Variety (November 1919)

aagssMt; .".,.■.■ ? lij-"* : If^i^WlliS LEGITIMATE ■'.' ■■ ■ ' BROADWAY IN A SLUMP LAST WEEK; ROAD BUSINESS TOO REPORTED OFF if? I."*" LEV* -l Part of the Loss Here Ascribed to Sunday Night Concerts in the Case of Musical Shows—Others Previously Playing Almost Capacity Drop Down Also—Bad Weather Gave Week Poor Start—"Passing Show" Leads All With $40,000 on Week- Follies Soon Leaving. Broadway went into a slump last week, and, with takings off from 92,000 : ■ to as much as 14,000 on the week, ex- perienced the first backward movement Binco the rushing start of the season. Both Monday and Tuesday nights were down and the week was further slapped : by a heavy rain all day and night on Thursday. Reports from the road showed a marked decline also all along the line. : i:Explanations were various. But, as far as Mew York is concerned, there was a marked indication that the spread of Sunday night concerts affected box office takings for the first of the week. Tiiia may have been true of the musical . shows, but there should have been no real drop in the non- musical houses. Some of the Sunday night shows are charging $3 top and playing to capacity, and although it was figured that most of euch audiences were made up of cabaret patrons, the gaps in several shows pre- , vtously doing capacity even on Monday and Tuesday were present. There Is little doubt but that Broad- /way has too many musical shows, cer- tainly more than it has ever successfully 'supported before. It is that class of at- tractions which were more' severely caught in the slump. But the lines are now a bit more firmly drawn and it is likely that half a dozen of the present crop of musical comedies will duck out before the advent of the holidays. Sev- eral are in the throes of strengthening after a good start last month, while two of the flock entering within the last three weeks hare no chance. "The Passing Show" is now leading ail Broadway at the. Winter Garden (Hip- podrome not considered). Last week it went to around $40,000, that gross being aided by the regular Sunday night con- . cert, which in itself drew $3,700. "The Passing Show" is the only musical at- traction regularly playing nine perform- ' aucea weekly. There la over $900 worth of seats on the lower floor and the bulk of them are priced at $3.60. 'The Fol- lies" was pushed into second place by the " hew Garden show, and though the zieg- feld offering Is still grabbing off $27,000 weekly or better, it will leave for the road in four weeks, opening in Detroit * ■ Bee, 8. Its probable successor is "Mon- sieur Beaucaire," the Gilbert Wilier pro- duction. "Apple Blossoms" also stands in the front rank, with last week unaffected ' by the.slump and the gross over $28,000. The balance of the musical shows are getting under $15,000, with the exception Of "Buddies" at the Selwyn. The first of the recent shows to bow out is "Fifty - Fifty, Ltd.," at the Comedy, which never, had a'chance. This current week started off in much better form and with the special mati- nees on Election day (Tuesday) the indications were that many of the suc- cesses would again reach what has been normal big business this season. Nat all the election matinees were Mg, but as a rule were much better than the regular mid-week, afternoons, Nearly a seer© of attractions, however, elimi- nated the "Wednesday matinee because of the Election day extra performance, the object being to keep within the \ eight performance limit For the big successes, however, It meant "gravy." In . the case of "Clarence," at the Hudson, the show will again go over $19,000 this "■■■ week, The other smashing successes te benefit Include "Declassee" at the Em- pire, "The Cold Diggers" at tha- Ly- ceum, "Apple Blossoms" at the Globe, "Scandal" at the Thirty-ninth Street, "The Jest" at the Plymouth (which last Week maintained its better than $18,500 pace), "The Follies" at the New Am- sterdam and similarly for "Adam and Eva" at the Longacre; "Civilian Clothes" at the Morosco, and 'Ught- nin'" at the Globe. Some of the other comedy successes dropped the Wednes- day matinee. These' included "East is "West," still going at $16,000 weekly business; "Too Many Husbands" at the Booth, and "His Honor Abe Potash" at the Bijou. A