Variety (December 1951)

Wednesday, Member 26, 1951 Defaced Photos m Seoveir D rj I Cleveland, Dee. 25. I* The rather grisly practice of de^ facing photos in souvenir books has been under heavy criticism in road cities this season. The prac- tice is to scratch the metal of the reproducing engraving so that faces of girls and boys no longer in the cast will he beyond identifi- cation, thereby avoiding violation of ah Equity t rule urhlch prohibits use of a photograph of anyone not in a show. • • _ . _ In the instance of a big Broad- way musical which recently played here, four photographs in a souve- nir book had been so mutilated by the printer as to make 47 faces into a smear of scratches and blurr. The reason for this is the effort, naturally, to save money on print- ing, or, to put the practice in an- other light, to make more profits for the commission agent of the book. Since a touring musical at- traction does have occasional cast changes, in the chorus and singing group, fair practice would dictate the complete replacement of any photograph exhibiting the features of someone who had left the show. Actually, an occasional replace- ment and the artistic elimination of the face, might be Condoned by managers, but patrons, paying 50c. a book are inclined to regard the mutilation of six faces out of seven in one photograph as an extreme abuse of the practice of souvenir book economyj The offending souvenir book mentioned above was also sold dur- ing a recent date of that musical comedy in Gabe Rubin’s New Nix- (Continued on page 53) as Vs. St. Louis to Get Another in St. Louis, Dec.* 25. of OUT NEXT VFEEK Dennis King Succeeds "wu| 9 , WCU.” £3. I ■ . The Empress theatre, midtownfi 46th-Anniversary Number film house and one of a chain 11 • owned by Louis K. and Joseph C. Ansell, was shuttered last Wednes- day (19) and after an extensive face-lifting, will be relighted Jan. 8 as a legit house. Plans call for a resident cast of New York actors, with names as guests a new show is to be presented, each. week. The tentative sked calls for presentation first of “The Voice of the Turtle,” with Gene. Raymond and Geraldine Brooks in the top roles. It will be followed by “Clut- terback,” f e a t uri n g Arthur Treacher. House will he scaled from 75c. to $2. For years, the- American has been the only legit house in this towh. Opening of the Empress is expected to generate more interest here in legit. White Plains, N. Y. f Dec. 25. Situation Considered unique seems to be developing in this area, with prospect of a county going into competition with a locally- established concert management that’s been ip business 21 years. Westchester County will enter the concert biz on a permanent basis at. the County Center here next year, if a budget item of. $25^000 for financing concerts at the Cen- ter, proposed last week by Repub- lican leaders, is adopted by the Board of Supervisors. Vet concert management here is operated by Mr. and Mrs. Julian Olney, who have been using the Center until this season. The 01- fleys pulled out this year, offering a concert series each, under the name of “Mrs. Julian Olney Se- ries,” at the RKO Keith’s, White Plains, and RKO Keith’s, New Ro- chelle, instead. (They also have a concert series: in Greenwich, Conn.) Olneys. claim they pulled out of the Center due to bad main- tenance and raised rentals. They paid $10,000 rental yearly. There were customer complaints on broken seats, bad viewing, bad • Jf e \ etc '» according to the Olneys, with the Center not willing to make improvements. Hence the switch to the film houses. The County Recreation Commis- sion now wants to put on concert events on its Own. Move, however, bas met with objections from offi- cial sources as well as outside. It’s claimed that taxpayer money (in- cluding Olneys’) is being used to compete with a legitimate local concern. It’s also claimed that the county has no expert management 4 ? ru P su ch concert series and that roe funds (plus possible further com) will be jeopardized. Minority Leader John E. Tobin told the Su- Board, hi criticizing the ?