Evening star., 1951-07-29
"A What's 1t
On Its WAY
ToGothonn
'BogeIs and Yox'
AS Profitable as
It's Confusinq
BY the Associated Press
NEW YORK.

4NG" 4S6b4As
The likely What is it?" candi-
date for the new season on Broad
way is "Bagels and Yox" (which
means food and laughS).
Now in its second month in At
lantic City, N. j., which is quite a
run for that veteran showcase for
new entertainment. it already's
creating quite a legend before it's
scheduled arrival on Broadway
September "a.
While the box -office money rolls
in on the Atlantic City beach, the
theatrical unions and a motion
picture house owner are ready and
willing to convert any one of the
latter's 102 picture houses into a
habitat for it. They are holding
daily huddles to decide what stage
union has first claim and how
much to spend in refurbishing a
film temple into a legitimate lodg-
ling
A rough idea of what the man
holding the purse strings thinks of
the show is revealed in the fact
that he is willing to spend 100000
to install dressing rooms and a
new rostrum in either the Mayfair
or Globe, two movie houses he
owns on Broadway.
Started in Florida.
1t all started down in Miami
Beach last winter when two fell
lows from the Borscht circuit In
the Catskills, AL Beckman and
John Pransky, threw together
some 10 ambitious actors, 10 mu-
sicians, four stagehands and raised
the curtain on the musical "BagelS
and Yox." Yox was a made-up
word, which they said meant
laughs. They gave away bagels IA
Jewish biscuit) to the audience
and hit was born.
Into this strange Setup came
Broadway Motion Picture Operator
Harry Brandt. Immediately he
sent his ENJOYS to Atlantic City
land leased a theater on the Mil
Ilion-Dollar Pier for a tryout run
of what is reported to be one of
the funniest-looking stage babies
in many seasons.
I Brandt, owner of the Globe
ITheater at Forty sixth. street and
Broadway, said the Globe would
|, return to its former legitimate
status after IS years of dickers.
! But the Globe had been rebuilt
!. and fire laws made it mandatory
to put back a few brick walls Of
the old, legitimate days. So the
Mayfair, another Brandt film
house across the street. came in
for consideration. A young for
tune would be necessary to install
a stage and places for the actors
to daub their makeup.
Unions in Dilemma.
While Brandt discussed costs
with contractors, the stage unions
involved said they were confused
whether "Bagels and Yox" was
variety, a musical or a combina-
Ition of both. Should it come un-
der the jurisdiction of Actors.
Equity or the vaudeville and
night club unions? How many
stage hands? How many musi-
clans?
The Messrs. Brandt, Beckman
and Pransky are standing pat on
"glorified vaudeville" Actually,
there are no skits it. The
charm of the show is largely due
to the energy and personalities Of
the players.
/ Once these union matters are
adjusted, Brandt feels he has no
worries about the housing situa-
ton. He has theaters on Broad
way, Forty-second street and all
over Manhattan and he says 'the
time has come for some movie
houses to go light"
"Bagels and Yox," has three
zanies known as the Barton
Brothers. whose previous fame was
established with some Yiddish re-
cordings.
There's a ventrilo oquist with
Jewish dummy; a nice singer
named Mary Forrest from Crown
Point, Ind, and out of the Cats
kills comes Larry Alpert, who has
a dry humor.
However surprises" mostly
girls, says Brandt) are promised
for Broadway when he decides
which of his 102 picture houses he
is going to turn back to The legiti-
mate theater.