majority of the musical shows declined the Wednesday after- noon performance, the chances against a profit being against them. For the first time luring election week two houses were dark, the Shu- bert and the Vanderbilt That condi- tion was peculiar In light of the pres- sure of new shows seeking Broadway houses. "The Magic Melody" was not ready for the Shubert and will arrive neat week, while "Irene," the new musical show due for the Vanderbilt, will not reopen that house until Nov. In addition to the Shubert premiere next week, "Wedding Bells" will come into the Harris, "The Dancer" moving over to the Comedy, while William Har- ris, Jr, will offer his Irish play (now running in London), "The Lost Lteder," at the Greenwich Village Theatre, find- ing no house for it on Broadway. The week of Nov. 17 has other important openings. Among these are "The Son Daughter" at the Belasco, "Linger Longer Letty" at the Fulton, and the French Players at the Parisian (for- merly the Belmont). "Happy Days" at the Hippodrome, played to around $88,000 last week and this week should again attain an enor- mous gross, aided by the Election day performances which attracted nearly $16,000 on the day. Out of the twenty-nine "buys" running In New York at present there are four attractlors* that have the call in the agencies far and away above the re- maining twenty-five shows. The "Big Four" are Ethel Barrymore In "Declas- see" at the Empire, "Apple Blossoms" at the Globe, "Clarence" at the Hudson and "The Gold Dlgg.irs" at the Lyceum. Any sort of a price can be obtained by the brokers for this quartet of attractions and the next choice after these are ex- hausted is "The Jest" The three new buys of the week are for "The Little Blue Devil" at the Cen- tral 300 seats a night for four weeks, with a 25 per cent, return; "Palmy Days" at the Playhouse, 250 a night for four weeks and 250 a night for "Buddies" at the Selwyn for » like period. There was a renewal of the buy for "Hello Alexan- der" at the 44th Street for an additional four weeks. On two of the attractions, "The Dancer" and "Roly Boly Eyes," some of the brokers got out without taking a second buy of four weeks, but the others were forced to accept the tickets for the full buy. The total of the buys now running in- clude "Abe Potash" (Bijou), "The Little Whopper" (Casino), "The little Blue Devil" (Central). "Royal Vagabond" (Continued on page 13.) JULIA ARTHUR A. F. L, CANDIDATE, Rupture in the ranks of the Actors' Fidelity League was avoided Monday when the Board of Directors agreed to accept Julia Arthur, as the candidate for the office of second vice-president in the stead of Howard Kyle, originally slated for the post Sunday a committee headed by Blanche Bates and consisting of Jo- sephine Drake, Edna Archer Crawford, Marion Klrby, Josephine O'Brien. Effing- ham PIntou, Ben Kauser and Katherlne Hayden called upon Miss Arthur at the Hotel Biltmore with a letter In petition form requesting her to accept an inde- pendent nomination for the office of second vice-president. This letter or pe- tition was signed by 200 members of the organization. They told Miss Arthur that the league had issued a call for a regular meeting Nov. 25 for the purpose of creating the office of second vice-president and there- fore no more eminently known person in the profession could be selected for the office. Miss Arthur, after listening to their appeal, consented to become a candidate for the office. Monday, at the special meeting of the Board of Directors, Blanche Bates was summoned to be present. Louis Mann, who presided, told Miss Bates Miss Arthur would be nominated providing no opposition would be made against the naming of Kyle for a member of the Board of Directors. Miss Bates in- formed them that she was not opposed to Kyle, Alexander Leftwich has abdicated as general secretary and manager of the Fidelity. Leftwich forsook this posi- tion due to Daniel Frohman requiting his services for the Actors' Fund Week pro- gram. TWO HOSE FOa WC0DS. A. H. Woods has two more coming. The first is Cbannlng Pollock's "A Room at the Bits," due At Atlantic City, Nov. 18. The other is "Ready to Occupy," which will be ready for an out-of-town showing around Christmas. The "Rite" piece is due at the Re- public, giving the gate to "A Voice In the Dark," the latter show going on tour.. Mary Ryan, Lowell Sherman and Lee Baker will play the lead.