Variety (September 1952)

ubciumatjk Bp.ston, Sept. 2. With Khutterinig ot the .Brattle ^ • « jk. mm m > Theatre last Thursday <28), Huh *p||||«||’ ()||^lljl|i Tunf IH atra^vhatters have dwindled to Bos- VIlC"iilM5 lUlir vl ^li Summer Theatre and County i*Uyhouse, hotli operated hy Lee Falk and A1 Capp. Intown spot is slcedded to wind its 18th season jr am. ana JU »-/app. xniuwa spwi, is Tlhcffin « slcedded to wind its 18th season » w*ek of Sept. 8 with "Happy Time." itanlnK Denise Daicel, but and dhected there’! possibility that the subur- H"row. has ^en sked- hea ham wlU continue a week or * L“*«» of one-idght stands two longer. Set for next week is }? 12 Motion picture theatres of Who, M«7 Since many members of tht League , of K Ye Theatres, in- cluding those on the board of governors, also belong to the Assn, of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers, eJBforts to work out a new contract be- tween them are making slow progress, lu several instances scheduled discussion meetings had to be postponed because the League couldn’t get enough non-ATFAM board members to attend. As one member of-the pro- duced organization expressed it,‘ *We keep Anding ourselves negotiating with ourselves,” .. 'Sky/ W Renval ^*The Desert Song,” with all but the New England Theatres Corp. leads recruited from this area. Company, organized in New York, , Present indications are that the will travel via buses, complete with Brattle will remain shuttered un- scenery and necessary props, with til the first of the year unless ade- teeoff performance slated for the quate financial backing is secured Olympia, New Bedford, Sept. 8, to underwrite a lengthier season, winding tour at paraifiount,. New Miriam Hopkins and Peter Haven, Sept, 21. Admission scale l^rre co-starring in A Night At will vary at each situation, but at TuMard s, pulled a slick time will exceed a $2.40 top. $11,500 as the season’s top grosser at Boston Summer Theatre, Ad- If venture clicks, circuit execs nosion summer Aueaire, au- to follpW Up With “GcntlC- yance sale for the current Jeze- r«m|» prefer anil ‘‘Mr bel’s Husband,” starring Claude Blondes , and Mr. Rains, has been hefty. itooerts. "One Touch of Venus,’^ with ' Carol Bruce, at County Playhouse, fell below expectations, winding with a mildish $9,000 for the weelc Denise parcel in "Happy Time” is current. "A Doctor in Spite of Himself,” with Zero Mostel, wound activities at the Brattle Theatre with a neat $1,400 for three performances. Back For 'Moon , Barbara Bel Geddes, vacationing, ‘JeiebeP $6,MO. Matuhuck company Matunuck, R. I., Sept. 2. ^ "Jezebel’s Husband,” starring wigmal femme lead Claude Rains, with Claudia Morgan Bpecified.in her contract, and Carmen Mathews featured, It had previously been assumed grossed a moderate $6,900 ih a try- that the P. Hugh Herbert comedy out stand last week at Ilieatre-by- might close about Labor Day at the-Sea here. At a $3.60 top, the the Henry MUler, N. Y., and be 529-seat house had a capacity of taken to London, Where the ac- $10,400. The Robert Nathan tress and co-starHonald Cook are comedy <tew generally, favorable signed to play it. Barry Nelson, Wiwtion, but ne^s rewriting, and co-starred, in the third princi- fs being taken oft for revision and hasn’t^decided whether to England with the show. Pending Miss Bel Geddes’• re- femme lead, having, succeeded Maggie McNamara^ who recently withdrew because of illness. Mur- ray Hamilton, fotmorly Miss Mc- Namara’s co-star in the Chicago troupe, subbed for Nelson during latter’s recent vacation. Cook has not taken a summer layoff. finale Is a tryout of "Mistress Ug- tuS,? J^et T/co-sS as (Continued on page 53) femme lead, having, succeeded Aldrich & Myers May Get Bea Lillie; Season Sked Most Extensire in Years With Miss Bel Geddes^due hack Richard Aldrich and Richard hi fovm more Weeks, Aldrich At Myers, in association with Julius Myers, in association with Julius Fleischmann, already presenting Fleischmann, plan to.keep the show' "Moon Is Blue” in New York and dh Broadway as long as business on tour, have one tentative new warrants, after which it would be production and a number of other taken to London. Meanwhile, a projects lined up for this season, touring edition ^co-starring David It’s the most extensive list theylve Niven, Diana Lynn and Scott Brady had in years. is playing the Coast, and a third On the immediate schedule Is the tryout of "Gypsies Wore High Sdumwesi;. ' Hats,” Joseph Kramm’s dramatiza- ^ KS'S.as'S.jpATS wiimiip ‘CHARiEr gaiii Playhouse, Coonamessett, Mass., it SEEN HiniNG $325,000 played a week at the co-producer’s Backers of "Where’s Charley?!’ other strawhat, the Cape. Play- have just received a $50,000 divi- house, Dennis, Mass., and next dend on the Cy Feuer-Emest H. week will be at the Pocono Play- Martin production. That brings the house, Mountainhome, Pa. Kramm, profits on the 1948-49 musical to who is also directing, has been re- $305,000. It was capitalized at vising the script and is. rehearsing $200,000, ^plus $50,000 overcall. . this week, with Sylvia Sidney and The latest payoff represents ac- Stephen Bekassy as leads. Tenta- cumulated profits for the lapt year, tive plans for a Broadway engage- Income from the film sale was dis- jnent depend on how the play looks tributed previously. There is an ad- at Mountainhome. ditional $5,000 or so available, There’s a likelihood that Aldrich which will be augmented slightly St Myers, with Fleischmann, may by ^turns on the stock rights, etc., present "An Evening with Beatrice ultimate total profit is ex- Lillie” on Broadway in the falL Pected to reach about $325,000, Aldrich was instrumental in per- _ ^— v nuading the British comedienne to PJff Miyaii fnr SInllil do a barn tour, and helped her as- *■ liiAUH wCl I 111 uUilU semble the material.'The star has FAfitfif pAAlringr* All Indicated to friends that, although DOUJKUl|gS All rSUl kfeVeral managements have sought the revue, she would probably give Pittsburgh, Sept. 2. ' The Nixon, town’s sole legit site, A&M the nod, but nothing will be looks headed for its best getaway decided until her attorney, Howard in years this season, with solid Reinheimer, returns from his cur- bookings right through the first of rent stay at Sun Valley. the year, following the opener; f 'Mama’ Prospect "Oklahoma,” Sept. 29. It’ll be fol- Gainsborough Girls,” the Cecil lowed by another visit of "Mister Beaton play which was tried out Roberts,” this time with Tod An- in England last year, is still on drews, who has never‘appeared In the A&M list of possibilities. A the hit here before, and either revised script was recently received “Palnt Your Wagon” or "A Tree 'New Faces’ Earns $33,000 . In First 10 Weeks; 96G Is Still to Be Recouped For the first 10 weeks of its Broadway run, through July 26, "New-Faces” earned an operating profit of $27,063, plus $1,594 roy- alty from Bendtic Washing Machine (for use of the product In the show) and $4,476 from RCA-Vlctor for advance royalties on the origi- nal-cast album. That brought the total net to $33,133 and left $96,- 778 still to be recouped on the $159,400 investment. There has been no return of capital, but $14,- 955 Is available for repayment of loans. According to the most recent ac- countant’s statement, the Leonard SiUman production tossed a totar of $275,285 for the lOV^-wlc period ended July 26. It had one capacity stanza (the week ended June 14) and approximated sellout figures consistently until the seasonal slump started in July, when the gross slid to $18,554 and $18,542 for the respective weeks ended July 19 and July 26, The operating net varied over that period from a profit of $6,758 for the week ended June 21 to respective losses of $2,- 975 and $2,897 for the July 19 and July, 26 frames. Accountant’s report shows 'Siat "New Faces” was originally fi- nanced at $134,000^ including in- vestments of $58,750 by-Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., and a total of $34,- 000 by members of the Barber and Grace steamship families. In addi- tion, there were production loans-of $25,400 (to be repaid first), for which Sillman assigned 8-14/30% of the profits of his producer’s share. The production cost was $113,169, plus $15,816 tryout loss (on a $17,934 gross for 12 per- formances in Philly). Statement reveals that besides $8,943 in bonds and deposits, ap- proximately $13,000 was guaran- teed by Lee Shubert, who operates the Royale, N. Y., where the revue is playing, to be replaced oiit of first Broadway profits. There Is also a $15,000 sinking fund. An unusual aspect of the produc- tion cost breakdown is an item of $1,125 as producer salary. Also, the operating