Variety (Jan 1949)

' Total Broadway Grosses The following are the comparative fignreTbaseaNm Variety's iMjxoffice estimates, for last week and the correspondihg week of, ™, Last Season Season Number of shows current 27 32 Total weeks played so far by all shows 739 806 Tntal gross for all current shows last week $674,000 $693,500 Total season's gross so far for all shows... ,$17,575,800 $17,236,900 Number of new productions so far 44 40 LEOITIRIATB 59 Oii B.O. Strong Despite Weather; 'Brigadoon$33m'Streetcar'17i/2G Chicago, Jan. 25. > tev streets didn't affect legit .PPM here, since the five lit houses rtTew husky b.o.'s. Opening of "Raze the Hoof," at Great North- prti was a boff homecoming for iprfv Lester and Ada Leonard, snd next to final week for "Briga- doon" kept ticket-takers hoppmg. "Mister Roberts" got usual heavy draw from conventioneers with near SBO prevailing. , Estimates for Last Week "Brieadoon/' Shubert (16th wk) (2100; $4.94). Sell-outs already re'eistered for last performances next week. Nic» $33,800. Dante, Studebaker (2d wk) (1,- 246; $3.10). B.o. steadily climbing, with fair $12,000. "Mister Eoberts," Erlanger (19th wk) (1344; $4.33). Getting husky play as usual with sock $29,000. "Baze the Roof," Great Northern (1st wW (1.600; $3.71). Laugh show fariiig well in first week; okay $15,000. «Strieetcar Named Desire," Har- ris «7th wk) (1,000; $4.33). Taper- ing off slightly, but still plenty profitable at $17,500. ■ TON YESTERDAY' 14G, 'BLACKOUTS' 17G, LA. Los Angeles, Jan. 25. Town's two new attractions got oft to slow starts last week. "Born Yesterday'' met unanimous critical acclaim after its Biltmore bow but was slow in building. "Icelandia," which debuted at Las Palmas, drew mixed'reactions. "EitUnates for Last Week "Blackouts of 1949," El Capitan (344th wk) (1,142; $2.30). Still $17,- 000. "Bom Yesterday," Biltmore (1st wk) (1,636; $3.60. First week's $14,- 000 profitable but not up to hopes. Started Sunday performances this week (23) and is building. "Icelandia," Las Palmas {1st wk) (388; $3.60). First four days after Wednesday (19) opening brought so-so $3,000. •Medea' 17G in 5, Mpls.; $8,000 in Three, St. Paul . Minneapolis, Jan. 25. "Medea," with Judith Anderson, moved across from St. Paul on the coldest night of the winter but still managed to grab a neat $17,000 in nye performances at Lyceum the- atre. Show had taken an estimated $8,- 000 in three performances at St. Paul Auditorium. Wynn 30G, SL Louis - St. Louis, Jan. 25. Despite the worst snowstorm in years and opposition from many auarters, "Ed Wwnn's Laugh Car- mval wound up a profit^taking, one-week stand at the American -Saturday- -(22). -The -house- was scaled to $3.66 and nine perform- SSJ^s grossed an estimated $30,- }™«' Crix, .went overboard with - Plawtlits for Wynn, PhU the picM ■^**''"®y' ^^^^^ P,^"??rican is dark this week. Kay „55""s opens Monday (31) in "Fav- . prtte Stranger." 'Annie' aaVzG, Balto ;^ Baltimore, Jan. 25. T>iptoS"*u 9^^ Your Gun" eom- ^"^^ « two-week book- ing Z*""^'* last week and 800 total"^ ""'^^ * ^^"^ *33,- tii^'i*''^ Perfomance Sunday (23) w»2 K^"'^? second round, fnr *''.'J'es completely sold out .oHn„ I""*"* week, and continued Current Road Shows (.Ian. 24-Fcb. 5) "Allegro"—Curran, Frisco (24-5). "Annie Get Your Gun"—Ford's, Balto. (24-29); Lyric, All. (31-2); Rajah, Reading (3-4). "At War With the Army"—Wil- bur, Bost. (24-5). "Blackouts of 1948"—El Capitan, L. A., (24-5). "Born Yesterday"—Biltmore, L. A ■'■(24-5)' ■ ■ ' ■ "Briga'doon"—Shubert, Chi (24- 