*5,000 budget item, that “free en- terprise would be affected and the county would be speculating with jne taxpayers* money.” The Olneys themselves are keeping mum, plan- mng to take no action despite the unusual situation. Washington, Dec. 25. Washington residents are being solicited, to angel a music tent for this area during the coming sum- mer. To launch such an operation here would reportedly call for an investment in the vicinity of $70,000 to $80,000. Letters have been sent on sta- tionery of the South Shore Music Circus, Inc., and are signed by Stephen Slane, of Cohasset, Mass., who Was assistant resident manager at Cohasset last summer. Letter- head lists Richard Aldrich as -man- aging director in absentia” for the Circus, and suggests that inquiries be sent to 415 E. (54th street, New York, which is Slane’s address. Letter invites people to invest In a. form of the theatre which “ap- peals to all age and income groups.” It says that the music circus here Would operate as a thea- tre-in-the-round, featuring revivals of musicals and operettas. It adds that a site has already been se- lected and that financing has be- gun. Letter further quotes 'from Variety of Oct. 3 last, which re- ports that the Lambertville, N. J., Music Circus grossed about $300,- 000 last summer in a 16-week sea- son, netting nearly half of that. Thus, it is pointed out that music tents can be a sound investment. A few weeks ago, when he an- nounced severing his connection (Continued on page 53) Arthur Kober has om ammlng prefile or Mdomesticlty Ir Aahh, WhattsaVse? I Give Up! • bright byline piece in the Absence of Stars Due to Illness in •if. i, Keats in Cast Hollywood, Dec. 25. Dennis King opens in -^Cocktail Party” in Milwaukee, Jan. 7, re- placing Vincent Price, who was forced out .by a stomach ulcer after collapsing in Tacoma last Wednesday (19) after a perform- ance. Stage manager Bob Ryan read the psychiatrist role at four Portland (Ore.) performances, but the Yakima date was cancelled. Richard St. John takes over for the St. Paul and Minneapolis dates, While King rehearses. Julie Hay don also joins the Lewis & Young production in; Mil- waukee, replacing Marsha Hunt, due back for a Hollywood film commitment. Price needs a mini- mum fortnight’s rest. Despite his absence, the opening Portland per- formance had only $300 cancella- tions; grossing $2,800, Rose Hobart |»is. also leaving the show, with Viola Keats replacing. Van Druten Shares Three Ways on ’Camera’ Stint John van Druten, adaptor of “I Am a Camera,” and Christopher Isherwood, author of “The Berlin Stories,” on which it is based, share the royalties on a 60-40 basis. The total author royalties are the Dramatists Guild minimum (5-7V6* 10%) until the production cost is recouped, after which they go to straight 10%. As stager, van Druten gets an additional until the show is in the black, and 4% thereafter. He also gets 10% of the profits, Lat- ter piece will be absorbed equally by the management and backers, each getting 45% of the net. Pro- ducer Gertrude Macy and associate Walter Starcke are understood to have a 50-50 split, arrangement on the management end, At its recent boxoifice pace, "Camera” is expected: to get into the black by about the first week in February.\ It can net around $6,000 at its potential capacity of $24,400. ♦ Illnesses of leading players hit four Broadway shows last week, in at least two instances involving sizable losses in revenue. Fact that the leads were absent during the pre-Christmas week, when attend- ance is generally below normal, accentuated the costftneSsr of the - Price-Less ’Cocktail’ Portland, Ore., Dec. 25. Portlanders saw two. things proven last Thursday night (20), that “the show must go on” and the play’s the thing,” when T. S. Eliot’s “Cocktail Party” opened a three-day engagement at the Mayfair Theatre, Star Vincent Price collapsed during a curtain call in Tacoma Wednesday night and was rushed to the hospital for observation. Thie company arrived here at 4 p. m. Thursday. Com- pany manager Leslie Thomas phoned Price and told him that opening night here was a sellout. Price made plane reservations, but doctors said he would not be able to appear for several weeks. No understudy was available, so Thomas and Mayfair manager. Herb Royster huddled. Stage manager Robert Ryan read Price’s lines, after Reginald Denny made the curtain announcement. Only a few customers, in the cheaper seats asked for a refund, and the play was a hit. Price collapse in Tacoma was re- ported due to a stomach ailment. Failure of several apprentice pressagents to gain admission to the Assn, of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers after they have completed the required training period; threatens to have serious implications. A special committee of the union is trying to solve the situation and thereby avoid pos- sible legal action by the p.a. ap- plicants. Under the .union rules, three ap- prentice pressagents may register a year. On the theory that one would presumably drop out Without completing training, ATPAM is re- quired to admit only two a year