Variety (February 1951)

60 LEGITIM ATE Wednesday, February 7 , 1951 Plays Abroad Dominique ol Dominique (Dominick and Domenick) Paris, Jan. 30. Mile. Parysls production of comedy _in three acts by Jean Davray. Directed by Raymond Rouleau. Setting, by Marie Lau- rencin. At the Theatre Michel. Paris.- JLe Romancier .Lucien Nat Dominique ... . . ..... Jacques • Monsieur Ernest.;.. Timothee Arthur ,-Devere. Luce ' ... ... Madeleine Delavaivre La Fennne dii Momancier i .■..... ... * • , fem Marcelle Tassencourt In his first play, Jean Davray .has followed the theme of Pirandello s “Six Characters in Search of an Author" in that hi$ hero is a “character But. there the resem- blance ends. . . Dominique has, in various guises, j been the heroic prototype and the inspiration of a number of authors from Racine to Flaubert. In this, Dominique (Jacques Francois) actually materializes in the library of an author for whom he is again about to have a new incarnation, The author is disconcerted, for how can he separate himself froiii a creature of his own imagination in the story he is writing? To make matters worse, his daughter falls in love with the materialized Domi- nique. He is determined to marry her By writing a series of books about Dominique, the author keeps him “materialized" for 10 years, but at the end of that time Domi- nique becomes restless. Despite its literary background, this unusual play has both charm and humor. The dialog is amus- ing in the best high comedy tradi- tion. Moreover, it is superbly acted by Francois as Domenique. Francois (who did a stint in Holly- wood in the “Barclays of Broad- way") plays the half-real, half- imaginary character with rare authority. His dead-pah humor is marvelously projected. Lucien Nat turns in one of his customary fine jobs as the author while Madeleine Delavaivre is fresh and charming as the young Luce. Marie Lauren- cin’s setting of a 1906 library is a tasteful background for the period costumes. Fred. L’Eeole des Femmes Paris, Jan. 23. Louis Jouvet production of Moliere’g comedy in five acts. Directed by Jouvet. Settings, by Christian Berard; incidental, music by Vittorio Rietl. At the Theatre, . Athenee, Paris. Horace. Jean Richard Arnolphe .................;.. .Louis Jouvet Chrysalde. Leo Lapara Alain ..Fernand-Rene Georgette Wanda Agnes ............ Dominique Blanchar Le Notaire. .Michel Etcheverry . Le Clerc du Notaire..Paul Rieger highest order. Biit the particular revelation is the Agnes done by Dominique Blanchar. She is the daughter of Pierre Blanchar, per- haps best known in the U. S. for his role in the film, “Symphonie Pastorale." She is an exceptionally fine, sensitive artist, the incarna- tion of youthful innocence vyhich the role demands. Broadway has a treat in store, not the least of which will be the discovery of Mile. Blanchar. Fred. COAST’S EL CAPITAN MAY BE VIDEO CENTRE Hollywood, Feb. 6. Possibility grows Stronger that El Capitan theatre* only Spasmodi- cally alight as legit house in recent years, will become a television cen- tre. Both CBS and NBC reportedly dickering for purchase of the prop- erty, just off Hollywood and Vine. Theatre, owned by C, E. Toberman, is currently under long lease to Gene Mann for legit productions, but house has been alight only eight weeks since he took over, Sept. 1, Understood asking price is $400,- 000, with best offer some $50,000 away from that figure. Both O. B. Hansen, NBC yeepec in charge of engineering, and Henry Grossman, his CBS counterpart, are in town for network efforts to get home base for video operations. ‘Brigadoon’ $16,200 in 6 Current Road Shows (Feb. 5*18) Orlando, Fla., Feb. 6. Freezing temperatures greeted John Yorke’s touring production of “Brigadoon" here, with a total gross racked up of only $16 200 for six performances in four stands. The stops included Tuesday (30) at the Lanier auditorium, Mont- gomery, Ala.; Wednesday (31) at the Albany theatre, Albany, Ga.; Thursday and Friday (1-2) at Pea- body auditorium, Daytona, and Saturday (3) at . the auditorium here. Musical is playing the first six days of the current week at the auditorium, Miami, and Saturday night (10) at the auditorium, Ft. Lauderdale. "L’Ecole des Femmes" was created by Moliere and his com-! pany in 1662. From 1680, when it | entered the repertoire of the Comedie Francaise up to the present, it has been played over" 1,000 times. In 1936, Louis Jouvet presented his version of the play which, after a run of 270 perform- ances in Paris, has been part of his repertoire in his tours of France, Europe, Latin America, Egypt; and