Others on Weisl’s side: . Barney Balaban, president of Paramount; Texas oilman Buddy Fogelson and his wife, Greer GaTson; Arnold M. Grant, show business attorney and former president'of RKO Pictures; John Wayne, actor, and others who own apartments in the-establish¬ ment. Their beef is the familiar one heard from show businessites and others who have switched from the status as “guest" to “owner” as residential buildings in Manhattan changed from hotel to co-op basis! They 'say the service has bogged down, management has become neglectful and they have been the ones neglected. For one, Weisl, who occupies a top duplex, says the roof leaks. Other charges: Carpets are torn; draperies are soiled; the television (Continued on page 69) New York City Center’s second spring season of Americap opera (financed by Ford Foundation grants) will include ■ Gian - Carlo Menotti’s “Maria Golovin.” This is the work that David Merrick pre¬ sented in the fall at the Martin Beck and closed after five perform¬ ances, though critical notices were good. It had earlier been mounted with NBC funds at the, Brussels World’s Fair, Jules Rude! chief of the 55th Street opera regime, has designated “Golovin" for opening night (March 30) of the spring Season. Rudel investigated many possi¬ bilities for the second season. Among those f ound .either not suit¬ able or too complicated for the facilities- available were “Th«- Golden Apple,” with a score by the late John Latouche whose “Ballad of Baby Doe," a hit of the first Ford spring season will he re¬ peated. . ‘ Center 1959 spring repertory will Include: . . ' “Six Characters in Search of an Anther," music by Hugo Weisgall, . adaptation after . Pirandello by .Denis Johnston, __ . “The Scarf," premiered last summer at Spoleto, Italy. By Led Hoiby. (One-acter). “Wuthering Heights," by Callisle Floyd (whose “Susannah” holds over in repertory for third year) Sante Fe Opera Assn, first mounted this Bronte adaptation, “The Triumph of-St. Joan." This. is Norman Dello Joio’s one-acter, “The Trial at Rouen” Under new title. It was done on NBC-TV in April, 1956. “Street Scene," a work of the late Kurt Weill will be revived: 1 '“The D evil udDiMel TIFebster "; based on the story andMm of same * name, in opera adaptation of Doug¬ las Moore. ~ .. “He Who Gets Slapped” An¬ dreyev’s art'play of 35 years ago has been made into lyric drama by Robert Ward and Bernard Stam- bler. performed at the Columbia U. opera workshop previously, but this is a first pro production. “The Medium." One-acter by MenottL Repeating.'■' ' .‘*Regtoa” by Marc Blitzstdn, ret; ■ vived last spring to tig response, also repeating. HAL SCOTT NEW AD MGR. OF'DAH.IVARffiTT Hal Scott is taking ovei;. as.Ad¬ vertising Manager of Daily Variety, succeeding- Charles Ger- laeh Jr., who is leaving after 24 years to enter the real estate bus-, iness in Albuquerque. Scott, who-has been in the. ad¬ vertising department of Daily Variety for the past 10 years, as- sumes his. new duties April 1. Trade Mark Registered FOUNDED 1H5 by SIME SILVERMAN; Published Weekly by VARIETY, INC. Syd Silverman, President 154 West 46th St., New York 36, N. Y. JUdson 2-2700 Hollywood 28 6404 Sunset Bonlevaxd, Hollywood 9-1141 Washington 4 - 1202 National Press BuIlding,.,STerling 3-5445 Chicago 11 612 No. Michigan Ave., DElaware 7-4984 ^ ’ London WC2 . 8 St. Martin's Pl„ Trafalgar Sq.. COVent Garden 9135 SUBSCRIPTION Annual. 515; Foreign,' $16; Single Copies, 35 Cents ABEL GREEN, Editor INDEX Bills . ... 69 New Acts .. .. m. Casting News-“... ... 72 Night Club Reviews ... .. 70 Chatter . ... 78 Obituaries .. .. 79 Film Reviews. ... 6 Pictures ... .. 3 Hdhse Reviews. ... 69 Radio ., 26 Inside Music . ... 59 Record Reviews ....... .. 58 Inside Radio-TV. ... 52 Television .... 26** Inside Vaudeville .... 68 Television Reviews ...., .. 33 International .:. ... 12 TV Films ... .. 29 Legitimate . ... 72’ Unit Review .. .. ...67 Literati . ... 76 Vaudeville . .,65 Music... .... 57 Wall Street. .. 