DECEMIUR 15, 1945 25; Cent THE WORLD'S FOREMOST AMUSEMENT WEEKLY COLLEGE FOR MIDWAY MEN Club and Vaudeville Contract Breaking Formulas (Part 2) COIN MACHINE 1 Telefax With Coin Gimmick To Speed Tomorrow's Wires THE DINNING SISTERS Four -Platter Disk Debut (SEE MUSIC SECTION) EARS COUNT NOW ON PLUG SHEET 1 www.americanradiohistory.com BOBBY BYRNE IGEOR His Trombone Gif , And His Orchestra s G wr rept koph est or7ist JOHN 11P.0 P NY AA C ci 00- A sa cif .v1010 *-1 e kite 1,940 9 oe,, %\.e JOHN KIRBY $ Ito Featuring SARAH VAUGHAN 4i4 eittle ,co 4its C p,tv` oi Of s www.americanradiohistory.com No. 57. No. 50 December 15, 1945 The World's Foremost Amusement Weekly HAMS MAKE TOP PRODUCERS Seattle Show War Bite on S. F. Inks With Emote First; Biz Takes Dive Guild; Seattle, In Press Strike Showbiz Stays K. C., L. A. Later Boss Later SEATTLE, Dec. 10.- Seattle's showbiz SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 10. -.San Fran- found itself "let down" for over two Till Next Fall cisco will become a full -fledged member Nearly all backgrounds weeks because of a printers' strike which city in the new nationwide subscription closed the three daily publications and circuit of New York's Theater Guild - show up among current major outlet of reaching the public thru Election Will Slow Action American Theater Society. Arrangements advertising channels. were concluded between the Theater presenters-even pitchman Curran, managing di- Check of leading theaters revealed WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.- Despite agi- Guild and Homer business "off" with no estimated per- rector of the Curran and Geary theaters, tation by influential Congressmen to get York By Frank Gill centage, altho several house managers executive and legislative action on a while the latter was in New last said it probably would be between 10 week. NEW YORK, Dec. 10.-The legit stage proclamation to end the present "un- is shortest route to show pro- and 20 per cent. Usual week -end and limited national emergency, it now ap- Four plays will be presented. First will still the Thanksgiving holiday S.R.O. signs were pears virtually certain that the current be Foolish Notion, starring Tallulah ducing on Broadway. not frequent in theaters either in record -sized taxes on entertainment biz Bankhead, which will open at the Cur- To prove (or disprove) this fact, The neighborhood and metropolitan areas. ran on January 14. Second will be Ok- Billboard has culled the ranks of the will stay unchanged until next fall at dis- Fringe Flackery the earliest. This became practically a lahoma, due at the Curran on February Main Stem's top 33 producers and certainty as the Senate moved to concur 7. Third will be a new production of covered that no less than nine are ex- Theaters turned to the radio, hand- in House action on extension of the Oscar Wilde's Lady Windemere's Fan. thesps; two more than the next most outs, neighborhood weekly publications, Second War Powers Act until next June. Fourth offering will be announced numerous group -dollars and cents men. church publications where possible, and Francisco is the first to Fifteen -per centers, newspapermen, law- papers in Present peak -level entertainment taxes shortly. San in many instances high school are hold -overs from emergency tax legis- make the network a Coast-to -Coast yers and p. a.'s followed with four for an effort to inform the public of feature new centers now being the first -named and three of each of the available lation enacted during trie war in the chain. Other bills. Even with all these heat of "unlimited national emergency," added are Kansas City, Mo.; Seattle and others, among the other "presenters." sources covered, the usual run of busi- which apparently will not be terminated Los Angeles. But that doesn't mean that men in ness was not up to par at the box offices. until after expiration of the Second War Harriet Watt, Chi rep of the Guild, has other fields haven't been dazzled by the Bad weather didn't help business, Powers Act. There is nothing on the set up at the Curran an office which will glamour (minus the headaches) of put- heavy downpours dampening any efforts statutes to require continuation of the immediately begin enrolling members. ting shows on Broadway and on theroad. of the public to "shop" the theaters for "unlimited national emergency" until Subscription program here will be lim- A couple of ex -candy butchers are top the best bill. Daily papers have carried lapse of the act, but most congressional ited to two weeks for each attraction. Stem names. At least one banker has starting -time schedules