England. It is now New York’s turn, and Jouvet is giving a limited number of performances here before his forthcoming Broad- way engagement. At this late date there is little more to be said concerning the play itself except that it is one of Moliere’s finest. In his skillful direction, however, Jouvet man- ages to extract every bit of humor as well as pathos from this story ol the man who brings up a young girl to marriageable age in com- plete ignorance of life, only to find that her own instincts has led her to fall in love With a man nearer her own age! Everything about the production, from the costumes and. Settings by the late Christian Berard to the incidental music by Vittorio Rieti, and especially the acting, is of the Cochran Continued from page 57 CURRENTLY APPEARING GRAND THEATRE EVANSVILLE, INDIANA Direction: M. C. A. ■ i and presently joined Ricjiard Mansfield’s company. He then became Mansfield’s sec- retary and later turned to vaude- ville management, introducing wrestler George Hackenschmidt, Houdini and Odette Dulac in Eng- land. He also operated sideshows, ran circuses and was a prizefight manager. His first theatrical pro- ductions were "John Gabriel Bork- man," in New York, in 1897 and "Sporting Simpson," in London, in 1902. His first real success was "The Miracle," in 1911. Cochran suffered a nervous breakdown in 1925, went into pro- fessional eclipse and at one time had debts of about $1,000,000. But at the age of 52 he made a new ! start as an employee in a London ' night club and before long was ; back at the top of the British mu- | steal stage. He Was taken ill again in 1946, and once more suffered serious financial reverses, but made a comeback in 1948 with the smash musical comedy, "Bless the Bride." He subsequently presented the less successful “Tough at the Top" last year and was planning the pres- entation of his 129th show, "The Lion and the Unicorn," next April ( as part of the Festival of Britain. Besides being knighted in 1948 by King George VI, he received the French Legion of Honor, j During his long career, some of his important London productions included "The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife," “Damaged Goods," i "The Better ’Ole" “As You Were," several editions of “Cochran’s Re- vue," “‘London, Paris and New ' York, "On With the Dance," "This , Year of Grace," "Cyrano de Berge- rac," «"Anna Christie," "Road to Rome," “Porgy," "Paris Bound," “Bitter Sweet," "Private Lives," "Grand Hotel," "Cavalcade," "Cat and the Fiddle," "Music in the Air," "Escape Me Never," "Con- versation Piece," "Anything Goes" and "Big Ben." His wife, the former Evelyn Alice Dade, survives. They had no “children, ' v / * *■ *■- “Apple of His Eye”—Majestic, Ft. Worth (5); Melba, Dallas (6-7); Mu- sic Hall, Houston (8); Paramount, Austin (9); Texas, San ^Antonio (10); Liberty HaU, El Paso (12); Paramount, Phoenix (13); Para- mount* Tucson (14); Lobero, Santa Barbara (16-17). “As You Like It"—Fox, Spokane (5-6); Aud v St. Paul (9-10); Ly- ceum, Minneapolis (12-17). “Brigadoon" — Aud., Orlando, Fla. (5-9); Aud., Ft. Lauderdale (10); Carolina, Spartanburg, S. C. (12); Carolina, Charlotte (13); State, Winston-Salem (14); Na- tional, .. Greensboro (15); Carolina, Durham (16); State, Raleigh (17). “Come Back, Little Sheba” — Walnut, Phil a. (5-10) (Closing). “Death of a Salesman”—Gay- ety, Wash. (5-17). “Diamond Lll" -^ Temple, Bir- mingham, Ala. (5); Lanier Aud., Montgomery (6); Murphy, Mobile (7>; Civic, New Orleans (8-12); Municipal Aud.; Shreveport (13); Robinson Aud., Little Rock. (14); Home, Oklahoma City (15-16); Forum, Wichita (17), i “Green Pastures” (t r y o u t) —- Colonial, Boston (12-17). “Guardsman” (tryout)—Shubert, Detroit (5-17 V (R -e vie w e d in Variety, Jail. 31, ’51). “High Ground” (tryout) — Shu- bert; New Haven (8-10); Ford’s, Baltimore (12-17). "I Know My Love”—Paramount, Toledo (5V; Mura t, Indianapolis (7-8); Aud., Louisville (9-10); Wal- nut, 'Phi-la. (12-17). “Innocents” — Nixon, Pittsburgh (5-10); American, St. Louis (12-17). “King of Friday’s Men” (tryout) — Plymouth, Boston (5-10) (Re- viewed in Variety, Jan. 31, ’51). | “Kiss Me, Kate” — Aud., Fresno, Cal. (5-6); Memorial Aud., Sacra- mento (7-10); Curran, San Fran- cisco (12-17). “Mike MacCauley” (tryout) — Geary, San Francisco (5-17) (Re- viewed in Variety, Jan. 31, *51). “Mister Roberts” (Henry Fonda) —Victoria, Dayton (5-10); Hanna, Cleveland (12-17), “Mister Roberts" (Tod Andrews) —-Shea’s, Erie (5-6); Erlanger, Buf- falo (7-10); Virginia. Wheeling, W. Va. (12-13); Keith-Albee, Hunt* ington (15); Aud., Charleston, W. Va. (16-17). “Moon Is Blue” (tryout)—Play- house, Wilmington (16-17). "Oklahoma" — Davidson, Mil- waukee (5-10); Quimby Aud., Ft. Wayne (12-13); Palace, South Bend (14); Keith’s, Grand Rapids (15-17). “Peter Pan”;—Opera House, Bos- ton (5-10); Shubert, Phila. (12-17). “Romeo and Juliet” (tryout) — Hanna, Cleve. (5-10); Shubert, Bos- ton (12-17) (Reviewed in Variety, Jan. 24, ’51). “South Pacific” — Shubert, Chi- cago (4-17). "Springtime Folly” (tryout) — Lyric, Allentown (12-14); Shubert, New Haven (15-17). "Streetcar Named Desire” — Colony, Marietta, O. (5); Aud., Charleston, W. Va, (6); Keith-Al- bee, Huntington (7); Hartman, Co- lumbus, O. (8-10); Coliseum, Evans- ville, Ind. (12); Memorial Aud., Louisville (13-14); Bijou, Knoxville (15) ; Temple, Birmingham, Ala. (16) ; Murphy Aud., Mobile (17). Peerce Pulls Unusual With Two Boston Dates Jan Peerce, who's appearing at the Met Opera House, N. Y., to- night (Wed.) as lead in "La Tra- viata,” has a Victor recording ses- sion tomorrow, then flies to New Orleans for a concert date Satur- day (10). Tenor also figured in an unusual occurrence this week, when he sing in recital in Boston on Monday (5). It was his second concert there this season, and was set up in a hurry by local impresario, Aaron Rich- mond, when Peerce’s first concert, a week ago, on Jan. 28, was a com- plete sellout at Jordan Hall, with all stage seats sold, Although most concert dates are booked a full season ahead, the Sol Hurok office, which manages Peerce, rearranged some dates for the second Boston concert. It’s unusual for an artist to appear twice a season in one city, even in N. Y. Rice’s ‘Children’ $14,000. Bridgeport-New Haven New Haven, Feb- 6. Despite a questionable recep- tion, tryout Of “Not for Children" did substantial biz at the Shubert here in its four-day stand last week (31-3). In for five perform- ances at $3.60 top, estimated gross of $10,500 was okay. . February liiieup of attractions includes current breakin of “The High Ground" (8-10) and next week’s preem of “Springtime Folly" (15-17>. A week of re- hearsals of "The King and I" is due Feb. 19-24, show playing a full stanza the following week (26-3). ‘Children* $3,500, Bdgpt. Bridgeport, Feb. 6. j Elmer Rice’s "Not for Children" j in a single night at the 1,400-seat! Klein Memorial last Tuesday (30),; played to a capacity $3,500 at a , $3.60 top. I It Was* Bridgeport’s first legit ■ preertl in years. . ; ’KATE’ STRONG $41,400 Long Beach, Cal., Feb. 6 ‘‘Kiss Me, Kate” put together a powerful gross of over $41,400 in eight performances last week in three engagements. Monday and Tuesday (29-30) the music a 1 played, the Arlington, Santa Bar- bara; Wednesday and Thursday (31-1) were at the Civic auditorium Pasadena, and Friday and Satur- day (2-3) were at the Municipal auditorium here. Cole Porter show is splitting the current week between Fresno and Sacramento. In 6th SL Louis Visit St. Louis, Feb, 6, Railroad strike caused the "Okla- homa" company to transport scen- ery etc., by truck from St. Louis to Milwaukee and the fine gross hung up during its sixth visit in St. Louis was probably dissipated by the transportation costs. In spite of below^zero temperature and several heavy snowstorms during the en- gagement that wound up at the American Saturday (3), show grab- bed a sock $30,600 for eight per- formances. The 1,700-seat house was scaled to $4.27. House is dark currently but re- lights Monday (12) with a one- week stand of “The Innocents." With Sylvia Sidney. House is scaled to $4.27 for fhis. Equity Continued from page S3 itish Biz Continued from page 57 Big Showdown Continued from page 23 the Hub- If that many people are willing to plunk down that kind of expense coin to watch people read from scripts, says NfiC, then the impact of “Big Show" on the Boston populace would tend to be- lie the Nielsen results. ; The crux of this pro-“Big Show” argument is that the Nielsen sam- ple, generally recognized as em- bracing about 1,500 audimeters, is all too inadequate in projecting a cross-country pattern of audience likes and dislikes, and that even- tually the industry will have to take cognizance of a situation where such a sample has become the be- all-and-end-all in determining the fate of programs. Not. all the NBC affiliates, it’s un- derstood, are in accord with the NBC thinking bn the "Big Show," and are reported to feel that the Tallulah Bankhead mental gym- nastics and buffoonery are too so- phisticated for rion-New York lis- teners. (See adjoining letter from CBS affiliate in KRLD, Dallas.) However, if