Variety (November 1918)

pi'5^^j;;■:;.?■•:■ LEGITIMATE « BROADIAY BUSINESS BOOMS AS "FLU "iiEPIDE MIC ABATES Conditions Assume Brightfr Aspect at the Theatres. Peace Hopes and Victories Help Situation. ''Better Ole" Mov- ing Uptoivn. New Shows Scheduled. Business along Broadway in the legitimate houses looked upward this week with the return of seasonable weather and flection day. A number of attractions which slumped larrgely through the influenza scare which is passing out, attained early season figures. The number of hits current again resumes normal proportions, because of the success of several of the newer plays of last week's batch, and a gradual recovery is due. Peace hopes and military successes also are helping the theatres. There are but few changes listed for the next ten days. "The Better 'Ole/' playing to standing room (at $2.50) m the Greenwich, moves to the Cort Nov. 18, sending "Fiddlers Three" on the road. "Listen Lester," first booked for the Cort, will be houseo elsewhere. The Coburns are moving "The Better 'Ole" uptown on an exceptional per- centage arrangement, which gives them 65 per cent, of the. gross. The high percentage is their Only chance to re- turn a profit in view of the heavy royalties paid. The only attraction certain to'go out Saturday is "The Passing Show' from the Winter Garden, for the road, open- ing in Philadelphia. "Sinbad" repeats at the Garden and "Sometime" goes into the Casino to make way at the Shubert for "The Betrothal," as pre- viously arranged. "Information Please" may bow out of the Selwyn, soon to house a New York cast of "The Crowded Hour,* which will have Jane Cowl in the lead. Last week's sudden moves included the stopping of "Not With My Money" at the 39th Street, succeeded by "The Long Dash," a drama by Victor Mapes and Robert Mears Mackay, known last season when tried out as "The Liberty Gun." The Clark show, which lasted but one vveek, drew not more than $100 on its second night, and on the same evening "Freedom" at the Century could get but $165. Business there, however, has improved with Saturday night drawing around $1,600, but the total gross is not big enough to offset the spectacle's large overhead. Plans for a revue for the 44th Street roof have been set back indefinitely. Listed for showing there is a soldier pla^, starting Nov. 18. The attraction, which will be presented by men from Fort Ontario, N. Y., is under the direc- tion of Sergeant Goodman, who prior to his entrance into tjie service headed the Washington Square Players. While a number of road attractions have already started out again after having been called in because of the epidemic, the booking problem has not been thoroughly solved. In the cases of attractions listed for northwestern territory, the routes have been re- versed, since that section appears to be the -last that will dissipate the 'quarantines. Business in some of the reopened cities is reported good, in others, disappointing. Philadelphia followed the lead of Boston with "a comeback" after the epidemic's pass- ing. In some of the smaller towns it is an in and out matter. Only a sense of humor saved 9ome •prodtlcerJi during the dark tlays of the quarantines. One'manager had struck bad luck with new productions on Broadway, three of his offerings flop- ping in a row. On top of that, four shows which had been netting around $10,000 on the road and a theatre which always turned a profit closed at the same time and he almost decided it was time to ^o out' and look for a job. His own situation, however, was matched with the humor of an execu- tive of a western city (Mayor Baker of Portland, Ore.), who wrote to a friend in New York it was pretty tough on him to be forced to sign clos- ing orders for several theatres in which he is heavily interested. SEPARATIONS. The rumors of a permanent estrange- ment between Willard Mack and his wife, Pauline Frederick, continue in- termittently. Mack, when asked about it, declined to commit himself. Miss Frederick is about to leave for the Coast to make pictures for Goldwyn, and Mack is permanently out of that organization, playing at present in "The Big Chance" at the 48th Street Around the. Lambs it has been said for some time that Marie Nordstrpm has been quietly divorced fipm Henry £. Dixey. Upon the questionbeing put bluntly to Dixey by a VxRiBTr repre- sentative late last week he rephed: "I open at the 39th Street Theatre." NOTICE UP FOR BATES' SHOW. Last Saturday at the Broadhnrst notice was posted the Nora Bayes' show, "Ladies First," which had opened there about 10 days before, will close tomorrow (Saturday). Whether the notice was designed to be a protective measure, with the show to be held over week to week under it, as is often the result of doubtful the- atrical stage propositions, or whether the piece will actually close this Satur- day, was not definitely known up to Wednesday. One or two of the principals in the Bayes company are reported for im- mediate engagements elsewhere. JOLSON AT $3. When the Al Jolson show starts on tour after having completed its sec- ond run at the Winter Garden, the prices in all of the out-of-town stands will be scaled at a $3 top. The Jolson show incidentally claims the credit for having inaugurated the $2.50 top road price m Milwaukee, af- ter which other attractions started to use that scale the country over in the week's stands. NEW SHOW'S FIRST GROSS. Bertha Kalich in "The Riddle Womaji" at the Harris did $6,600 last week, without a single ticket sold through Joe Leblang. "The Big Chance" at the 48th St. played to $8,182. FAY WRITING. The Shuberts have turned the script of "Girl o' Mine" over to Frank Fay, who is re-writing the play. The show appeared at the Bijou last season, but was not a success. Fay was featured in the cast. "Girl" is reported re- turning to Broadway in new form and a probable new title. SUBURBS ALL RIGHT. The outlying combination houses did pretty well last week. "Tiger Rose" at the Bronx played to $9,808, and "Parlor, Bedroom and Bath" at Loew's Seventh Ave., to $7,880. CAMP MEIGS'SHOW A HIT. ^ Washington, D. C, Nov. 6.