29); Davidson,- Mil. (31-5). "Dante"—Studebaker, Chi (24-5) "Death of a Salesman'"-<'Locust, Philly (24-5). "Desert Soiiff"'^Shubert, Philly (24-29); Court, Spfld. (31-1); Aud., Hart. (3-5). "Favorite Stranger" ^ Shubert- Laf , Det. (24-29); Amer., St. Louis (31-5). VFinian's Rainbow" — Cass, Det. (24-29); Shubert, Chi (31-5). "Harvey"^Victory, Dayton (24- 26); Aud., L'Ville (27-29); Black- stone, Chi (31-5). "Harvey"—Acad., N'hamptn (24); Strand, Albany (25-26); Lyric, Utica (27-29); Majesty's, Mont'l (31- 5). "High Button Shoes" — Royal Alex., Tor. (24-29); Nixon, Pitt. (31- 5). "Make Mine Manhattan"—Shu- bert, Bost. (24-29); Forrest, Philly (31-5). "Man and Superman"^Cox, Cincy (24-29); Murat, Indpls. (31- 5); Aud., L'Ville (2-3); Aud., Mem- phis (4-5). "Medea"—Hartman, Col. (24-26); Town, Toledo (27-29); Cass, Det. (31-5). "Mr. Roberts"Erlanger, Chi, (24-5). "My Name Is Aqullon" ("Figure of a Girl")—Walnut. Philly (24-5). "O Mistress Mine"—Court, Spg- fld. (24-26); Acad., N'hampton (27); Aud., Hartford (28-29); Erie, Sche- nectady (31); Aud., Roch. (1-2); Er- langer, Buff. (3-5). "Oklahoma!" (No. 1 Co.)—Murat, Indpls. (24-28); Virginia, Wheeling (31-5). - "Oklahoma!" (No. 2 Co.)-r-Nixon. Pitt. (24-29); Shubert, Philly (31-5). "Raze the Roof"—Gt. No'thn, Chi. (24-5). "Show Boat"—Home, Okla. City (24-25); HaM. Tulsa (26); Music Hall, K. C; (27-29); Omaha, Omaha (31-2); KRNT, Des Moines (3-5). "Streetcar N a m e d Desire"r— Harris, Chi. (24-5). "The- Big Knife"—Shubert, N. Haven (26-29); Plymouth, Bost. (31- 5). "The Heiress"—Geary, Fnsco (24-5). "They Knew What They Wanted" —Forrest. Philly (24-29); Shubert, Bost. (31-5). N.Y. City BaUet Winds Up Two Boff Weeks With 44G The N. Y. City Ballet Co. fin- ished its second and final week at City Center; N. Y., Sunday (23), grossing a sock $23,000 for its five performances (four days). At a $3 top, with house seating 3,500, troupe wound up its two-week stay of 10 performances with a $44,000 take. House was practical- ly SRO the second weeki except for Sunday's matinee. Engagement marks first time for a resident ballet company in his- tory of N. Y. The City Center, which now has a ballet troupe to add to its opera and symphony, expected' to lose $10,000 on the two-week ballet venture, and came out with only a $4,000 loss. Cen- ter's directors are so pleased with standards and draw of its troupe that they plan to restrict ballet of- ferings to their own: company .in- stead of leasing the house to other troupes as in the past. The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo is in for a guest engagement next month, on an old booking, which' Will- be the windup for outside dance troupes there. B'way Grosses Hold to Strong Pace; 'Cdrls' 51G, ICate 46G, 'Shoes' 40G, 'Chafllot' $22,000, 'Anne' $33,500 Broadway continued to ride a seasonal boxoffice crest last week, grosses generally holding their own from the previous week's, up- surge, and in some, cases even edging up a bit further. From in- dications, business should main- tain the strong pace for the next couple of months. There were three closings Satur- day night (22), "The Shop at Sly Comer," "Leaf and Bough" and "The Victors." Two new entries arrive this week, "Forward the! Heart" and "Carousel," the latter! for a limited run at pop prices. I Scheduled for next week are "Diat mond Lil" at the Coronet, Feb. 5, *xp?n«^,!! A>'»>« has been named cbal py.t. ^'ce-President of Muni- Wniiam 7^''*4' Houston, of which Alh ^"^a"* is prez. Miss •ger in M S^'^y'ouSjy Stage man- lwm«' X: