New York Clipper (Jul 1923)

CopTTight, 1923, ud pnbUihed weekly by the Clipper CoipontlaD, lOS Bnad wtr. New Yah. Entered at the. Poet Offica at New York, Jane M, 109, aa •ceond cUu mail matter tmder act of Uarch X lOV Founded br FRANK QUEEN. USI NEW YORK. JULY 4. 1923 VOLUME L\Xl, No. ZZ Price Fifteen Cent*, M.OO a Yw. FIVE SHOWS SUCCUMB TO HEAT OTHERS SCHEDULE D TO CLOSE Sultry Weather Exacts Toll Among Broadway Attractions Leaving but Fourteen to Continue Runs—Few Openings in Sight to Replace Them MUSICIANS ASK NEW WAGE SCALE "PRINCE" BREAKS ALL RECMtDS Five attractions bade farewell to Broad- way last Saturday night after suffering a most disastrous week of business. With the outlook for the present holiday week being bad indications point to four shows positively closing next Saturday night with pr<Aably two or three added to that num- l>er by Thursday when a closing notice will be posted for Saturday. With the exception of three musical and one dramatic show, all of the twenty- seven attractions which were current last week fared very 'badly at both the evening and matinee performances. The musical attractions which held up and held strong were the summer edition of the Zicgfeld Follies which opened at the New Amster- dam theatre a week ago Monday night; "Helen of Troy" in its second week at the Sclwyn theatre and George White's "Scandals" in the second week at the Globe. White's show seems to be the leader of the trio of musical attractions even though the Follies had practical sell- outs at all of its performances. The White show for the last half of the week sold out at each performance and stood more than 100 on the lower floor as well as tuminK throngs away from the 'box- office. "Helen of Troy" though not getting as much of an attendance as the other two musical revues, did more than a healthy business on the week, doing almost capacity on all performances and selling clean on the last three days of the week. This attraction looks as though it is the outstanding hit of the musical set and gives indications of lingering longer on Broadway than the other two shows. Louis Werba's production of "Adrienne" stood up much better than any of the other musical shows. Though the fore- part of the week was off for this show at the Cohan it took rapid strides toward the end of l^he week and did capacity on its lower floor and played to good busi- ness in the upper part of the house. "The Passing Show" at the Wintergarden did not fare as well as the three leaders, but did what was considered a profitafblc busi- ness on the week. ■ "Wildflower" which has been at the Casino since February is holding up re- markably well. Even though its business has fallen off considerably in the past few .weeks this attraction- gives evidence of * being able to weather the torrid season. Business at the Mu.<i!c Box and Liberty theatres fell away off during the week as it did at the Astor where "Dew Drop Inn" played. The leader of the dramatic shows on the week was "Rain" at the Maxine Elliott theatre which still manages to play to practical capacity with a vacant seat being found at times in the gallery. "Zander the Great," "Merton of the Movies." "The Seventh Heaven," "Are'nt We All," and "So This Is London," which have been the pace setters during the past few months in the dramatic attractions all fell way behind in business, with plenty of room being available in their respective theatres during the entire week. The torrid wave was responsible for the closing of the following attractions last Saturday: Laurette Taylor in "Sweet Nell of Old Drury," at the Equity-Forty- Eighth Street Theatre; "Up Town West" at the Bijou Theatre; Louis Mann and George Sidney in "Give and Take" at the Central Theatre; "Polly Preferred" at the Little Theatre and Jim Barton in "Dew Drop Inn" at the .^stor Theatre. The Shuberts anticipate having Barton re- open his season in the latter attraction at the Astor after a three week vacation on July 23rd. The current week will have one attrac- tion added to the twenty-two now pla}^!!? when Earl Carroll will present "Vanities of 1923" at the Carroll Theatre. This attraction was to have opened on Monday and the entire house had been sold out when word was posted that the tickets would be good on Thursday night instead. The outlook on Monday evening for the current attractions was very poor. There was little demand at the agencies for seats outside of the three new musical shows that opened during the past two weeks and "Rain." The other attractions will probably have to depend for a great deal of support from the Lcbland cut-rate office which served them in good stead last week. The attractions listed to depart next Saturday night are two of George M. Cohan shows, "So This Is London," which opened at the Hudson Theatre, August 30, 1922. and the musical comedy, "Little Nellie Kelly," which opened at the Liberty Theatre on November 13. 