Variety (Jun 1941)

46 LEGITIMATE Wednesday, June 4, 1941 WB$ Buy of 7 Plays for $51^500 Topped Hollywood's B'way Invasion Warner Bros, was the heaviest buyer of the 1940-41 crop of plays, both from point of number and amount paid. It picked off five new Broadway shows at $498,500, plus two other legiters at $18,000. Paramount was runner-up in amount spent for current season's properties, $475,000, lor which it got three plays. Heavy coin for 'Lauy In the Dark* ($285,000) and 'Louisiana Purchase' ($150,000) shot the Par figure over Columbia, although the latter bought one more play. Col spent $344,000, plus a per Brokers' Salt vs. N. Y. Officials on 75c Law Goes to Trial June 16 I Hearing of the suit by the New 1 York ticket brokers to restrain city officials from enforcing the so-called ' Mitchell-Coudert law was dated for Monday (2), when It was definitely centage on one property, for four J set for trial June 16. Another case shows. Weightiest sum was $225,000' was ahead of the ticket matter and for 'My Sister Eileen.' | the corporation counsel, defending Twentieth-Fox was No. 4 in the License Commissioner Paul Mo^ parade for legiters in coin spent, lay- , and Police Commissioner Lewis J. Ing out $310,000, again plus a per-, Valentine, asked postponement until centage. for only two shows. They'cases involvmg allegedly Commun- were Tobacco Road' ($200,000 plusjistic school teachers are disposed of. percentage) and 'Charley's Aunt' | William C. Hyman, attorney for ($110,000). Latter was a peculiar | the ticket agency people, plainly in- buy inasmuch as it is about 50 years: tlmated that the city has repeatedly old and has been made by Holly-! postponed the action and said that it wood twice before. It was the oriyj the case was not tried within a rea- revival of the season to be bought sonable time half the brokers might for pix. M-G's $225,000 .Next in the money line was Metro, be out of business. He also ex- Civk Opera's 4 Wks. h LA., SJ. Grossing 200G Los Angeles, Jun* 8. Starting with 'Rio Rita,' Loa An- geles Civic Opera Assn. got away to a good opening and may pile up a gross of more than $200,000 for its four weelcs here and San Francisco. For the first time, according to Ed- win Lester, general manager, Civio Opera is likely to finish the season out of the red. Series consists of four musicals, playing a week each in L. A. and Frisco. In addition to 'Rio Rita,' they are 'Naughty Marietta,' The Chocolate Soldier' and 'Cabin In the Sky.' MGRS, AUTHORS IN AGREEMENT pressed the opinion that the law was ^ inspired by certain managerial i"" I agreed on whereby the changes With all joints at issue virtually cleared up, the confabs between the managers and authors have termi- nated. Although it is possible that one additional session may be called, working arangement has been which handed out.$225,000 for three' terests, indicating he referred to the -„„tPaPt»H shows. Two of them were musicals, Shuberts, and not the League of New; made will apply to plays contracted produced by B. G. DeSylva, now top. York Theatres, which favors the for by producers from now on. Sug- man on the Par lot. They were, statute because strengthening the' gestions for amended clauses were . UuBarry was a Lady* ($80,000) and ticket code. Both the law and code;ijoii^ jown to eight points. Only ' 'Panama HatUe' ($130,000). Metro 'place a maximum premium of 75c two, which were the last to be dis- spent another $65,000 for two oldies on tickets, but while the code ap-! cussed, await phrasing by attorneys pulled out of the files It gave pUes only to legit theatres, the law foj. both sides. ! Si*'^;! """"" °' All contracts entered into by man- *I?'*,Al®'''?''