of all metropoli- leaders are expressing the view that it been persuaded to throw his chips on the tan theater features, and the public has would be an unwise policy to call on biggest gambling table of all; a broker 4 been accustomed to finding its show Congress or the President to terminate has left the bear pit on Wall Street, for blurbs brought right to the home fire- the emergency while the act is still in Public Shrugs, the "bull pen" on Broadway and musi- side. operation. cians have joined the ranks too. Biz Down Act Has No Tax Ferrer and Stone One flacker laid he had been "rushed Newest of the thesps to turn to pro- to death getting copy out to every avail- Second War Powers Act itself carries Ops Scream at no taxing provisions. Its provisions in- ducing are Jose Ferrer and Paula Stone. able source they could find," but that The former, born in Puerto Rico and "things definitely were down as far as clude rationing and priorities over scarce materials. If Congress had not moved educated at Princeton, won plaudits for business was concerned." 10% Tax Gouge his Charley's Aunt and his more recent Business in general found the public to extend the law until next June, its powers would have expired at the end of NORFOLK, Dec. 8.-C i t y council Iago in the Margaret Webster Othello. shopping around, and novelty stores in slapped a 10 per cent admissions tax His venture is the current Strange complained that "folks (See WAR BITE STICKS on page 41) initial many instances onto local theater and amusement en- Fruit. Paula Stone, one of the , Fred had adopted a looking around" attitude terprises last week over strenuous op- Stone daughters, and a pic, air and legit that was not usual at this time of the position from legit promoters and film player, teamed up with Hunt Stromberg year. Balt. Council Sets interests. Latter are seeking thru a Jr. to put over The Red Mill. Skating rinks, bowling alleys, dance newspaper advertising campaign, radio Next newest are Richard Kollmar and halls and pavilions, night clubs and 5% Amusement Tax plugs and trailers, to arouse public re- James L. Gardiner; whose hit musical, others in this type of recreation were sentment, but response to their appeals Are You With It? is their first venture. little affected by the lack of advertising for protests has been apathetic. Kollmar, who still has an air stint, is the sources, tho some reported crowds not Plan for '46 Budget W. S. Wilder, op of pic Palace chain vet thesp of the two. They met in Early up to par "but doing okay business." BALTIMORE, Dec. 10. -A 5 per cent and principal promoter of roadshow at- to Bed, where the latter, scion of a tax on admissions to amusements in Bal- tractions at the Center Theater, has wealthy Texas oil family, was getting his timore would be levied under the terms cast his lot with other members of the feet wet - legit- imately! He found the of an ordinance submitted to the Balti- Norfolk Theater Managers' Association novel from which the musical was Wildberg Puffs more City Council to provide some of the in the effort to have the tax repealed. fashioned and the show was on. Gar- new revenue needed to balance the Test will be made in the local courts, diner is planning solo production next. budget for the next year. Estimated attorneys for the association say. Frank On Legit Weed yield annually would be approximately L. Fowler, Wilder general manager, is a Gil Miller Oldest Actor- Producer $1,700,000, according to the tax proposal member of the committee in charge of Of the rest, all of whom are vets on put before the budget session of the the campaign. the Stem, oldest stage debber is Gilbert council. Present rate is $2.89. Other local promoters of roadshows, Miller, who, before inheriting his pop's In Preem Plans This is one of the three new tax plans concerts and other forms of flesh enter- producing mantle, trod the boards in CHICAGO, Dec. 8. -John Wildberg, likely to receive consideration. tainment have expresed no opinion nor 1906 for the first time. Next comes How- producer of Anna Lucasta, made it very Other points advanced for boosting the have they taken any part in the organ- ard Lindsay and Eddie Dowling, both of clear to The Billboard this week that his city revenue include a tax on tobacco ized opposition. whom debbed three years later, in 1909. heart is in Chi when it comes to opening products estimated to yield $1,500,000, Former, whose last was Strip for Action, up his new play, Curtain Going Up, an and a soft drink tax designed to divvy went back to acting in Life With Father, adaptation from a novel by Ursula Par- another $1,000,000.