18 DAILY VARIETY (Published In Hollywood by Daily Variety, Ltd-) $15 a year. $20 Foreign. Wednesday, February 11, 1959 VSSIPFr' FICTUtttS MIMEOGRAPH VS. MINT MONEY 'Group-Think’ Kills Selling Slants? Contents and looks of film advertisem*nt !s suffering from an overdose of interference “from the top” at several of the major companies, ad-pub executives complain. “It's simply a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth/* one said last week. Beef is that ads, instead of representing the work and decision of specialists, are actually the product of “group decision,” which makes for little individuality and virtually prohibits a search for new approaches. When a different kind of ad is blueprinted, It’s either modified along conventional lines by the brass, or else it’s run and the man- in-charge is made to realize that the full weight of responsibility in terms of the'eventual “payoff** rests on his shoulders. What irks the ad-pub boys is that the changes in ads, carefully designed for balance or that special approach, are frequently or¬ dered by men at the top who not only know nothing about adver¬ tising, but in effect are addicted to some old-fashioned notions that dictate that ads must show as much “action” as possible, even if this clutters up the design. Instance is related where ads were designed with different types of audiences in mind. The sketches were presented to a vice presi¬ dent whose knowledge of advertising is remote, to say the least. He ordered various elements taken out of each of the ads and thrown into one overall ad. The whole purpose of the original de¬ sign was destroyed.. ~ “In this business you never argue with your boss, particularly not these days,” commented one of the advertising men. “Pretty soon you-learn to know what he likes, and that’s the way you rough out your ads. You may be in a rut, but at least you’re safe.” System works pretty much the same way on the Coast. Designer Saul Bass once explained why he preferred to work for individual producers rather than for a studio. “Once you work for a studio you get caught in the ‘group decision* mentality. Nobody wants to take the responsibility for anything, so everybody plays it safe and criticizes. If it’s a success, he was behind it all the time, If it’s a failure, he knew it would be, all the time.** Effect of the buck-passing procedure in N.Y. is one of great-in- sechrity. Even the top ad men are affected by it and seek to broad¬ en the responsibility via consultation with sales and administra- . tive executives, and in several cases'with the presidents who, nor- • mally, would be removed from that level ef activity.' U.S. Senate As Ektion-Checkers; Chi Boothmen Re-Nominate Slates; Chicago, Feb. 10. Under the watchful eye of an overseer, and with U. S. Senate probers figuratively looking over their shoulders, some 400 members -of Local 110, Motion Picture Oper¬ ators, last Thursday (5) picked two slates for top union offices to be voted bn March 3. The choices were made at a special meeting after earlier, nominations had been set, aside by Richard F. Walsh, prez of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Walsh’s action had been taken at the behest of IATSE field rep Glenn C. Kalkhoff Sr. after the latter investigated charges that two original nominees were "ineli¬ gible.” Kalkhoff finally concluded that new nominations should be held, but ruled that all previous nominees could- run if picked again. Last week’s culling prodifeed the same administration ticket as be- fdre, but dropped two of the origi¬ nal opposition candidates, one of whom—George R. Hall—had with¬ drawn the first time with the dis¬ covery he had served five years in prison for conspiracy in the 1935 bombing of a rival union’s “school” for operators. Hall had been slated in opposition to secretary- treasurer Clarence A. Jalas for business agent of the local. The job has’ been vacant since last March following the death of Eu¬ gene J. Atkinson. Also to he voted on in March are president and a successor to Jalas. Past Haunts Men Kalkhoff, who supervised last i week’s nominations, investigated both Hall and Jalas, the latter hav-r ing been tripped on ineligibility charges at the same time for hav¬ ing once invoked the-fifth amend-, ment before a Federal grand jury delving into operations of the lo¬ cal’s welfare and pension fund. Whereas an opposition slate was originally thought to have a fair, chance to win, it’s now figured that all the hassling and “parental” in¬ trusion has only fortified the Jalas forces and made them virtually a shoo-in. . It’s pointed out, too, that Jalas' would be right at home sliding over to the business agent slot. He has an intimate knowledge of the job, since for many years he spelled Atkinson during frequent and protracted absences by the lat¬ ter from his desk. Kalkhoff, from Milwaukee, will be back in town to supervise the March balloting. Charges have frequently been made that the local, currently un¬ der Senate Rackets Committee scrutiny, is infested with hoodlum elements. Said to be one of its members, is John