/°'" J"^" I Ticket men's counsel also says that aggrs and authors will carry a rider of 1936 vintage, both of them musl-, Equity, which was called Into the to the effect that the deals are to be cals. I case by the defendants, had no posi-' retroactive as of late May, since tSe Universal Is represented with only, tion in the matter. He ventured the amended basic agreement cannot be one buy and that through one of its' idea that if it is legal to limit the formally ratified by the Dramatists Indie producers, Jules Levey. Latter, price of ticketo, it is reasonable to Guild membership until autumn. As gave $200,000 plus 40% of the net j assume that a law fixing a ceiling indicated at the several conferences, tor 'Hellzapoppin,' although that for actors' salaries would be just as' the changes were amicably arrived load of sugar includes the services of | logical. I at and the hostility aroused when Olsen and Johnson. David O. Selz-| Reported that Assemblyman Mit- the managers went into court has nick held up the united ArUste -heU, who introduced the bill, but! apparently evaporated, standard With "Claudia, for whidr ^id not write it himself, understood One authors' concession was to ex- he gave $137,500. | it to be merely concerned with thea-1 tend the time Umlt within which RKO, which got its fing«rs burnt: tres and not sporting and other .the producer will share in film In setting itself up among the leaders events. Brokers claim it is unfair' rights. Currently, if a play Is not of Broadway play buyers in past I to fix-the premium on high-priced sold for pictures within 10 years, yeats, sat back and watched the : sports tickets, which are not return- the manager did not get a share I parade pass buy this season. It was the only major to have bought noth- ing, although one of its indies, Wil- liam Dleterle, bought 'Devil and Daniel Webster,* an operetta which had a short Broadway stay in 1939, lor $6,000. Little independent Republic also delved into -Uie storage bin for ita two buys, "Yokel Boy,' for which It gave $5,000. (it announced $5(^,000) and 'Sis Hopkins,' $2,500 (also an- nounced as having been bought. at $50,000). Par, WB and 20th each also bought an oldie. Par's was The Ckiod Fellow,' a <3>eorge S. Kaufman- Herman J. Manclewicz one-week flop of 1926. Studio paid $10,000 for it as a Bob Hope vehicle. WB took The Gentle People* off author Irwin Shaw's hands fpr $8,000. It made its Broadway debut in 1939. Fox's buy was also a 1939 entry, 'Margin for Error,' Clare Booth's anti-Nazi play, Xor which studio gave $20,000. Two London productions were also bought for films. They were The Light of Heart,' Emlyn WtlUams' British play, for which Fox gave $25,000, and 'Accidents Don't Happen,* taken by Par ' for $7,500. Warners acquired one play, 'Four Cheers for Mother,' after its ti^ollt in a Long Island strawhait last summer and without ita ever coming to Manhat- tan. Price wa? $10,000. Not new, but coming into more general vogue, as can be noted from able, and this is supposedly the prin- cipal object of the suit. Open Conn. Strawhat New Milford, Conn., June 3. With Ruth Weston officiating as mistress of ceremonies, the new Theatre-in-the-Dale here was dedi- cated at ribbon-cutting exercises yes- terday afternoon (1) before a crowd of several hundred, including Prince and Princess Salem Solesski and a host of other social reglsterites. New Summer playhouse, repre- senting an outlay of $40,000, will be operated by Louis Townsend, with Hudson Faussett as director. Eleven- week season is planned, with 'Male Animal* as curtain-raiser on June 21. Geraldine Dvorak and Richard Boi- ler have been engaged for leading roles throughout the summer semes- ter. thereafter. From now on he is to ! share for a longer period, but his percentage is to decrease in propor- tion.to the number of years the rights remain unsold. Another concession asked by the managers was to scratch the rule re- quiring aU foreign authors to be members of^he Guild. Latter has revised the clause to read that one play from a foreign non-member may be produced each year. That for- merly applied to British writers only, but understood that eU well- known English authors are already members of the GuUd. Plays Bought for Fdms. 194041 WABNEB BBOS. 