^ Soldiers from Camp Meigs of this ■ city in "Atta Boy," which had its premiere Monday night, are scoring a decided hit at Poli's. Frank Tinney, now a captain in the Quartermaster's Corps, appears under a non.-de-plume which did not serve to hide his identity. The show is an old-iashioned min- strel performance brought up to date, with an eveless chorus., The male chorus is the best Washington has ^heard in a long time, ^hey are sing- ing original songs of camp life. The programs are done by Harrison Fisher Demands for encores at the opening were unceasing. The snap of the par- ade ground is in the action and'the comedy is fast and not too technical. Lieutenant Denning's band of 60 pieces won loud applause. Indicatioils are that the show will go into a second week here and that It will go to New York for a pro- tracted stay at the Century Theatre. Lieut. Ballard MacDonald and Nat Osborne wrote the books, lyrics and music of the production. CHICAGO HOUSES KEPT CLOSED. Chicago, Nov .6. The stringent regulations for sani- tary provisions, enforced by the offi- cials with the reopening of theatres here, found numerous film houses and some very small-time vaudeville the- atres barred from admitting the pub- lic. The Rex and Windsor were kept closed^until they tore out some fit- tings, including carpets, and did some necessary cleaning. Of 60 theatres in outlying districts which came under the first zoning per- mit, only 23 were given permits on the deadline. Of the closed ones, 16 had failed to make formal application, required as the first move, followed by inspection NAT GOODWIN INJURED. Kansas City, Nov. 6. Yesterday Nat C. Goodwin was nearly blinded when - he mistook .chloroform for an eye remedy and syringed tome into his right eye. His head is completely bandaged. He is attended by trained nurses and doctors. It will be several days before the seriousness of his injuries can be determined. PRO-GERMAN BOOKS SUPPRESSED- Chicago, Nov. 6. Among 16 books suppressed by the Military Censor were "Germany's Just Cause," by James O'Donnell Bennett, and "Book of Truths and Facts," by Fritz von Frantzius. Von Frantzius was the Chicago bro- ker who married and divorced Saharet, the Spanish dancer, and who died in a stench of domestic and financial trou- ble. Bennet was at one time the dramatic critic for the Chicago Record- Herald, and was famous for his acri- monious antipathy against vaudeville. Bennett is now in Chicago, having re- turned from his malodorous European correspondence, which showed fre- quent pro-German leanings. '^LORIANNA" CHANGE. There is to be a change made in the cast of "Glorianna" -at the Liberty, when Edna Whistler will take over the role now played by Josephine Whittell. Harr^ Kelly is to be added to the cast with a special part written in, in an effort to bolster up the comedy end ■ of- tiie''-sh6w;''"'' *■•■'■■'■■'"■'■ •■''■''^'■■■■'■■'•"'■■"'•■• ^ITY ASKED TO SETTLL ._. LawrcncefMass.rNov. 6.— OifitfhuHdred members of the Allied Trades Council of Theatrical Em- . ployes' Union, which includes the stage employes, musicians, bill posters and picture machine operators, petitioned the mayor Saturday asking the City Council be instructed to grant them compensation for the time lost as the result of the closing of the local the- • atres during the recent influenza epi- demic quarantine. The men bring their action under Chapter 445 of the Laws of 1907, -and asked to be given $2 a day for tne 27 days the town was closed to amuse- ments. The law was framed for smalt pox or diseases of a like nature. The city would have to pay the mem- bership of the Allied Trades Council approximately $2^500 for the. time the men'lost. The City Council states it will tdke exception to the contentions of the men, and the matter may have to be thrashed out in the courts. At the I. A. T. S. E. in New York this week it was stated the organization had no knowledge of the action in Lawrence, but a belief was expressed that IT the men there were successful a like action would be brought in towns throughout the country wher- ever a similar provision was on the statutes by tfie local organizations in those towns. HAMMERSTEIN'S ''SWEETHEART^ Arthur Hammerstein has a new musical production in rehearsal. It is entltlfed "Somebody's Sweetheart," and the' opening date is scheduled for the Belasco, Washington, Nov. 17. The piece is by Alonzo Price and Antonio Bafunno.- Tt was tried out in stock at Hartford under the title of "The Magic Fiddle." In the cast will be Louise Allen, Eva Fallon. William Kent, Walter Scanlan, John Dunsmuir, Al>- bert Sackett, If lie. Marguerite, Frank Gill. Walter Catlett was to have had thf role now released by William Kent, but Catlett, insisting he be featured, caused the management to make a /:hange. f IS SO FAR. A. H. Woods, on the launching of "The Road to Destiny," will have made IS pro'ductions this season, with the first h^f<not yet over. This IS probably the largest record of any individual manager in the show^ business. W.oods will make no other produc- tions until after the holidays. Over Th«r« League Moves. America's Over There Theatre League has left the Little Theatre and has taken a suite.of offices at 19 West 44th street. WOUNDED ACTORS' FUND SET. The Fund For Our Wounded Actors is now established in the Knicker- bocker Theatre Building,.where Grace Griswold, secretary, is in jbtLly charge. Monday the fund was notiggi Joseph R. Grismer has accepted TJ lp go st of second vice-chairman, lacelHtog Frank Mclntyre, who resigntd. Bt is going to the Coast. The fund has gotten a good start, but the epidemic, according to Miss Griswold, halted work somewhat tem- porarily. Application blanks which were to have been sent to the numer- ous companies throughout the country were held up. Recent additions to the fund are $500 subscriptions made by John Drew and Sidney Drew. Canadian Theatrical Firms Merged. George F. Driscoll, manager of His Majesty's, and the United Producing €c*niijany; of Gslgary, have merged- their interests and will henceforth operate as one firm. Driscoll will have charge of all. the territory east of Winnipeg and the other members of the firm all territory west of that point.