Accardo, brother of Tony Accardo, reputed crime syndicate boss here. ‘Running’ As of 187 “Some ‘ Came Running” has grossed $2,575,009 in its first 187 key engagements, according to figures compiled by Metro’s sales department. Engagements total 410 weeks of playing time, with 37 still holding over. FILM AD BUDGETS (Alumni of Morris and MGA Shops, Jurow-Shepherd See Properties Magic That Baits Elusive Stars New Loew’s State Opens With Monroe-Curtis ‘Hof “Some Like It Hot,” the Marilyn Monroe-Tony Curtis-Jack Lemmon starrer released by United Artists, will open the renovatec Loew’s State Theatre on Broadway in mid- March, presuming the house is ready at that time. If not, it’ll berth in another showcase. No day-dating with the east side is planned for the mo¬ ment. This apparently is the time of the year for quite a few of the film company pub-ad chiefs to sound off, either through press conferences or enthusiastic hand¬ outs, about the need for national pre-selling of films and the great effort each respective company is putting forth in that direction. Advertising and publicity budgets in all cases are “revealed” as being above that of the previous year, giving the implication that every release is being backed with an unprecedented , to use the favorite adjective of the press departments, campaign. The pub-ad chiefs apparently see no inconsistency in the news of their grandiose spending plans and news of simultaneous cutbacks in publicity and advertising personnel., Actually the pattern is fairly traditional. On the one hand, ex¬ ecutives may clamor after the Christmas letdown any year for a return to old-fashioned showman¬ ship and better publicity and ad¬ vertising campaigns. They “report” each year they are alloting more; money for this purpose. Mean-! while staffs shrink. . ! With the possibly sole exception ■ of United Artists, the film compa¬ nies are operating their pub-ad! activities with reduced staffs, par¬ ticularly in the field at point-of- sale. Some of the more aware i&die producers, especially those v^ho like to do a personal soiling I job, , are recognizing this situation J when they personally hit the hin¬ terlands. A perceptive hit-the-trail ] producer can quickly guess that a “rushed-in” fieldman does nr.t have the know-how in local affairs as does the' staffer permanently sta- Uonel , Hollywood. Feb. 10. Hip industries are also cogni-j producer team of Carlo Pont! zant of the fact that the much- . Marcello Girosi has set up a heralded advertisingexpenditures iQ-oicture.program of indie films Aim Law to Curb 'Sneak’Mergers Washington, Feb. 10. The Senate’s anti-trust subcom¬ mittee Monday (9) approved legis¬ lation requiring big corporations to give Justice Dept, and Federal Trade Commission 60-days notice before any merger. In general, notice requirement would apply to outfits with a combined worth of $10.000,000'or more. FTC would also liave power to seek preliminary injunctions pend¬ ing trial of anti-merger cases. Justice already has this authority. Billy now goes to narert judiciary committee, where it died last year. THEIR PRODUCT; LOREN Ponti-Girosl Also Set Six Other Features, 10 In All are often figments of the imagina¬ tion. Rarely does a company spend what it says it will. There are budgetted at $20,000,000. Four of these are being made for Para¬ mount release, but no further deal exceptions, of course, for specific j, asye t been closed fo^ remaining features but for the most part sbo ah star Sophia Loren, there is a considerable discrcr u Currently shooting “Heller With between the announced pub-ad a Gun” as third pic for Paramount, budgets and the actual outlay. following “The Black Orchid” and This was pointed up recently in “That Kind of Woman,” producers a meeting between the executives; will complete the fourth for Par of one company and Spokesmen for before embarking upon their: pub-ad -employees who complained jskedded six, to be turned out over: about dismissals the very week the , a three-year period, company “announced” a record; Sextet include “Carmen,” based promotional budget. One of the j on Prosper Merimee yarn, to be executives is quoted as remarking: directed by George Cukor in Spain in substance: “You guys are o'-'l j next year; “This, Too, I Saw,” pros. >You know that the-figure was | original by Walter Bernstein, to- be only released for publicity pur- directed by Alberto Lattuada. Pro¬ poses. Actually, our publicity and ■ ducers are dickering with Martin advertising budget is much less Ritt to helm “The Girl from Amer- than last