'Arsenic and Old Lace'.., $175,000* (*Ptus 15% o/ tross otior $1,250,000.) The Corn Is Green* 135,000 'George Washington Slept Hera' ., 83,500 ' 'Old Acquaintance' 75,000 'Night Before Christmas'.... 30,000 'Four Cheers for Mother' 10,000 (Bought after sumTner theatrt tryout; never reached Broadway.) The Gentle People' 8,000 (Produced in 1939.) FABAMOUNT •Lady in the Dark' $285,000 'Louisiana Purchase' 150,000 'Out of the Frying Pan' 40,000 The Good Fellow' 10,000 (Produced in 1926; written by George S. Kauj- man and Herman J. Afankieuncz.) 'Accidents Don't Happen' 7,500 (Produced in London.) 20TH CENTCBT-FOX Tobacco Road* $200,000* (.*Plua percentage; 10% on jrross to $1,000,000; 12%% on .next $500,000; IB% on next $500,000; 17H% on next $500,000, and 20% on all over $2,500,000.) I 'Charley's Aunt' 110,000 . (Revival produced orioinaUy in 1892.) The Light of Heart* 25,000 (Produced In Londort.) 'Margin for Error* 20,000 (Produced in 1939-40 season.) COLUMBIA •My Sister Eileen' $225,000 'Pal Joey' .' 75,000* . ('Plus perceAtage, the total deal, including serv- ices of author John O'Hara and, prodlicer George -Abbott, totaZIing about $200,000.) liBdies in Retirement' 40,000 (Independently bought by Lester Cowan for Columbia release.) 'Every Man for Himself 4,000 HETBO "Panama Hattie* $130,0i00 'DuBarry Was a Lady' 80,000 •Meet the People' 15,000 'Bittersweet' 50,000 (Produced in 1929.) 'A Woman's Face' ; 20,000 (French, play from which Swedish picture was made.) 'Red Hot and Blue' 15,000 (Produced in 1930.) VNTVEBSAL "Hellzapoppin* .- $200,000* (♦Plus 40% of gross, but including Olsen and Johnson's services. Independently bought by Jules Levey for U release.) $916,300 492,500 355,000 844,000 UNITED ABTISTS 'CTaudia' $137,500 (Independently bought by David O. Selznick for VA release.) and adaptec Owen Davis are said to have turned down studio's $30,000 offer; play closed Saturday (31)], 'Native Son* (Negro cast and too so- ciological), and 'Cabin in the Sky' (Negro fantasy). Two- long-run Broadway attrac- W. & L's New Stock Spot Hartford, June 3. Encouraged by a trial-balloon showing of the road company of To- bacco Road' early this spring. Wee and Leventhal have leased the Capitol, in New Britain, from War- ner Bros, for scheduled 10 weeks of summer stock. First to'hit the boards is 'George Washington Slept Here,' starting a one-week stand on Monday (2). Plans call for one ■ week shows at $1.50 top. House capacity is 1,400. tions which Hollywood has passed fiigures above, was the type of deal' over are 'J6hnny Belinda,' now in by which the legit owners take a ita 37th week, and 'Separate Rooms,' now in ita 62d week. 'Belinda'' suf' fers largely because its principal - femme character is a mute, while were 'Pal Joey,' Tobacco , 'Rooms,' despite ita nm of more than. "Hellzapoppin' and 'Arsenic ' a year, was roundly panned by the percentage of the film's gross after production costa are out .There were four such pacta during 1040-41, Plays Road, ... - end Old Lace.' Mediocre b.o. of the | crix when it opened and expert only one of the quartet so far pro- opinion on it has not changed. It duced, 'Tobacco Road,' makes the in- also has some tough sex angles.' volved percentage schedule pretty! On the other hand, two definite ^'LevenYhai^whir useless. It probably won't get be- flops were, bought by Celluloidia. «ny here had plS to p^ yohd the 10% on gross up to $1,000,- They were 'Every Man for Himself,' | Pg^",^^^^^^^^ . uu ^. ^ TT 1. A ^. r?'" '^''^•'^ ^"^L*!.!