Tentaessee 'Wil- ^f, A Streetcar Named De- 'FinianVSOG, Detroit; _ Francis-'Stranger' 9G Detroit, Jan. 25. "Finiian's Rainbow" grossed almost $30,000 last week for its second semester at the Cass here. Kay Francis, starring in the pre- Broadway "Favorite Stranger," did a mild $9,000. . . , , ^ ^ The Detroit Civic Light Opera Go. presentation of "Desert Song, at Masonic Temple, did a Strong $45,000. mgro' ?34,800 Week Kansas City, Jan. 25. Weather was unpleasant for all three days of "Allegro" date here Jan. 20-22, but failed to put more than a light dent in play's gross. Five performances in three days hit a fine $24,000, nearly 90% of the Music Hall's capacity. Evenmg top was $4.27 with matinee top at $3,66 for both Friday and Saturday afternoons. Musical grossed a ■ juicy $10,800 the first half of the week in Des Mo,ines, . Advance sale already is good for "Showboat" due in for six shows Jan. 27-30. lake'2iy2GHub; line' $10,100, 'Girl' OK $18,400 Boston, Jan. 25. "Richard IH" in Richard Whorf's production, with him in the title role, came iiito the Copley last week as the only entry and got practically the top notices of the year. Biz, however, was way off and failed to. make the running ex- penses. Other houses were gener- ally so-so. Season seems to be sagging at the moment in prospects, with only one opener this week in "At War with the Army" at the Wilbur. "They Knew What They Wanted" and "The Big Knife" are due Jan. 31. Estimates for Last Week "Figure of a Girl," Colonial (2d week) (1,500; $3.60). Second week of this. Guild show was an esti- mated $18,400. "Make Mine Manhattan," Shu- bert (2d week) (1,750; $4.80). Sec- ond week held to a good estimated $27,500, Friday night snow storm cutting into the take. ■ "O Mistress Mine," Plymouth (2d week) (1,200; $3.60). Remained on a fairly even keel for second week with estimated $10,100; not too profitable-but TOasonably satis- factory considering offish biz every- where. "Richard in," Copley (1st week) (1,200; $2.25). This opener got solid raves and should have wowed at the b.o. but the uptown house just doesn't seem to get them in off the street. Estimated $5,000 is not any- where near enough to carry the big cast and expenses. Final week cur- rent and the house closes. "Seven Ke'ys to Baldpate," Brattle (500, $1.80). This all- Equity stock company has long had a faithful audience that keeps the house gross around $2,000, and thiS; production no exception with esti- mated $2,400. Outfit managed by Franklin Trask, who operates about a dozen strawhatters^. 'Show Boat'3SG (6), Denv $6,000 in Boulder, Col. Denver, Jan. 25. In two Colorado spots, both hDaked by A. M, Oberfelder, "Show Boat" drew to near capacity! In" Denver's Auditorium, with four nights and two matinees (3,200 seats), the take was a big $35,000, with a $3.50 top. Even the Friday matinee, usually off, was big. In Bouider, in the Mackey Audi- torium (2,500 seats) at $3, the gross was a smash $6,000. mh.r $37,300, Pitt Pittsburgh, Jan. 25. They're still that way about "Oklahoma!" around here. Thea- tre Guild musical came back to the Nixon last week for third time and rung up better than $37,300 for the first half of its return. New mark is expected to be estab- lished the current week. . "High Button Shoes" comes in Monday (31) for two weeks, with the Sylvia Sydney-John Loder "0 Mistress Mine" likely to follow. 