Friday, February 1,1948 THE TOLEDO UNION JOURNAL Page Five ZQ-illy Eckstine Called the “Sepia Sinatra” Gets Knowledge With Earl Hines’ Band wmtifl 4?.<v By Bnmy Zawodny When Billy Eckstine made his debut as a band leader in the Stars In The Milky Way Unusual Jam Session MGM Plans FilinuMrai RANCHER CROSBY summer of 1944 he was known as the “Sepia Sinatra,” for his Bing Crosby, who la allergic singing does to the females of the colored race what Frank On “Ladies’ Man” Set A oto Jt Version of O’Neil Play Sinatra’s does to his bobby sox brigade. Even Billy’s most ardent to being fenced in, owns a HOLLYWOOD — They’ll be Aew Miami Inn HOLLYWOOD (Special)— 2000-acre stock ranch in Nevada admirers never dreamed he would in rapid fashion standout as Plans for the filming of a mu­ and is a third owner in another a definite threat to the top i talking for weeks to come at Paramount about one of the most sical version of “Ah, Wilder­ huge ranch in the Argentine. swing bands in the business, but ness,” noted play by Eugene His latest picture is Irving Ber­ .♦hat’s just What the handsome Spanish Dance Diet unusual jam sessions staged there at the drop of a hint the O’Neill produced on Broadway lin’s “Blue Skies,” Paramount •• ... sepia songster by the Theater Guild and later Technicolor musical. proceeded to Keeps Film Star Slim other day. « ■ S' It took place on the huge rec­ by M-G-M as a screen drama, do. BOLLYWOOD — Lana have been announced by the Billy first Turner lost six pounds pre­ ording stage where Spike Jones Clouds Roll By,” film story and His City Slickers were in studio. based oa the life oi Jerome came into the paring for her South Amer­ June Allyson and Ray Mac­ lime light a ican trip—and aoX through the midst of their final rehearsal Kern. of their “Cocktails for Two” Donald, recently returned from Rouben Mamoulian, director number of worry! service in the AAF, have been years ago number for “Ladies’ Man” star­ of the New York stage hits. She has been brushing I' */* set for the top roles. Both cur­ “Carousel’ and “Oklahoma? through his the Latin-American ring Eddie Bracken. Up on rently appear in “Till The will direct. vocalizing with dances which she loves so Cass Daley, Paramount's top % > Earl Hines’ much—rumba, samba, bam- Binging comedienne, had been q../ 't orchestra. Rec­ bouca and the others—and excused from another stage Burny Zawodny ording with has literally danced off the where she was shooting In the “Fatha” Hines Weight at parties during same Bracken musical and for Victor-Blubird amassed le­ the recent holiday season. dropped in to see Spike. gion* of fans for Billy from In fact, when the star re­ An extra set of traps on stage coast-to-coast. It was Eckstine ported back to M-G-M for plus Spikowski’s invitation to who composed the famous'“Jelly extra scenes with John indulge a few hot licks proved * ' « - I Jelly” and Stormy Monday Garfield on “The Postman irresistible to Cass. The ensuing 'A Blues,” which gained juke-box Always Rings Twice,” it jam session which ran the gamut IRRESISTIBLE fame via his vocal conditions. was found she had slimmed from “Cocktails” through “Holi­ ''Mlut it was a ballad, Hoagy Car­ down so much it was neces­ day for Strings” and “I’ve Gotta michael's lovely “Skylark” that sary to alter her entire Gal in North and South Dakota” skyrocketed Bily to his place Wardrobe. She will finish lasted through the noon hour INESCAPABLE in the musical sun. His record­ the extra scenes this week and found all concerned gulping ing of “Sky lark” definitely and leaves soon afterward, down sandwiches and coffee made Billy a star personality by Clipper plane, for Rio from the nearby commissary. “Boy, oh boy,” declared Troy on his own. de Janeiro. Coming Monday evening to With five years of singing for Saunders of the music depart­ ment, “if we had only recorded the New’ Miami Inn is Miss him Earl Hines’ band under his belt, Marlene Webb direct from an Eckstine felt that he had enough that session, we could have sold a couple of million records.” angagement in Mickey’s Show knowledge of the why’s and SEEN at the M-G-M studios are Robert Walker end June Place, Detroit, Michigan. .J wherefores of baton-wielding to Allyson, co-stars in “The Sailor Takes A Wife,” catching up on EEROM AHj -;’ot a crew of his own. The Vitamins in a spare moment during production. Movie Subway Crash ^^jam Morris agency promptly EX-DRUM BEATER GRECQRX 1 'd Billy and backed him in Halts ‘Ladies’ Man’ When Sonny