majority of senti- ment among the affiliates is in favor of "Big Show," it could well i be that NBC may toss a "what-are- j we-goin^to-do-about-it?” bom b- I shell into the whole, rating picture. the newest type of pantos to the detriment of hardy annuals. These are Claude Langdon’s "Babes in the Wood on Ice" at the Empress Hall, Earl’s Court, and Tom Arn- old’s "Dick Whittington on Ice" at Wembley St a d i u m. Arnold's "Whittington" thaws Feb. 24 after nine healthy weeks while Lang- don’s "Babes" will frolic until March 3 to 11 near-capacity weeks, with Langdon already having set his next Christmas panto, "Puss in Boots on Ice.” 2 Pantos Play to 1,000,000 Between them (Arnold and Langdon), they will have played to over 1,000,000 customers. Even such hits as Val Parnell’s "Babes in the Wood,” at the London Palla- dium, and Emile Littler’s "Goody Two Shoes," at the London Casino, are. feeling the draught. Littler’s Casino run terminates Feb. 24, cutting his "Shoes” by one week, making nine weeks against last year’s "Humpty-Dumpty’s" which went 10. Casino’s annual fiesta, "Latin Quarter,” presented by Tom Arn- old and Emile Littler and, as usu- al Staged by Robert Nesblt., with Nat Jackley starred, is all set for March 10. Parnell finishes with "Babes" ! Mairch 10, making 10 weeks against his l^t year’s 12 weeks for. "Puss in Boots," with v a it d e resuming March 12. Bill, which is in for two weeks, will be headed by Donald O’Connor, here for first time, and Bernard Brothers, who were al- most resident at this house a year Or so ago, and supporting cast. For his next fortnight, Parnell is dick- ering with Yvonne de Carlo, here making a film for J. Arthur Rank. Finishing on a panto note, Par- nell’s panto troubles for next Xmas look like being settled early this year. It is in the cards that it will be Arnold’s "Humpty-Dump- ty,” currently at the Empire, Liver- pool, where it withstood the flu epidemic, and doing capacity. One of the most lavish Arnold has staged, it is reputed to have cost around $80,000 and stars Norman Evans, supported by Betty Jumel, practically unknown In vaudeville but one of the top comedy femmes in panto, and Patricia Burke. Un- like most of the pantos, it will run its allotcd span of 12 weeks; From present demand it could have stayed longer, but Evans has a four-week contract to star in the Waldorf-Astoria floor show open* l ing March 29. passed by the membership at a meeting Jan. 5, the constitutional changes voted down recently ap- pear to have had a political motiva- tion. The council had issued a statement to the membership rec- ommending their rejection as “dan- gerous, entirely against the best wishes Of Equity.” The member- ship session which turned down the proposals was rather sparsely at- tended, but witnessed considerable wrangling. The only amendment adopted, proposed independently by Chand- ler, sets up a procedure by which the membership, may override council veto of its resolutions, First of all,, a reversal of the council must have at least a two- thirds vote at a meeting attended by at least 750 members. However, such reversal may be appealed to the general membership for refer- endum vote, at which a majority would decide. In case the reversal is voted at a meeting attended by less than. 750, the. council may. by resolution and must upon written request Of at least 100 members, submit the matter to general mem- bership referendam. The seven proposed amendments Which the council condemned and the Jan. 22 membership meeting re- jected were as follows: 1. Ban on discrimination in em- ployment, either in dealings with managers or within the union, be- cause of color, religion or politi- cal creed. 2. Provision for holding courses of instruction in theatre and union history for junior member candi- dates for senior membership. 3. Elimination of the ban against Communists or Fascists holding office in the union., 4. Nominations of officer and councillor candidates by petition of 15 members. 5. Constitutional amendment by vote of a meeting attended by 400, instead of 750, members, 6. ; Reversal of council action by two-thirds vote of a meeting at- tended by 300; instead of 750, mem- bers. \ 7. Elimination of life member- ships on payment of 10 years' FDR SALE OR RENT Established Summer Theatre fully equipped. 50 milos from New York. Excellent income from building. Box V-627. Variety, 154 W. 46th St., New York If, N. Y. SAMUEL FRENCH SINCE 1130 Play, Broktrs and Authors' Roprosontativef 25 West 45th Street, Jlew York, /423 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood 44. Cat