Variety (May 1946)

Wednesday, May 29, 1946 LEGITIMATE 59 SUMMER LEGIT OUTLOOK VAGUE Up to 70 Strawhat Theatres Now Loom; Equity Has 45 Guarantees As the summer stock season ap-* proaches its start, the number of' strawhats expected to operate stead- ily climbs; The total should be be- tween 65. and 70. Equity has salary guarantees from 45 stocks, with 10 jnore due to put it on. the line al- most any day. Not included in the listings are other summer projects lor semi-pros and amateurs with drama-school adjuncts, these being located in distinctly rural spots. There will be a number of stocks in cities again, towns set being Bos- ton, Cambridge, Louisville, Pitts- burgh, Stamford, Baltimore, New- port, Holyoke and White Plains. J. J. Leventhal pians n flock of city stocks, Detroit, Cleveland. Buffalo, Cincinnati and Toledo being con- sidered. Also slated to go legit again for summer are neighborhood houses in the Bronx and Brooklyn, so it looks like there will be plenty of engage- ments for actors if they are willing to work and accept moderate pay. Of course, Equity minimums apply, $60 for legit and $46 for stock. Buffalo 'Summer Shows' Buffalo, May 26. Erlariger will present seven "sum- mer shows" beginning early next month. Plays include Jane Cowl in "Yes, My Darling Daughter," "Strange ' Fruit," ' Meet the Wife" with Mary Boland, Laurel and Hardy in "Pair of Sixes," "Harvey" (Joe E. Brown), a new play, "Obsession" by Stewart Chaney^ with Basil Rath- bone, and Blackstone the Magician. Some of the shows are booked also for Toledo, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit and the New York City "subway circuit." Admission prices will vary for the attractions. It was also announced that Ethel Barrymore.. Adrienne Ames, Kay Francis and ZaSu Pitts are pencilled in for other summer circuit dates. Olney, Cross Roads Resume Washington, May 28. Two D. C. area summer theatres Join the Strawhat circuit June 18. Olney summer theatre; in nearby Maryland, dormant since the begin- ning of the war, reopens with "Biog- raphy," slated for a two-week, stint. Director is Anthony L. Randall, re- cently out of uniform. The Cross Roads, in suburban Vir- ginia, opens with "Pursuit of Happi- ness" for a 10-day run, with a series (Continued on page 60) Speculate on Iceman' Chances Compared To O'Neill's Ex-Longies Because of changed conditions since his preceding long plays, show- men are speculating over the chances of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh;" as compared with the successful "Strange Inter- lude" and "Mourning Becomes Elec- ta," produced by the Theatre Guild •s will be the new drama in the fall. There is some question as to whether the extended serious "Iceman" will attract as profitable biz as the first two. Performances will ring up at 5:30 each weekday, with dinner in- termission around seven o'clock and resumption at 8:30. That schedule was a novelty to playgoers when "Interlude" and "Electra" were pre sented. There will be no "Iceman" mat lnecs, so sufficient takings must be garnered in six perfromances week ly for successful operation. Ordi narily, takings of two matinees sup- ply the profit for the week. It seems seems to be a question of how much operating costs have increased in the last . decade. "Iceman" is a one- setter, with a cast of 12, and prob- ably will riot be a costly show from a payroll standpoint. The duo of O'Neill plays which the Guild also schedules for next season are of normal length. They ,are "A Moon for the Misbegotten" and "A Touch of the Poet," the lat- ter being,the seventh of the dram- atist's cycle of'nine plays which he • has been toiling over for years.' Con- cluding two are yet to be written. Las Vegas Yet Show Bow Las Vegas, May 28. AH veteran musical revue, "Where Do We Go From Here," opens here at the Memorial Auditorium, June 1. Stage show, produced by Jay Finn, goes from here to Santa Bar- Jjara and later to Los Angeles. Old Vic Looks To Revival Record Indication's are that the Old Vic repertory company from London will smash all records for straight- play revivals. In. the first three weeks at Broadway's big Century, takings amounted to $152,000. With "Henry IV," "Oedipus," "Uncle Vanya" and "The Critic" the final three . weeks should average. more than $47,000 weekly. The total for the engagement is figured to reach' $295,000. If another extra matinee is given the total should be close to $300,000, regarded as an "impos- sible" sum when originally esti- mated. Reception given "Vanya" was so- so but the critics raved over "Oedi- pus." After the notices appeared on Tuesday (21) of last week, all tickets for the balance of the date were quickly sold, except singles and the limited number held by the manage- ment and not on general sale. There won't be a material difference in the gross this week at $6 top nightly and that ending last Saturday, which in- cluded a $12 first performance. That is explainable by the fact that only for the first debut performance were all the $12 tickets disposed of at that rate, an average of at least 100 being sold at half the price. Such tickets called for locations in the rear of the lower floor, which seats 783. Despite the enormous takings, the Old Vic venture is not expected to be profitable because of abnormal operating costs. Attraction is play- ing the Century on a 75-25 sharing basis, same percentage split as for a musical, but back-stage expenses are said to be extremely heavy. If there is a profit it will be small, any net being divided between Old Vic and Theatre, Inc., which imported the British troupe. Before opening, Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson were accorded star billing but when the company arrived it was agreed that all the players were to be displayed in equal-size type, house boards being changed to conform to that request. That did not stop reviewers from singling out the stars for critical plaudits. Cincy Opera's 25th Anni Opening With'Otello' Cincinnati, May 28. Cincinnati Summer Opera Assn. will celebrate its 25th anni this season, opening June 30 with "Otello." Six-week season will offer 15 or more operas, with Met Opera stars, as mainstay of roster. New to company will be Ezio Pinza, Marjorie Lawrence and Mar garet Harshaw. Zinka Milanov, Bidu Sayao, Rise Stevens, Gladys Swarthout, Nino Martini, Jan Peerce and others will be returning after, several seasons' lapse. Last year's returnees include Licia Al- banese, Lily DJanel. Frederick Jagel, Charles Kullman, Giovanni Martin- elli, Armand Tokatyan/ Salvatore Baccaloni and Lawrence Tibbett, among others. Italo Montemezzi, composer of "Love of Three Kings," is coming from his California home to conduct two performances of his opus. B'WAY HOPES FOR Summer legit business chances on Broadway are just as puzzling as it was before the railway strike fizzled out over the weekend. The coal strike again constitutes a threat be- cause train schedules are still cur- tailed and may be further clipped. If the metropolis does not get a large volume of visitors, all amusements, particularly the theatre, will be af- fected. The newer standouts will probably weather the industrial disturbances, while run shows are likely to wither. That was indicated last week, when plenty of grosses were singed except for the smashes. Several musicals dropped $4,000 arid more, but other attractions did not slip as much as expected, and several actually im- proved. Broadway looked deserted on Saturday (25) when suburbanites could not come into the city because of the rail strike. It's questioned how much patronage comes from that source anyhow. There were many ticket cancellations in the agencies, but the better shows fared well enough, considering conditions. An example is "Harvey," one of the long-run hits. There were 200 unsold tickets for the matinee but all were sold at the boxoffice, and the night was capacity, too. That could indicate that while visitors couldn't reach town, those who could not leave for the same reason went to the theatre. Boxoftices ar- ranged for refunds or exchange of tickets for subsequent performances to those who were marooned outside the city. Rail strike probably would have prevented a number of road shows from making Jumps, but none was reported having failed to open in new stands on Monday (27). One at- traction arranged to transport its players by plane, and others were ready to journey by truck. DaBOY WHIPS 'BACKLASH' Los Angeles, May 28. . - J. Harvey Thirkell, legit producer,. signed Bob DuRoy to direct h» forthcoming play, "Backlash." Mystery drama opens here June 14, with Richard Hogan in a top role. . ' SPIRIT OF FDR FELT AT FETE FOR GOLDEN By NAT KAHN The spirit of the late President Franklin Delano Roosevelt consist- ently pervaded the festive aura of the Jewish Theatrical Guild dinner to producer John Golden at the New York Hotel Astor on Sunday. (26). From the presence on the dais of the President's widow, down to con- sistent references to him by guest speakers, FDR remained a "freedom of the theatre" symbol. Telling of the travail endured by the theatrical profession oyer a pe- riod of two wars, from Washington dissidents who have long disagreed that the theatre is vital to public morale. Golden in his address spoke at length on FDR's friendship for the theatre, ever since, as a ch'id, he had seen his first play—a perform- ance of "The Black Crook." "A free theatre in a free world is one of the objectives for which we shall continue to fight," Golden quoted Mr. Roosevelt as having stated in a letter to him at a time when Washington was stacking the cards against show business. Mr. Roosevelt always helped shuffle the deck. Mrs. Roosevelt emphasized the late President's friendship for the theatre, and also for Golden. The producer was always a Broadway spearhead to the capital when Washington leg- islators were cooking anti-theatre ac- tion during and before the last war. Along with several others namely actor Eddie Dowiing, he was always able to gain access to the President's private chambers to cite the case of the theatre. . Golden 'told a particularly signifi- cant World War. I story of how Ad- miral Carey Grayson, Prcsic-.cnt Wil- son's physician, prescribed th>; thc- i (Continued on page 60) Stage Flaw at NX Imperial Cues Inspection of Rigging at All Houses 'Hamlet'Bulges House Hollywood, May 28. Pilgrimage Theatre will be en- larged by 1,000 bleacher seats for Mike Todd's streamlined open-air version of "Hamlet." Play will open around Aug. 17, for six weeks. Current capacity of the Pilgrimage is about 1,200. New seats will be scaled at a low' admission price. lindy City' 240G Headache in Chi Chicago, May 28. . Total of $240,000 has been spent so far on tryout tour of "Windy City," currently in Chi pre-Broad- way, and indications are it'll be $300,000 in the red before the Rich- ard Kollmar-produced musical hits the main stem. Production staff are the best as- pirin-customers in town currently. Edward Reveaux dropped out as di- rector last week, with Kollmar and playwright Philip Ybrdan advising they'll seek the services of Joshua Logan, director of "Annie Get Your Gun," to help doctor the show. Blowups by songsmith Walter Jur- man and choreographer Ketherine Dunham were also on tap, with