Tufts was at m "/^formation of his new or- Decca Records Plans “Blue Skies” Costume Yale, he played the traps in the HOLLYWOOD—Eddie Brack­ ... lra> STAtE^^EE^AfiK) undergraduate orchestra. After f singing maestro is being “Lost W eekend'” Album Designing Difficult en, Virginia Welles, Spike Jones PECK ,^1"' graduation, deciding to go into \_^d as the best bet for suc­ HOLLYWOOD—Decca is con­ and His City Slickers, Director V _ A f .. ' < • 1 If < cess among Negro bands since Released by Western Newspaper wauvu. ferring with Paramount for the HOLLYWOOD — It’s a lot William Russell, 50 extras and grand opera, he decided to rid use of ‘‘The Lost Weekend” easier to do the costuming of crew members fortunately es­ Count Basie came zooming By VIRGINIA VALE himself of his lowly jazz drums across the musical horizon seven music score by Dr. Miklos Rozsa a show set in a period 200 years caped serious injury when a and, arriving in New York City, . Just before Alan Young head­ with the intention of releasing New York subway car, being years ago. ago than it is to do the clothes he checked the intruments in the ed for Hollywood and his first an album. used as a set, split during a for a picture timed 10 or 20 Grand Central Station and threw well developed argument motion picture he unintention­ The score, known as “E String scene for Paramount’s “Ladies’ i sj&een Mr. Harris (manager Composition,” because of the re­ years ago. Man.” the stub awayl of Paramount Theatre) and ally entertained a miscellaneous current eerie note denoting the That’s the opinion of Gile Mr. Tarloff (manager of The gathering of New Yorkers. They dipsomaniac’s craving for alco­ Steele, men’s costume designer Exhibition of the Sportsmen were watching the skaters at the hol, is described by Dr. Rozsa as at Paramount, with recent ex Show) was held at a luncheon Radio • City rink. Alan was descriptive symphonic music. The music is a definite part of periences in both such fields. that yours truly and Mitch brushing up on his skating. He Woodbery sat in as spectators. the action, conveying the psy­ Steele finished the clothes for This argument or might I say put on his skates, started out, chological reactions of Don Bir­ “Blue Skies” with Bing Crosby a discussion was over steaks and slid—not on the skates— man, played by Ray Milland, and Fred Astaire then went to throughout the film. ' Score is (are the steaks better at Wil­ quite a distance. The housing work on the job of dressing the lard Hotel or 717 club?) shortage has separted the Young especially effective in the silent NOW SHOWING tetan^e^t 9bs°^ sequences, which are fully one- gay dandies of the 18th Cen­ family temporarily; Mrs. Mary During the three years he third of the picture. One of tury French court for the Bob og served overseas with the Ma­ Anne Young and the children these is Milland's famous long Hope comedy “Monsieur Beau- 1 rines, Macdonald Carey regular­ fled tb Seattle when they walk. caire.” ly sent allotment checks home People Talked About The Book in WHISPERS... couldn’t find a home in New “When you’re handling cloth - to his wife who saved them. The York, and she’s been attending f couple used the sum as down 11 onder Dancers ing for a comparatively recent Critics SHOUT Their Praises of The Film! payment on a Hollywood home, Washington State college, com­ period such as 1919, when the •OiKl of the gcealeaf pictures I have‘ever seen," pleting studiea interrupted by Crosby picture starts,” Steele if! ■’k "’•Je'Sci* at*"*' w-rU""*’ now that the actor has been dis­ 1 Lonalia Paun charged from the service and is marriage. said, “There aren't many ready SHORT SUBJECTS references yet every adult in resuming hit Paramount star­ "One af the beet movies ever made** the audience will «pot the Myt Ddiatdn Walk*? ring career. When a New York subway ac­ slightest deviation from the cident takes place in Hollywood An unforgettable picture with never a dull moment!” :? G«it> SHOMANT fashions of the yean fint Piciuri Raymond Chandler it’s .1 worth mentioning. Eddie Mty» Leonard Lyont “When you’re doing costum­ tinc» winning Scores Four in Row Bracken, Virginia Welles, Spike ing for a show that dates back THE ACADEMY AWARD HOLLYWOOD — Purchase of Jones and his City Slickers, Di­ so far, the designer has as much his novel, “High Window,” by rector William Russell and 50 reference material as any of his 20th Century-Fox makes it a extras and crew members just critics and can really do a more St.