1922; "Icebound," which opened at the Sam 'H. Harris Theatre on February lOth last and "Go Go," now playing at the Apollo Theatre, which opened at Daly's 63rd Street Theatre on March 10th. It is possible that two others of the dramatic shows may' join this group on Saturday night, leaving seventeen shows to be chosen from next ^tonday night. THEATRE COMING DOWN .The Grand Opera House. Wilkesbarre, Pa., which for many years has been play- ing musical comedy and legitimate attrac- tions in 'being demolished and will be re- placed by an office building. Arrangements have beep made by the Er- langcr and Shubert booking offices to have the road shows play the Irving Theatre, formerly the Majestic, a burlesque house, in the stead of the Grand Opera House, beginning -with the forthcoming season. Calling for an increase in wages from $10 to %S) a. week the American Federa- tion of Musicians presented last Saturday tc the International Theatrical Associa- tion a new sal€ of wages for their trav- elling members which they are asking to be approved and to become effective on September 1st This scale will be submitted to the Labor Board of the I. T. A., which con- sists of Alfred E. Aarons, Abe Levy and Sam H. Harris at a meeting they will hold in the headquarters of the organiza- tion in the Loew-State Theatre building on Thursday. Following the submission of the scale to the Labor board of the managers' organization conferences will be held between members of the board and representatives of the A. F. of M., headed by Joseph N. Weber, international presi- dent of the organization. The new wage plan calls for the pay- ment of $75 a week instead of $55 a week to men travelling with comic opera, musical comedy, farce comedies, extrava- ganzas and spectacular entertainments which give nine shows or less a week playing week stands. For similar attractions playing broken- weeks or one or two night stands the Federation asks for the wage of its mem- bers to be increased from $70 to_ $80 a week. Where attractions end their sea- son by playing fractions of a week and where the men get $9 for a single daily performance and $15.50 for two perform- ances a flat day's pay of $17.50 is asked. In the grand opera field where musi- cians are now getting $112 a week for seven performances, the new scale calls for a weekly payment of $130 a week for eight performances or less. Grand Opera companies which play to a top of $4 and are now paying the musicians $80 a week for eight performances are asked to in- crease the wage to $90 for a similar num- ber of performances. COHAN SHOW OPENS IN LONDON George M. (Cohan's musical comedy "Little Nellie Kelly" had its London prtmiere at the New Oxford Theatre before a capacity audience last Monday night. Mr. Cohan attended the perform- ance and was called upon for a speech at the final curtain. He leaves England today (Wednesday) for America on the S. S. Majestic. Being the Fourth of July, Mr. 0>han will celebrate bis birthday aboard ship and will attend a dinner given in his honor by Eddie Dunn. "IRISH ROSE" FOR ATLANTIC CITY Ann Nichols will present a company of "Abie's Irish Rose" for a ten week engagement at the Garden Pier, Atlantic City, beginning July 16. Included in the cast to play at the seaside resort are: Hy- man Adler, Jacob Frank, Helen Gross- man, Fred Strong, James A. Devine, David Herblin and Joseph Carroll. The "Abie's Irish Rose" company at the Pitt Theatre, Pittsburgh, began the 17th week of its engagement there last Mon- day. The run of the play there estab- lishes a record for the "Iron City." The play has also broken records in other cities, staying long after the scheduled time. St. Louis, July 2.—More than fifty- seven thousand persons attended the revival of "The Prince of Filsen." offered lait week by the municipal opoa company at the Municipal Theatre. The takinss on the week were $35,000, which is$7,O0O more than the largest seat sale ever recorded for one week in the five yean the Municipal Opera has been operating. The next largest was $28^000, for KalnanTs "Mbs Sprin^me," last year. The Municipal Opera Company inauff- urated its season here on Monday, June 4. It has proved profitable from the start Init the past week's receipts Eas established a new record. The public have responded to the company's efforts to provide absolutely the best in both operettas and players to such an encouraging extent that the -re- mainder of the nm should be thorough^ successful This year the company has a««>tiiM>^ a formidable group of opera and comic opera singers, whose efforts in bdialf of estalH lishing the Municipal Theatre have been well received. The roster of players indndes Cra« Campbell, Detmar Poppcn, Thomas Coo> key, Roland Woodruff, Flavia Aicaia, Blanche DufEeld, Helen Morrill, Dorothy Maynard, Frank Moulan and William J. McCarthy. The choruses are made up of talented amateurs and those showing a conscientious aptitude for the stage are awarded a scholarship at the end of each season. A special feature of the Munidpal The- atre is a free section of twelve hundred seats, which enables those who otherwise could not afford it an opportunity to enjoy the performances. WOODS TO TAKE 4STH STREET A. H. Woods has made arrangements with the Equity Players whereby he will take possession of the £iquitT Forty- Eighth Street Theatre for twelve.wedcs beginning August 1st to present several of his new productions. It is Ukely that "The Next Comer" by Kate Jordan will be the first of the Woods attractions pre- sented at this theatre, on August 13tli. It is said that the Equity Players do not contemplate making any productions in the theatre until late in Octobei: or early in November and that when Mr. Woods came aking with an offer of $3,000 a week for the 12 week period it was quickly accepted. UNNAMED PLAY OPENING Chicago, June 30.—The Broadway Players at Grand Rapids, Mich., will pre- sent a new play, which is unnamed, at Powers Theatre that city. It is the work of William H. Wright, who was unable to find a title that suited him, and therefore suggested that it be presented without the use of any title. INDIAN ACTRESS ILL Gowongo Mohawk, formerly well known as "the Indian Actress" in America and England, has been laid up with partial paralysis at the "Mohawk Wigwam," Edjjewater, N. J. For years she was starred in "Wep- Ton-No-Mah," an Indian play.