'Okla' 38V4G Split Take Springfield, Mo., Jan. 25. No. 2 company of "Oklahoma!" I pulled a gross of $38,500 last week between the Auditorium, St. Jo- seph; Memorial Hall, Joplin,*and 'Mosque here. and "Blood Wedding" at New I: Stages, Feb. 6. i Estimates for Last Week [ Keys: C (.Comedy), D (Drama), i CD (Comedi/jDroma), R {Revue), \ M (Musical), 0 (Operetta). i "AH for Love," Hellinger (Isti wk) (R-1,543; $6). New revue pro- i duced by Sammy Lambert and i Anthony B.. Farrell opened Satur-I day night (22) to murderous no- tices; got about $2,300 on the preem; has a nut of around $26,- 000 and the capacity is $46,000. "Along :5th Avenue," Broadhurst (2d wk) (R-1,160; $6). Despite mixed notices, business has been encouraging, but next week should give better indication of its payoff prospects; first full week strong $30,000. "Anne of 1,000 Days," Shubert (7th wk) (D-1,387; $4.80). Attend- ance rose again with the general trend, and the drama now appears a cinch to run at least the balance of the season; $33,500. "Annie Get Your Gun," Im- perial (141st wk) (M-1,472; $6.60). Set to close Feb. 19; slid to $28,700. "As the Girls Go," Winter Gar- den (10th wk) (M-1,519; $7.20). An- other great week for the Country's (and possibly the world's) top legit grosser; standee limit nightly, with only midweek matinee not go- ing clean; topped $51,100. "Born Yesterday," Miller (155th Wk) (C-940; $4.80). Garson Kanin comedy, now the longest-run en- try on the list, completes its third year Feb. 3 with no sign of sub- siding, although two-for-ones are still a factor; $14,000. "Carousels" City Center (M-3;025; $3). Richard Rodgers-Oscar Ham- merstein, 2d, musical version of "Liliom," presented by the Thea- tre Guild for a limited engage- ment, opened last night (Tues.). "Edward, My Son," Beck (17th wk) (D-1,214; $4.80). London im- port remains one of the top agency calls, going virtually clean every week: $28,000 again. "Forward the Heart," 48th Street (D-921; $4.80). Play by Ber- nard Reines, presented by Theatre Enterprises, Inc. (Anthony J,- Parella & Leon J. Bronesky), opens Friday night (28); "Goodbye, My Fancy,", Morosco (10th wk) (CD-931; $4.80). Fay Kanin comedy continues a strong audience-getter; $24;O00. . "High Button Shoes," Broadway (67th wk) (M-1,900; $6): Holdover musical has made a strong come- back after the general post-holiday slump and is now figured to con- tinue through the spring; almost $40,000. "HoWdJi Mr. Ice," Center (31st 1 wk) (R-2,964; $2.88). Seasonal slide ' for this skating spectacle is less evident than normally; nice $33:000. "Inside tJ, S. A.," Majestic (39th wk) (R-1,659; $6). Holdover musi- cal has recovered from the sea- sonal lull and the absence of Bea- trice Lillie; nearly $33,000. "Kiss Me, Kate," Century (4th wk) (M-1,654; $6). Continues to be the hottest ticket on the list; standees almost every perform- ance. Theatre parties limiting the gro.ss to $46,000. "Leaf and Bough," Cort (1st Wk) (D-1,604; $4.80). Opened last Fri- day night (21) to poor notices; first three pRrformances took in $3,700; "Lend an Ear," National (6th wk) (R-1,172; $6); As with most clicks, matinees are the only light per- formances. Almost capacity at $29,000. "Life With Mother," Empire (14th wk) (C-1,082; $4.80). Still near capacity pace; $22,300. "Light Up the Sky," Royale (10th wk) (C-1,035; $4.80). Another com- edy that approaches capacity every wePk; $25,800. "Love Life," 46th St. (16th wk) (M-1,319; $6). First week of Sunday performances boosted attendance; bkav at .