Odds and Ends
March 11, 1944
p. 26
Savannah Churchill, the sizzling blues singer with Benny Carter’s band, was taken to the hospital 7:30 last Thursday morning with acute appendicitis. Benny had to finish his Loew’s State engagement without her. The band left for the Howard Theatre, Washington, on Friday. As if that were not enough, the FBI, [sic] nabbed one of Benny’s trombone players for draft dodging… Lil Armstrong, the wife of Louie, beside heading her own trio at the East Town Cafe in Milwaukee, is writing her biography… Major Robinson, a private, believe it or not, and an ex-PVite, who is in town on leave, says Phil Moore’s Shoo-Shoo Baby, [sic] is taken from one of Count Basie’s jump strains which go back to the Monroe Cafe days…
The US marines who acted in Gung Ho, the picture currently showing at the neighborhood houses, have since been in the thick of reality. Gunnery Sgt. Victor Maghakian, technical adviser on the picture, V-mailed that his company was first to land in the Marshall Island, first to mop up its island, first to raise the American flag. And not a casualty… Avon Long, the Sporting Life, of the live-ever, Porgy and Bess, has the distinction of being signed with two movie studios at one and the same time. Hollywood is patiently awaiting the closing of the show in order to use Long in a picture. His contracts call for unlimited time out for stage work. Of course everyone knows the show is back at the City Center of Music for a limited engagement of five weeks.
Proceeds from the Labor Stage’s Saturday, March 11, party, will be used to help stop the filibuster against the Anti-Poll Tax Bill. Some of the artists who will appear are Muriel Smith, Josh White, Luther Saxon and Burl Ides… LeRoy Gentry, Chicago pianist, and Rosetta Williams, vocalist, opened the Metropole cocktail lounge on Wednesday…. If you want to know what makes Russia tick, there is a splendid opportunity to find out by seeing the editorial film on Russia’s Foreign Policy, which is showing until March 11 at the Central Theatre, Broadway and 42 st. After seeing the picture, you will understand better, why and how Russia has managed so brilliantly to whip the socks off Hitler…
What happened to the temperamental Herbie Jefferies who left the coast to join the Duke? He seems to be out again and Albert Hibbler in. It was Hibbler who was heard singing ‘Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me, with Ellington from Toledo, Ohio, last Monday when the band did their bit for the Negro Newspaper Week broadcast which boasted other names like Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson, Juano Hernandez, Wings Over Jordan and Canada Lee. Hernandez announced the program and did a bang-up job as did Canada the Saturday before.
Wonder why Canada’s name was not mentioned on the latter airing? Speaking of Canada, he celebrated his birthday last Thursday night with one of his famous parties. Crowding more celebrities into his three-room apartment than you could shake a stick at, Fredric March, the movie actor, being among the many. Movies, bring to mind the story of Canada’s Negro dialect. When he first went on the set of Lifeboat and La Bankhead heard him speak, she complained to Hitchcock, the director, that Lee did not speak like a Negro. Hitchcock brought Canada into the conversation and had Bankhead to repeat to Canada what she told him. This she did and Canada asked her how she thought a Negro should speak, wherein she went into her dialect. Canada listened and calmly said, “Well, Miss Bankhead, I think I win since I’ve been a Negro longer than you have.” Muriel Rahn was interviewed Sunday over station WMCA by Shirley Eder…
Red and Curly, the clever novel dance act now appearing at the Apollo, exemplifies the fast, clean, comic, well-dressed type of variety entertainment Negroes would like to see at all times. The drummer in Louie Prima’s orchestra beats-out a mean hide. Unfortunate that his specialty follows Red and Curly, who do an effective comedy bit with the drums… The Journal-American is consistent in its policy of not using pictures of Negroes, not even in the entertainment field. Not one photograph of Paul Robeson in Othel[l]o or Carmen Jones, two of Broadway’s SRO (standing room only) shows. The length some folks go to keep us in our place…
Jimmy Lunceford passed through the big city the other day to take care of a little this and that… Billy Rose, producer of Carmen Jones, denies the story which Louella Parsons broke in her column last week saying that Fox bought the rights to the show for $500,000 and will use Lena Horne as Carmen. Rose says the bidding is not over yet and if you know Rose, you will know that he will get all there is to be gotten. The Broadway production will have paid for itself in the next two weeks… Wonder why Eddie Heywood, band leader at Downtown Cafe Society, left his piano the other night just after Virginia Hope, the novice singer, announced her second number? She was left standing on the floor somewhat bewildered until Mr. Heywood returned to his piano and gave her an introduction… Such bad support from the leader of a band would embarrass even a seasoned performer. Could it be that Eddie has been on the job too long?… [F.W.]