year” iea.” Balancing Act, Optimism & Economy, Under 20th s Centre Ring Spot Spyros P. Skouras, 20th-Fox prexy, last week summonned Alex Harrison, general sales manager, and Murray Silverstone, 20th’s foreign topper, to the Coast for confabs said t<urevolve around the question of how-to affect economies in the operation of the company. Though 20th has a number ot potentially hot boxoffice proper¬ ties set for release during the next few months, Skouras nevertheless is represented as determined to ef¬ fect a 25% cost cut throughout the company. The big question is: How is this to be accomplished? Salary cuts and personnel reduc¬ tion are in discussion or have al¬ ready been decided on. The em¬ phasis now is on the domestic and international distribution setups. Can they be reduced without im¬ pairing 20th’s efficiency in handling a lineup of some 40 to 50 pictures this year? 20th is somewhat unique in that its sales executives are convinced, and have so argued with Skouras, that the costs of maintaining a full organization, run as economically as possible, are well worth the ulti¬ mate benefits, i.e. the volume of billings. View at the homeoffice is that little is to be gained from drooping exchanges In the U.S. or even from mergers with other out¬ fits on the level of physical distrib¬ ution. Buffalo Instance In the one instance—in Buffalo —where several of the companies got. together to jointly run a ship¬ ping depot, 20th elected to play odd man out on the theory that it was shipping film as cheap, if not cheaper, than anyone else. Essentially the argument is that, in partially tearing down the dis¬ tribution structure, costs may go down at one end, but are apt to go up at the other, with prints in transit for a longer period of'time and salesmen having to travel fur¬ ther. All this is based on the as¬ sumption that'the volume of prod¬ uct handled stays at a fairly high level and doesnt.drcp hr low i n ro 20 pictures. At that point, main¬ tenance of a full setup becomes im¬ practical, it’s argued. 20th, which may let some sales¬ men go, points to the Warner Bros, example as a “lesson” in eco¬ nomics. Warners eliminated sev¬ eral branches, but soon after that reestablished most of the offices. Industry executives, from time to time, have argued that the pres¬ ent distribution setup is “archaic” and that—this is a favorite beef of independent producers—dis¬ tribution costs are beyond reason¬ able levels. Yet, apart from the argument that volume product re¬ quires a volume type of effort, it’s also realized that the competitive¬ ness among the companies is an obstacle, with no outfit wanting to give ground while the other retains its position. Situation is somewhat different Diversity In story material and flexibility in operation are the aims of the-new, young production team of Mdttin Jurow ana Richard Shepherd who are perhaps repre¬ sentative of the “new faces” slow¬ ly moving into the film-making end of the‘.business. Having delivered their first pro¬ duction, an offbeat western, ‘The Hanging Tree,” starring Gary Cooper and Maria Schell to War¬ ner Bros., pair is preparing to launch “The Fugitive Kind,” film version of Tennessee Williams* “Orpheus Descending.” Film, star¬ ring Marlon Brando and Anna Mag- nani, will be filmed in New York starting in late April. United Art¬ ists will release. The casting of such salable and sought-after names' marks some¬ thing of a coup for the new produc¬ tion team. They attribute their success on this score to tne proper¬ ties, with Jurow observing: “It’s easy to get the stars if you have the story they want to dp.” As a further example of their ap¬ proach to film-making, their pro¬ duction company has on its draw¬ ing board a spectacle, “The Fabu¬ lous Showman,” dealing with the life of P. T. Bamum; a flim version of Truman Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” and a mystery dealing with Richard Prather’s Shell Scott stories. The.last three projects will be made as part of their six-picture deal with Paramount, calling for the delivery of the pix over a three- year period. The agreement with Par represents a sort of settling down for the ambitious team. “It’s' hard to move from one company to another,” Jurow said in N. Y. this week. The association with one distribution firm over an extended period, he pointed *out, allows the four projects simultaneously with- indie company to work on three or out the necessity of worrying about individual financing. Experience of the pair in the agency field—Jurow having been with William