- in the Pollock play. Homer Mason, Billie - Gaxton. Eva Francis and Margaret Keeler are scheduled to appear in- "Ready to Oc- cupy." The author is Otto Harbach. R08IE QUINN "BROADWAY'S DARLING" At the 41th Street, New York, with Mc- Intyro and Heath In "HELLO ALEXANDER.t The "Eve. Journal" Mild;—"One of the lm. port ant principal* of new extravagant*. Dot- ing her engagement at Centory -Roof, litis Qoinn won many admirer*. Bar role sails for her being on tha stage more than half the performance and singing tha bit number, •Pretty Baby'—bat she la the srettlert baftrei them all." ■ " * ♦ V IV MGELS ABAHD0I? BCIBILIA. With the. end of "Fifty-Fifty, Ltd." at the Comedy tomorrow, it is understood the Scibllia Producing Company Will continue its activities minus the "angels," who have previously lent It support. These backers are believed to have dropped close to $100,000 on 'Fifty. Fifty, Ltd," "Penny Wise" and "Love Laughs," all of which were put out by Anthony F. Scibllia. They will not back "My Once in Awhile." While it is possible the stories of dis- satisfaction with Scibilla's methods are true, it is evident that a good part of the Inability of the show at the Comedy to make up deficiencies can be laid to the present unprecedented theatrical conditions. Tuned up on the. road where Gertrude Vanderbilt and Herbert Corthell were added to the cast, it made a fair showing here, but much more than that must be done to stay in town these days. When Lee Shubert failed to see his way to finding another house for "Fifty-Fifty, Ltd.," Scibilla's backers backed out. "DREAM SOTO" DIES. Chicago, Nov. 6. "The Dream Song" closes ai.d goes to the storehouse Saturday after three in- glorious and hopeless weeks. Charles Horner, the Lyceum man who backed the Locke-Herbert piece,; and Who thought enough of it to rent Cen- tral Music Hall and pay four weeks' rent In advance, has become convinced and la dropping It with such suddenness the fourth week's rent goes in as a for- feit. He will quit about f 15,000 leser. The gross receipts have scarcely been $1,000 a Week, and 75 per cent, of this came through cut rates. . There was some talk of Edward Locke coming out to rewritt- It and that Victor Herbert had contributed a new aria, but it all passed into the scrap heap. with notice to the company of final dis- banding at the end of this week. Id the cast were Walter Wilson, Mar- jorie Owen and Victor Salerno. . ■ FAHCEOH-HASCO EEVTJE BOOTED. Saa Francisco, Nov. 6. The Fanchon and Marco Revue, lately opening at Oakland, has bees routed as far Bast as Kansas City over the Klaw & Erlanger time. The show shortly takes up the route, starting at Salt Lake. Whether it will go farther Bast is dependent upon Its business record. The show was formerly - known as "Let's Go" when produced by Acker* man A Harris for the Casino here, with Fanchon and Marco featured. Ackerman ft Harris are reported to still hold an interest in the production. Volpe at Princess. Arnold Volpe Las taken over the Princess Theatre for twelve appear- a.oes, including several wetk day matinees and Sunday nights. ri U his Intention to give symphonic concerts throughout the winter with the same organization that he had during the summer time at the City College Stadium. . "- - J EAST-WEST FLAYERS. By an arrangement with the Jewish Art Theatre, the Bast-West Players, the latter organization Under the direc- tion of. Gustav Blum, will, have use of the Garden one day each week for a * stretch of ten weeks' running, in which to present their fifth annual program of four one-act playlets, this to begin on Nov. 25. / The bill will.consist of "The Love Lo- tion," by J. H. Irving; "The Magnani- mous Lover," by St John Ervine, -aii- thor of "John Ferguson"; "Little Stone House," by George Calderon, and "Ruby Red," by Clarence Stratton. The following cast, including . Mr. Blum, will appear in part or all of the four play*: Jane Burr, Irving Zech- noff. Madeline Davison, Rose Nebur, Alice Kelsler, Jane Manners, Sam Wyckoff, Max Lleberman, Allan "Nagle, Helen Swenson, Archie Olden, Ed Steinmetz, Ivy Sherman, Ralph Gahn and Etta Luria.