Jur- man threatening to withdraw all his and Paul Francis • Webster's music because a number of tunes have been cut out and Miss Dunham leav- ing for N. Y. "to see my lawyer," after a huge number of her dance routines were chopped. Center of all the temperament seems to be Yordan, who keeps stressing it's a "playrwilh-music," not a musical, and that the book must therefore predominate over everything else. Sample of why costs are soaring is seen in fact that the dancers alone are mostly all solo- ists, and drawing that kind of pay. Principals are John Conte, Susan Miller, Al Shean, Frances Williams, Joey Faye and Loring Smith. Pointed out the only reason it isn't in N. Y. now js the shortage of Broadway theatres; however, Chi bystanders are of the opinion it still needs a lot' of carpentry.' ♦ Aftermath of the backstage struc- tural defect at the Imperial, N. Y., which caused a. delay in the open- ing of "Annie Get Your Gun," has been the close inspection of over- head rigging in all Broadway leg- iters. In one. or two instances the gridiron area has been strengthened, and since a new- steel beam was installed at the Imperial it's possible to fly 100,000 pounds of scenic in- vestiture,, which is much more than any show flies. All houses were passed by city' inspectors and new licenses issued early this month. Local No. 1, the New York stagehands union, how- ever, warned the managers against' a possible repetition of the "Annie" incident, although no accident has ever happened on .Broadway because of grid .faults. When advised that tests should be made on the grounds Of business protection, if not. for humanitarian purposes, showmen opined that the deckhands' message was somewhat belated. It's indicated that crews would decline to handle the settings of an incoming show if they felt that a hazard .existed. It's the rule that the stage carpenter is responsible for mechanical conditions backstage but the union says its members are ■ only partially accountable, and the blame is ultimately that of the operator (manager) should accidents occur from such cause. A jurisdictional dispute between the International Alliance of Theat- rical Stage Employees and -the In- ternational Brotherhood of Elec- trical Workers is still holding, up completion of cooling systems at the Century and Adelphi theatres. It was thought the situation was clari- fied when the Shuberts gave in- stallation contracts to IBEW, evi- dently with the stagehand union's okay, the latter being permitted to have an equal number of men as standbys under pay. But the argu- ment is still to be threshed out by the heads of IATSE and IBEW. Arrival of warm weather has made it imperative that the argu- ment be settled sine* attendance for the Old Vic (Century) shows could be imperiled although the house is sold out in advance. AGMA Delays Pact Due to Violation American Guild of Musical Artists last week decided to withhold sign- ing a basic agreement with Stanford Erwin end his Boston Grand Opera Co. for three months, from May 23, as penalty for violation of last sea- son's agreement. AGMA charged that Erwin re- ceived $750 last July from Lisa Jou- ravel, a singer, as a contribution to the opera co., without first receiving written approval from AGMA. Miss Jouravel, a contralto, sang with the Boston group in four opera per- formances last November. AGMA heard of the contrib recently, and hearings were held before AGMAV board of governors May 7 and 13, when Erwin was accused of action against the spirit and policy of AGMA as well as action detrimental to the music profession. Erwin deposited the $750 with AGMA May 7, with final disposition of the sum to be decided on later by the board. Alter the three months' suspension' period. AGMA will- then decide under what con- ditions it will sign a new basic agreement with Erwin. Mae. Fails to Ring Hollywood, May 28.. Mae West's legiter, "Ring Twice Tonight," forced to flay over week- end in. San Jose. Missed Spokane date -Saturday night. Transportation strike caused delay in getaway. Kiepura, Bannister FdeN.Y. Court Claias On'Polonaise' Pay Equity's patience with "Polonaise" was further tried last week when two members of the show's cast sought a N. Y. Supreme Court writ to restrain Equity from disbursing an estimated $5,000, half of which they claim is their unpaid salaries. Harry Bloomfield, who operated the show, is co-defendant, the money involved being part of the sum he was re- quired to deposit with Equity. Why Jan Kiepura, co-star of the musical, and Harry Bannister, of the cast, went to court instead of filing claims with Equity, isn't explained. When "Polonaise" closed in St Louis recently, Kiepura and Bannis- ter got $60, only, they allege; that's the Equity minimum. Latter says that $300 is due him, while the tenor figures his claim at $2,035. Kiepura was under a salary and percentage arrangement, and has been quoted claiming a greater sum from Bloom- field. Other claims are reported be- ing, filed with Equity and may ex- ! ceed the amount on hand. Under- 1 stood that if they are not satisfied the; .manager will be' placed on Equity's unfair list, which would prevent him from producing. Indicated that Kiepura and Ban- nister differed with Frank Dare Chicago representative for Equity who went to St. Louis to pay sala- ries for the final week and provide . return transportation. The two actors waived their contractual salaries, relying _ on a percentage of the gross. Dare therefore was only ob- ligated to pay them the minimum. Kurt Bois,,. comic, received an award for $2,500 against Bloomfield because he did not receive proper (Continued on page 60)