Morris and Snepherd (Continued oh page 20) Assoc. Brisk In ; London, Feb. 10. A major share deal involving 350,000 ordinary stock,units in As¬ sociated British Picture Corp. (with a par value of 70c) has been closed on behalf of the trustees of the Maxwell family. It equals about, one-thrid of the family’s holding in the corporation. According to an official state¬ ment made by the lawyers to the trustees, the shares have been sold because of the necessity of making adequate provision for estate duty contingencies. The family is re¬ taining its remaining two-ti?ird in¬ terest ABPC stock, which has trebled in value in the past year mainly as a result of the giant earnings of its commercial tv subsidiary, is cur¬ rently quoted at $6.85. According to City reports, the purchase price was in the region of $6.10 per share on the deal. Sir Philip Warter, chairman of ABPC, is the son-in-law of the late John Maxwell. The shares disposed of -represent abouv 1214% cf the corporation’s capital. Warner Bros, has a 37V6% investment in the company. A week earlier. Sir Philip noti¬ fied stockholders that the profits for the current yea’' nc^t April would be in the region of $13,000,000, roughly $5,000,000 bet¬ ter than in the previous year. abroad where distribution costs | continue to rise. Metro and 20th I Jeanette McDonald, star of many have merged their operations in motion pm'-v** rv.- ’ nd sr.\: > :?l smaller territories and, de- Arlington RoUman, baritone, will i;. n ’ (vi their experiences, may day o:c-ri?hi 4 • id r ntic do so in additional ones. [City’s Warren Supday, Feb. 22. 4 Hcnnss pStatifr Wednesday, Febrnary 11, 1959 Notable Kvers#er, Stanley Scoots Fresh hvestments As Severance From Cinerama Nears With its association with Ciner-4 ama drawing to an end, Stanley Warner Carp, is busily engaged in seeking a new field of diversifica¬ tion. As Soon as the current Cinerama product plays off both in the U.S. and abroad, it’s antici¬ pated that the theatre chain will liquidate its activities in the medium. It’s figured that Ciner¬ ama, under SW’s aegis, has about a year to go domestically and per¬ haps two years abroad. As far as can be ascertained, Stanley is not making any plans to produce another picture in the process. The most recent film, Dudley-produced “Cinerama — South Seas Adventure,” is figured to complete its U.S. and Canadian runs'by the end of 1959. In some of the Cinerama houses, SW is^ ex¬ pected to book the ClneMiracle film, “Windjammer,* but this is regarded as a temporary stopgap. In some instances, the theatre, chain is restoring Cinerama the¬ atres to conventional houses.- This leads to speculation 'about the Warner Theatre on Broadway which has served as a Cinerama house for almost five years. After “South Seas Adventure,” the cur¬ rent tenant, the Warner will follow with “Windjammer.” Since the latter has already had a long Broadway run at the Roxy, it is not expected to remain in the house for an extended period. Thus the Warner, a house well suited for roadshow engagements. Will prob¬ ably be available for conventional long-run films by the end of 1959 unless, of course, somebody im¬ mediately gets busy and produces another Cinerama film. Wall St was again buzzing with reports about a possible new di¬ versification move on the part of Stanley Warner. The theatre chain headed by S. H. Fabian is perhaps the most successful diver¬ sifier among the film companies. Its solid financial report is based a good deal on its wholly' owned subsidiary. International Latex Co. When SW acquired the company. International Latex manufactured girdles, bras, rubber gloves, , swim caps, and baby pants. However, it too, has since diversified into the pharmaceutical field, with a whole line of home remedies under the Isodine label. Fabian has frequently told the company’s stockholders that Stan-, ley Warner is continually on the lookout for new businesses. At one time, SW was interested in ac¬ quiring the Zonite Co., but this deal did not materialize. It came close to obtaining the cosmetics firm of Hazel Bishop, but the lat¬ ter company eventually went to a Matty Fox syndicate. Stanley is believed courting tele¬ vision interests. Its station in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area of upper New York State recently converted from UHF to a VHF sta- j tion, a changeover that is expected , to materially increase the audience potential and thereby benefit op¬ erating results. All in all, Stanley aims to broad¬ en its base of activities so that the company is less