New York Clipper (Jun 1923)

Ccpyrigbt, 1923, and published weekly by tbe Cipper Corpontion, 16Sa Biadmy, New York. Entered at the Post Office at New York, Jane 24, 1879, as second class mail matter under act of March 3, 1^ Founded by FRANK QUEEN, IS5J NEW YORK, JUNE 6. 1923 VOLUME LXXI, NoL 18 Price Filtecn Cents, $5.00 a Year. BDWY. THEATRE SEASON ENDING WITH RECO RD FOR POO REST WEEK Shows Suffered All the Week with Big Slump on Saturday Night, When All Predicted Crowded Housea—^Even Hit Attractions Suffered and Season's End Is At Hand. Broadw^-'s theatre business was last week at a low ebb, with Saturday night's business the worst in the Jiistory of the Broadway theatres. Should the torrid weather keep up this week, jnore than two- thirds of the attractions now in the thea- tres' along the Rialto will not face the barrier next Monday. It was expected by the producers and theatre managers that with the beginning of the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of Greater New York that there would be a heavy out-of-town attendance and that the theatres, which for thejiast three weeks have been waiting for this event would be able to recuperate from the financial stand- point and do a big business. Many houses which had been slated to close toward the middle of May kept open to reap the "golden" harvest. But there was ' none, with the result that every theatre in New York city, including the houses which have the acknowledged "hit" attractions, were heavily hit. Monday night of last week business was considerably off for that evening. How- ever, the managers said, "It is Monday night, but wc will pick up tomorrow." Tuesday did not show any improvement, with some of the theatres housing legiti- mate attractions grossing between $200 and $300 and one musical attraction getting $410 gross on the night. Those theatres which had Wednesday matinees did not fare very well that day either, with some of them taking in just about enough money to cover the running expense of the theatre, without being able to provide for the cost of the operation of the show. Wednesday night was figured as a hope- ful one by tJie managers in advance. But when the audiences filed into the houses, the managers were surprised. After get- ting a glimpse of the Wednesday night business, many of them were ready to "throw up the sponge" then and there. Those managers had figured that Decora- tion Day night at least would be a worth- while one for the theatre. But the good weather of the day had most of the Broad- way theatregoers away, out of town or at the local beaches. Still, some of the managers still con- tended the folks would be back in town and that by Thursday business would re- sume its normal gait. ITerc again they were disappointed, as in the majoritj' oi instances, instead of the gross forging ahead of the previous night it dropped be- hind. The next day. Friday, things were even worse; it seemed as though the bottom had dropped out of business and that nothing cotild be done to stimulate it. The Joe Leblang cut-rate shop, which has always been a "first aid," did not seem to func- tion according to reputation, with the de- mand at this place being just about equal to that at the box-offices. Saturday matinee proved very unsatis- factory, having the Suburban handicap at Belmont Park, the ball game at the Yan- kee Stadium and the Kilbanc-Criqui fight at the Polo Grounds against them, with fair and hot weather prevailing the thea- tres just could not get the customers in. The matinee at the Wintergarden was called off, by the announcement that Jolson was ill, and other theatres would have called off their matinees also, but the man- agers of the houses and attractions could not get in touch with the proper heads to sanction this proceeding. Saturday night, however, was the worst night of all. Even though business had been bad all week, and the managers had not expected a normal Saturday night busi- ness, that evening surprised them all, as the gross receipts in most houses did not equal those of the lowest night of the week. It seemed as no attraction manager could believe that business was as bad as it was at his liouse. They all thought there was just something wrong with their shows. So then began a visit from one house to another by some of the managers and, after they gazed at the attendance in some of the theatres they were satisfied that they were not the only ones that were being .punished by the "cruel" theatregoer. As a result of the bad seigc they had last week, William A. Brady has elimin- ated the Wednesday matinee at the Play- house where "Up She Goes" is playing. John Cort has discontinued both the Wednesday and Saturday matinees at the Daly Sixty-third Street Theatre, where "Go-Go" is the attraction. Monday night of this week did not seem to be much better than last Saturday night, as the attendance in all of the Broadwav theatres was very meagre, with the possible exception of about six houses which had about two-thirds capacity on their lower floors. The- attractions in these houses in the past have been playing to standing room only for the past few months, and it was most surprising to the management of them that business is not continuing.. Should business continue as it started Monday night, most of the attractions, being protected by closing notices, posted several weeks ago, will be prepared to call it a season on Saturday and close. "OLD HOMESTEAD" GOING OUT "The Old Homestead." the late Denman Thompson's famous play is going out again next season under the direction of .Augus- tus Pitou. Walker Avers will play the "Joshua Whitcomb" rofe. The picturization of the play some tlmt: ago does not seem to have hurt the dra- matic value of the piece as a demand from one night stand managers for the play is said to be good. NON-EQUITY CAST FOR CARROLL "Vanities of 1923," the new Earl Carroll Kcvue which opens at his tiieatrc late this month, will be a non-Equity cast show, <leclares Carroll, who is an independent manager, not a member of the Producing Alanagers Association; if the .