as members. However, for several years there have been few if any drop-outs, so there is now a back- log of candidates, with the possibil- ity of some having to wait two years for admission. Although the candidates arc re- luctant to, go to court on the mat- ter, partly because Of the expense involved and also In a wish to avoid resentment and pos- sible future reprisal, at , least one Is reported to have con- sulted an attorney and been ad- vised-that the Taft-Hartley Law probably applies to the case. In an understandable desire to avoid legal entanglements, the union also hopes to resolve the situation peacefully. Femmes Take Lambs . P e ?Pite some membership oppo- ition, the Lambs have voted for a nunu S to be held once an- nf w! y ’ dlirin K t?hlch Women , guests be invited to the S Yo ft clubhouse. The first Jan h 6 eeHp8ether wil * ^ held shepherd of the ^ambs, spearheaded the victory. OUT NEXT WEEK The 46th Anniversary Number Of Forms closing shortly Usual Advertising rates prevail Copy and space reservations may be sent to any Variety office NEW YORK if 154 W. 44th St. HOLLYWOOD 28 4311 YecceSt. CHICAGO 11 412 N. MicMfcM Avt. LONDON. W. C. 2 I St. MartlR’s Place Trafalyar Squirt situation, since there wasn’t enough boxoffice pressure to offset refunds and/or prospective patrons who stayed away; Most serious sag in receipts was at “King and I,” where the week’s take slid from its consistent ca- pacity of just under $51,700 to slightly below $49,700. That was virtually all refunds, as the star, Gertrude 'Lawrence, and top fea- tured male lead, Yul Brynner, were out of the cast Wednesday (19) and for the balance of, the week, mis- sing six performances in all. The RodgersrHammersteln smash was due to lay off Christmas Eve, hut relighted as scheduled last night (Tues.) with Brynner due back in his regular role of the King of Siam. Miss Lawrence; who had been hospitalized .with pleurisy, was back, at her home early this week and is expected to resume her starring role tonight (Wed.) or tomorrow (Thurs.).. The other star absence causing a. boxoffice loss was at “Point of No Return,” from which Henry Fonda Was missing Friday night (21) because df an attack of laryn- gitis. In that case, the Leland Hayward, production, ^.whieh had been playing to standee capacity, had about $1,400. in refunds, cut- ting the week’s receipts to a bit over $36,500. Fonda returned to (Continued oh page 93) Build Sets, Produce Play in Place Of Minneapolis, Dec. 25. Instead of haying his students write the usual term papers when, they completed their English drama course, Dr. Edwin B. Peftet at Carlton College, at Northfleld, Minn., near here, had them use saws and hammers In place of pen- cils and papers, and turned them loose on the production of a drama, “The Second Shepherd’s Play.” Tri addition to the novel idea of replacing the term paper by actual participation In the staging of the play, medieval style, grades were based by Dr. Pettet on how well the production was staged. Students’ work, substituted for the writing of term papers* included construction of a set on a hayrack; making of costumes; lighting, di- rection, producing and acting in the finished product. The play was staged outdoors in the college square. In its presenta- tion, the drama class was following a tradition established In the 13th century in England, where such plays were a common part of the religious seasons and always were produced by tradesmen, members of various guilds. McIntyre, Campbell Shed icitv Posts . Boston, Dec. 25. Johnny McIntyre, for the past 12 years publicist for the Hub’s six Shiibert legiters, and George Campbell, tub-thumper for the Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, foi the past couple of years, resigned their respective posts effective Saturday (22). Both are members of the Assn, of Theatrical Press- agents and Managers. Several years ago, McIntyre (and general manager Mike Cavanaugh) planned the, successful campaign that defeated Massachusetts solons’ attempts to put the bite on thea- tre ducats via a 5% state fax. Dur- ing the flop-rampant legit seasoz of 1945, McIntyre created a mythi- cal legit producer, Lafayette McGuffy, .. whose zany press re- leases brightened an otherwise dis- mal period. McIntyre’s future plans have not been revealed, nor has there been any indication whether the Shuberts will name a successor. Campbell, in addition to his publicity chores at Brattle, also handles the annual Hasty Pud- ding theatricals at Harvard and the New England Opera Co. affairs. He plans to. trek to California for a short vacation.