* ^u''. J* week, but lack of audiences forced A top hit which HoUywood hM closed and. ^ to relinquish the venture, skipped is Lillian Bellman's 'Watch mas' (Paramount-backed), which was '^yhite Cargo' with Ann Corio had OQ the Rhine.' No studio wante to kept open Just long enough for WB | scheduled for a third week. Holyoke Flops flolyoke, Mass., June 3. Attempt to stage ' legit at Holy' oke's War Memorial Building flopped after a weeH's run of 'The Little Foxes' with Katherine Warren in the lead role (Mfiy 26-31). Critics puiTed the show, but raves failed to take the place of a big-name lead. Attendance during the week's run was never good, and for several per- formances dropped to 50. or 60. Wee BEPUBLIC 'Yokel Boy' $5,000 (Produced in 1939-40.) •Sis Hopkins' ; $2,500 (Produced in 1000) BKO-BADIO *Devil and Daniel Webster' $6,000 (Produced as an operetta in 1939. Independently bought by William Dteterle for RRO release.) TOTAL 310,000 200,000 137,500 7,500 6,000 $2,369,000 JENNY DOLLY, OF FAMED, SISTER TEAM, SUICIDES! take a -chance on the status of world affairs—on which the play hinges— to buy it at $30,000. A Hollywood buy which Is all but by the time it can be released in, closed Is Al Jolson's 'Hold On to 1943. Alsor war pix have not been .Your Hata.* Jules Levey, has the doing biz. y' I option on It to film for his Uni- Other successes or moderate sue-, versal release. Holding up the sale ce 3snottaken up lor films bav6 bete is Jolson's'^esire to take the musical Ed V^yon's "Boys and Girls Xogether,^' on the'f oad next'seadon: v^ants •Mr. and BSra. North' [which Metro (Levey tjD'agr^'hbt 40-tefeUIblt the,' tucked but didn*t buy wheif authors! plcturef Ut -certatn' tOWnS iuitll the Bichard and Fr9mees Loctoldge r leglter has played there. Jessie Landis Recuping Jessie Royce Ijandis/ who has been ill for the past month, is reported definitely on the mend. Since en- tering the New York hospital she was operated upon four times. 'Actress will 'probably 'be dis- charged'from the hospital in about two weeks. . Jenny (Yansci) Dolly, 48, of the' one-time dance duo the Dolly Sisters, I was found dead in her Beverly Hills! apartment Sunday (1). She hadj formed a noose from drapes and hanged herself after calling Mrs. Frieda Bakos, an aunt, on the tele- phone to say she was feeling ilL She was married to Bernard W. ■Vinissky, a Chicago attorney, and. had gone to the Coast for a visit with two daughters adopted from a' Budapest, Hungary, orphanage. Her| I first husband was Harry Fox, former: ; vaudeville single, who subsequently I wed the daughter of Jack Curtis, the j agent. The marriage with 'Vinissky I was' said to have been an unhappy one. I Miss Dolly, who was around 48, ' was seriously injured in a motor ' car accident wlUle in France about' eight years.ago. Almost fatal In- juries required a number of plastic operations, it Is believed her re- cent indisposition dated back that far. The Dollys were prominent along the Riviera at the time and' stories are that Jenny broke the bank' at Cannes, ' while her twin> sister,' Rosle (Roszika) may have also par- ticipated. Soon after the accident, Jenny sold her collection of jewels, made up of gifta and purchases. She went broke after the French government fined her $75b,000 for not declaring a $100,000 ring she brought from London. Rosie formerly married to Jean Schwartz, pop song writer, was also visiting on the Coast when her sis- ter was found dead. She is wed to a Chicago department store man, Irving Netoher, formerly the hus-. band of Constance Talmadge. The DpUys were the stage glamour girls of Broadway during the era when they were in musical shows. Dancing twins from Hungary first appeared in vaudeville in 1900. They jtmiped to the legit almost at once and drew attention when In Zieg- feld's 'Follies,' 1911. Seasonally they were featured in successive musicals. Among their top successes, too, were in 'Jig Saw,' London, about 1920, and other English musicals, such as 'The League of Notions' and 'Babes in the Wood.' Girls were just as suc- cessful when appearing in the Folies Bergere, Paris. Their last appear- ance in New York was In The Greenwich Village Follies,' 1924. The striking brunet twlhs were familiar figures in Broadway night life. They were frequently in the company of Diamond Jim Brady, who Is said -to have given both girls many costly- jeweled baubles. De- ceased adopted her daughters In 1029 and when she wed Vinissky they were legally adopted by the couple and took his name.