dependent on the fluctuations of the motion picture market. In his last report to stock¬ holders, Fabian declared: “Follow¬ ing careful and realistic investiga¬ tions, we seek to acquire companies having potential growth and profit possibilities.” U Cleaning Up Its Pfd Divvy Arrears Holders of Universal preferred stock are about to be paid off on dividends which they should have received but didn’t. This is a cum¬ ulative issue which provides the owner with $1.06V4 per share quar¬ terly. Two payments were missed, for the reason the film corporation was low on its .cash position, and another becomes due on March 2. All three payments are to be made on this date, with U thus clearing up the arrears *and the cur¬ rent obligation. Source of the coin was U’s sale of studio real estate to Music Corp. of America for $11,250,OQO. Quotes Stock Quotes For Skeptic’s Doubt Picture Moose Jaw, Sask., Feb. 10. City council has turned down a recommendation of its finance sec- j tion that the present 10% amuse¬ ment tax be reduced by 30%. The three 'theatres in the city had sought.a complete removal of; the tax for a two-year period be-i cause of declining business. i Moving that no change be made,, Alderman Harry Swarbrick said ! theatre admission prices had risen 1 considerably in recent years. He doubted if the motion picture in¬ dustry’s revenue was down very much, if at all. Contention of Alderman Don Malden was that if some consid¬ eration were not given to theatres they might be forced to close and and the city would lose tax money.- Alderman Fraser Muirhead said that, the stock in film companies had risen considerably over the past year,, which indicates that the days of features were not num¬ bered. He also pointed out that the city could not extend a priv¬ ilege to the theatres when it was not in a position to give relief to citizens whose assessments had in¬ creased. Theatremen had said admissions would not be cut if the tax were reduced, Alderman A. Wilson re¬ ported. In other words, the city would be giving the theatres an outright gift, he said. SKOURAS:‘ANNE FRANK FOR ALL, NOT JUST JEWS’ San Francisco, Feb. 10. Spyros Skouras doesn’t want “The Diary of Anne Frank” to have a benefit opening at blew York’s Palace March 17 because “this isn't a Jewish picture, this is a pic¬ ture for the world.” “Anne Frank” was screened be¬ fore an audience for the first time at Frisco’s 1,400-s^at St, Francis last week, was screened the next night at Berkeley’s California The¬ atre across Frisco Bay. Producer- director George Stevens was in the ; Frisco area for the screenings and said the 190-minute running time probably would be eut about 20 minutes. He didn’t know what Skouras* at¬ titude toward benefit perform¬ ances was, but said he knew that 20th-Fox’s Charles Einfeld “has ar¬ ranged at least eight benefits.” He added: “As you can imagine, everyone wants a benefit, Hadassah, all the rest.” Skouras’ attitude was revealed in a letter he wrote to the Anne Frank, Memorial Foundation, in Los An¬ geles. This foundation is trying to raise funds to build a library wing for Hebrew University in Israel. Skouras, reached by phone- in Palm Springs, was-'asked: “DM you write that you didn’t want this known as a Jewish pic¬ ture?” His reply: 1 : - ‘That’s the idea. We don’t want to have a benefit for the opening. Th's is a picture for the world.” Amplifying, he said there would be “plenty of benefits later." The film’s writers, Albert and. Frances Hackett, said by phone from Los Angeles that their under¬ standing about benefits was this*. “Several organizations wanted opening night. The plan now is to give no one organization the terri¬ ble responsibility of selling the whole house. It’s supposed to be split up in blocks of tickets for a number of organizations.” They were referring to the sec¬ ond U. 'S. opening, March 27, at the Egyptian, Hollywood. One source of confusion about “Anne Frank” benefits is: that there are two organizations bearing the name- of the teenage Dutch girl who became a Nazi Victim • in World War IL .One organization'-is pitching for the Israeli library* % ooi«‘ Stock Quotation Qrirk Words of cheer are being spread. Companies in several instances are underlining an upbeat in operas tions and otherwise making it known, without their spec ifi cal l y so stating, that there’s hardly need for pessimism. All amounting td part of the reason behind the con¬ tinuing, general upbeat of prices on the New York Stock Exchange. Republic preferred hit a new high. At the same time Rep presi¬ dent Herbert J. Yates went on record as saying the company Is in the best shape it has been in years. Warners common hit a new high. At the same time the company officially disclosed a profit of $1,- 922,000 for the first fiscal quarter of the new year, adding, signifi¬ cantly, that the second quarter should likewise show “substantial” gains. Paramount common continues, at near the high-for-the-year level. At the same time Par president Bar¬ ney Balaban reports that earnings continue to exceed the dividend rate and that the' industry has a $50,000,000 potential in sale of the old silents to television. Par has the biggest backlog of pre-sound films. Twentieth-Fox, too, is trading at the near-high level At the same time this - company has - offered jubilant reports of a strong pro¬ duction program, along with the kind of economies that impress Wall Streeters. United Artists has embarked upon its most ambitious film-mak¬ ing lineup; Universal is pulling -out of the doldrums; Columbia now has a 24-a-year schedule of “A”s in mind; Paramount has all studio facilities being put to use with new production; WB is stepping up im¬ portant revenue-producing activi¬ ties in television; Loew’s-Metro, more stabilized now than it has been in recent years, everybody’s economy-minded; the year is young but already there’s been an. “Auntie Mame” to show the poten¬ tial blockbuster level of the box- office; Walt Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” cost $6,000,000 but no one seems worried. There are entries on the other side of the (balance sheet, natur¬ ally. Exhibition companies con¬ tinue to beef about an erratic sup¬ ply of adequate product and the prospect of home toll television, feared as a devasting adversary, seems coming closer at hand. But there are the heartening notes, too, as above. VANCOUVER LOCALE FOR CHINESE FEATURE Vancouver, Feb. 10. Vancouver is China sans Com¬ mies is pretext for a James Stew¬ art feature to be filmed here by William Goetz Productions this summer, according to local tour¬ ist bureau topper Jim Hughes whose source is Canadian consul¬ ate in Los Angeles. Apparently lo- eal shoreline and large Chinese citizenry comprise adequate dou¬ ble for Chinese coast and blue-- printed epic “will need a lot of extras,” be states. There’s more than tourist hosi¬ ers interested in report Area needs, the work,- with some 40,000 currently seeking jobs, though few Chinese. Seemingly Vancouver’s Chinatown can. absorb its. folk, thus any call for extras is like to get qneue of occidentals trying to. look -almond-eyed. . PLAGIARISM TO TRIAL Kendrick-Fader Vs. 20th Refused Dismissal A motion by 20th-Fox for dis¬ missal of an infringement suit on a scenario called “My Hero” was denied in N. Y. Federal Court Mon¬ day (9) by Judge Frederick Van Pelt Bryan. # ■ Suit brought by writers Kath¬ leen Kendrick and Herbert Fader, charged that “My Hero," submitted to 20th, was later - infringed and pirated, emerging as the 20th film, ‘The Lieutenant Wore Skirts.” Authors are seeking $200,000 in damages and a injunction for al¬ leged infringement of their com¬ mon law rights. ' Film company had asked for dis- r missal of the suit and for a sum¬ mary judgment on the ground of Tack of jurisdiction. r- c.. figmol no mU? kao‘ r i 1 Berlin Fest To Date: 17 Lands Total of 17 countries already have indicated their desire to par- v ticipate in the 1958 international film festival in Berlin, slated for June 26 to July 7. - " > Every country can enter one feature and one or two shorts, de¬ pending on its total shorts production. However, fest authorities have the fight to invite an additional total of eight features, and eight shorts. The Soviet Union has, for the first time, been invited to parti¬ cipate at Berlin. Docking Showmanship Risks, Enjoy Corporate Enhancement National Theatres Quarter Net Eqnals 13c; Year Ago Same Period Rated 2c Los Angeles^ Feb. 10. National Theatres Inc., in a sharp about-face climb, ran up con¬ solidated net earnings of $362,843, or 13c per share, for the first quarter ended Dec. 30, 1958 of fiscal year. Profit repped a 555%. increase over take of $65,401, or-2c per share, for corresponding quarter] l of previous year. I Earnings,, according to prexy John B. Bertero, included capital [ gains and net of Federal taxes of $240,000 of 9c per share, as. against j $179,000 or 6e per share for com-! parable quarter of preceding year. I Circuit during the first quarter' terminated its interest in 17 thea-] tres and properties “not useful in the business,” Bertero s