$27,900. "Madwoman of Chaillot," Belasco (3d wk) (C-1,077;. $«.80>. Original comedy was a slow starter, but has caught on and now seems set for: an extended run; best week's gross yet at $22,000. "Mister Roberts," Alvin (49th wk) (CD-1,357; $4.80). As usual, the. only variation , is the number of standees; almost $35,000. "Oh, Mr. Meadowbrook," Golden (4th wk) (C-1,057; $4.80). Was slated to close Saturday (22), but got more financing and another re- prieve; must fold at the- end of next week, as the house has anoth- er booking; $4,000. "Private Lives," Plymouth (16th wk) (C-1,062; $4.80). Bankhead's vaude field day remains a public draw;. piling up profits at $24,000. "Red Gloves," Mansfield (7th wk) (D-1,041; $4.80). End of thea- tre parties next week should indi- cate whether Charles Beyer's per- sonal pull can maintain the pace^ With a running nut of about $19,000, the show has been making a moderate operating profit; underquoted last week: $24,900. "Shop at Sly Comer," Booth (1st wk) (D-712; $4.80). Opened Jan. 18 to unanimous pans, closed Satur<^ day night (22) after seven perfosm- ances; $4,800. "Silver Whistle," Biltmore (9th wk) (C-920; $4.80). Theatre Guild's click comedy is making a neat ■ weekly operating profit; slightly underquoted last week; $22,300. "Streetcar Named : Desire," Barw ; rymore (60th wk). (D-1,064; $4.80). Back to virtual' capacity pace and a cinch to play the balance of .the season; $25,000. "The Vlctots,^? New Stages (4th wk) (D-290; $3). First production of the season for New Stages did fairly well, though it failed to pay off for the cooperative group; closed Saturday night (22); $3,200. "Where's Charley?," St. James (15th wk) (M-1,509; $6). Is back in fast stride after the year-end dip and is now a bet to play through the season; $36,900. 'Wanted'$24,000, 'Song'22G,Pyiy ' Philadelphia, Jan. 25. ; There is one subject and one . only on everybody's tongue and mind among theatre circles today, and that is the new Arthur Miller play, which preemed at the Locust Saturday (22). Received with noisy and unashamed excitement and en- thusiasm,: given rave notices such as have been seen here few times in the last quarter-centurjj;, ."Death of a Salesman" Is sure to mount to absolute? capacity within a few per* formances. It is playing a two weeks' engagement at the Locust, and will hit sell-out proportions by tomorrow, judging by the way tick- ets are going. The new show- without benefit of marquee names, got $3,000 in Its opening perform- ance. ' And all this excitement and b.o. activity is being caused by a ■stark, 100% tragedy! Biz last week Mfas good in gen- eral, the big surprise being the re- vival of "They Knew What They Wanted." Estimates for Last Week. "They Knew What They Want- ed," Forrest (1st week) (1,766; $3.90), iRevival With Paul Muni has clicked very' positively here on strength of excellent notices. Got a surprising $24,000 in first week, with ATS subscription rates tend- ing to holding down figure. "Death of a Salesman," Locust (opened Saturday night) (1,580; $3,25). A very fine $3,000 - on preem ■ performance, and will be sell-out by tomorrow night. Ter- rific hit with first-nighters and ■crix..' Blackstone, Walnut (2d week) (1,340; $2.60). Another $9,000 in second and last week. Excellent for magician. "The Desert Song," Shubert (1st week) (1,877; $3.25). Revival rcr ported $22,000 in first of two weeks, getting fairly good notices. 'Harvey' 18G, New Haven New Haven, Jan. 25. Shubert played a full week of the Joe E. Brown "Harvey" troupe last week (17-22) for a fair $18,000 in eight performances at $3.60 top. ' Current week has preem of "The i Big Knife" In for five shows (28- 29).