\ctors Equity Association docs not grant him the same considerations, the same contracts and other treatment accorded the members of the P. M. A. "I am going to request Equity," he said, "to treat me the same as they do mendiers of the P. M. A. I am not a men^r of the organization, am not in any trouble with actors or managers and don't propose to have any. If Equity decides to give me tlie right to the P. M. A. contract and the other considerations shown mcnrbers of that organization alt will Ik well. If not, it will also be all right, for my entire cast will be of non-Equity members and we will go along without the slightest -difficulty. I have gone into the matter carefully. I can get every principal for mj cast from vaudeville or other sources that have no coimcttion with Equity, so there will be no trouble in that direction. As for my chorus, it is now rehearsing and consists of sixty members. A canvass of the entire list reveals the fact than fifty- seven are not associated with either the Actors Equity or the Equity Chorus de- partment. Three are members, that's all, so that department of 'Vanities' will be no trouble. "We don't expect the slightest argument Jn any direction, in fact, the present dif- lercnccs between actors and managenients seem all wrong. GU5 HILL—STAR MAKER Gus Hill claims that being employed by him has been a "stepping stone" on the way to success for some of the best known Broadway stars of today. He declares that some of the actors who stepped directly from his attractions and management to fame on Broadway arc George Beban, Wcbcr and Fields. Montgomery ancl Stone, Lottie Gilson. Bedini and .\rthur, Emma Carus. McAvoy and ^^ay, Billy Ritchie, Sophie Tucker, Hilly Arlington, Dave Marion, George Wilson, Denis Maley and Harry Watson. Mr. Hill said all of these people sowed their "wild oats" in his em- ploy only for one season before treading Broad waj". "LONELY WIVES" TO TRY AGAIN .-M Woods simply will not pass up the farce "Lonely Wives," which in its farce form had at least three tryouts as a play and another one as a musical comedy under the name of "Dian,i Comes to Town." Otto Harback is sai<l to be the latest one to try a hand at re-writing the foreign farce. LEFT TWO DAYS BEFORE CLOSING Eddie Buzzell left the cast of "The Gingham Girl" upon the expiration of his contract with Schwab and KusscI last Thursday ni(;ht, despite the fact that the show closed Saturday. Loren Kaker, who was selected to succeed him appeared in the part on Friday and for the three re- maining performances of the week was given two weeks' salar>- according to the .Actor's Equity Association contract. BIG INSURANCE FOR ROGERS Will Rogers, who closed with the Zicg- feld "Follies" on Saturday night of last week and is now on the way to Los -•\ngeles where he plans to remam for the next three years, took out a record-break- ing insurance policy before he left. Rogers' policy totals $300,000, is a short term endowment and called for the pre- mium payincnt of $23,000 annually. He is a firm believer in insurance and his new policies in addition to accident and other policies taken out some time ago total:; nearly half of a million dollars. One htm- dred and eighty-five thousand dollars alone is carried in the accident department and would pay him a fortune weekly if in- jured. The policies were taken out through John J. Kemp, of 55 John street, who has handled the Rogers' insurance investments for several years. Rogers has scored a great success in New York this year, both in the "Follies," the pictures, and as an after ilinner speaker, a field in which he has met with much success. So big a hit has he scored this season that friends have plead -with him to give up his plan to devote the next two or three years to pictures in California and remain in New York, but Rogers steadily refused and is now on his way to Los Angeles. Rogers income this year from "The Follies" films, after dinner speeches etc. is estimated to be $5,000 weekly. HOSPITAL FOR ACTORS A hospital exclusively for members of the theatrical profession is to be built in New York, according to plans announced this week. It will. be of moderate size with about seventy-five beds and will be located somewhere near the theatrical district of the city. A number of physicians and professional men have announced their willingness to help in the plan. Application to the State Board of Char- ities was made this week for a permiL .\ committee of thirty-two representing the stage has been appointed, among them being: Norman Trevor, Taylor Holmes, Lennox Pawie, Cornelia and Lillian Mack- innon, Marion Davies. Glenn Hunter, Stanley Dail. Elsie Ferguson. Minnie -Maddem Fiske, Helen Lowell. Bevery Sitgreavcs, Lucille Watson. Mary Roberts Rinehart, Elizabeth Marbury, 'Margaret Wychcrly, Margaret Lawrence and Eliza- Iwth Hines. Bernard Cohen, attorney, filed the ap- plication for the permit. ANOTHER MYSTERY THRILLER Despite the many reports to the effect that the demand for mysterj- plays is over, several arc quietly breaking in at out of town points and being stored carefully away for fall production. The latest is "In the Next Room." a thriller by Eleanor Robson and Harriet Ford, produced re- cently in .-Xtlantic City. It is a real mystery with two murders in the first act and a continuous rtm of thrills which continues until the ver>- finish. Broadway will see the piece earlv next season with a cast in which at the .Atlantic City trjout were Wright Kramer, George Kid<lcll, Morris Ankrum, Paul Leyssac and Cornelia Skinner. COSTUMES r.s^rjs'iMs.'ss-'::?:^- BROOKS-mMHiEii Jur.r. i. y. t«?ss5?s