statement shows a weekly item of $300 royalty for New Faces, Inc., in addition to .the $250 for office expense. The cast payroll has been running about $3,400 a week, with the musicians bill about $1,600 (plus an average of about $300 for conductor), $1,- 600 for crew'and almost $700 for extra stagehands. Authors royalties (Including sketches, music and lyrics) total 6%, director royalties^ (overall staging, sketches, musical num- bers) come., to a little over 2%, and there Is a straight $225 in royalties (reduced to $200 for the week ended July 26) for the designers. The theatre deal gives the show 70% of the first $20,000 gross and 75% thereafter. The musical is currently in its 17th week on Broadway. Albert and Arthur Lewli, ready- ing a production of Fulton Our- sler’s ^^reatest Story Ever Told” for the road, have dropped plans' for a revival of their 194(>"41 musi- cal, "Cabin in the Sky,” for which Pearl Bailey was set for the role originated by Ethel Waters. Also sidetracked indefinitely is a re- vival of "The Spider,” Oursler- Lowell Brentano thriller produced in 1926‘-27 by Albert-Lewis and the late Sam H. Harris, The Lewises were represented on Broadway last season by "Three Wishes for Jamie.” Wason’ Rolls To "Paint Your Wagon,” Cheryl Crawford’s recent production of the Alan Jay Lemer-Frederick Loewe musical,, represented a loss of $95,936, according to the final accounting. The show was fi- nanced at $225,600, plus 10% over- call. It cost $256,070 tb bring in, including tryout loss. There has been $135,000 repaid to the back- ers,. and $15,564 /is available for distribution. Gross for the final we^, ended July 26, was $9,901, of which $5,500 went for, the theatre guar- antee, leaving a deficit of $12,644. On a total gross of. $1,269,881 for the 291-performance Broadway run, the show earned an operat- ing profit of $83,470, plus $71,856 share of the film $200,000 film sale, $2,994 advance on British royalties, $2,495 advances on sheet music royalties and $793 from the sale of souvenir programs. Closing expenses were $1,480, A tour of the production, with Burl Ives starring in the role orig- inated by James Barton and sub- sequently played by Eddie Dow- ling, is planned for this fall by Wolfe Kaufman and John Yorke, respective pressagent and ^general manager for Miss Crawford, They intend to use the same physical production and most of the original cast. WILLIAMS S0S 20-WEEK U.S. TOUR AS DICKENS Emlyn Williams, who played the U. S, briefly last season in a. pro- gram of readings from Charles Dickens’ works (dressed as Dick- ens when the latter delivered the same dramatic readings’ some 80 years before), will return in Janu- ary for a 20-week tour, again un- der Sol Hurok management. Actor, who opens tonight (Wed.) in London in a solo reading of his own adaptation of Dickens' "Bleak House,” again made up as Dickens, will present both "Bleak House” and last season’s Dickens miscel- lipiy in the U. S. on alternate weeks or nights. Williams will open in Boston mid-January and tour west, I'etorning to N. Y, end of April or early May for a four- week run. His tour will consist mainly of one-nighters. Patrice Munsd Disks 10 Songs for 'Melba' Pic Bow the A&M list of possibilities. A the hit here before, and either revised script was recently received “Palnt Your Wagon” or "A Tree from the author, but the producers. Grows in Brooklyn.” haven’t yet conferred on it./'Here’s Katharine Comeil launches her Mama, the legit .version of the tour in "The Constant ’Wife” here television series based on the Kath- Oct. 20, with Phil Silvers in "Top ^n Forbes novel, "Mama’s Bank Banana” neirt and then the Bette Account, is also a prospect for Davis revue, "Two’s Company” for A&M presentation on Broadway, a fortnight, starting Nov. 3. Henry r Wood will agree to star ponda in "Point of No Return,” In the title role she plays in the Mae West in "Come On Up,” Edna 1V edition. After the comedy’s Best in "Jane” and S. M. Shartock's boxoffice cleanup this summer at Gilbert & Sullivan troupe will tn« Ogunqult (Me.) Playhouse and carry the Nixon through tb the new (Continued on page 50) year. WLS-Owned Chi Legiter To Woo Touring Groups Chicago, Sept. 2. Eighth St. Theatre, under lease to radio station WLS for the past 20 years, was sold to the latter last week and will undergo exten- sive remodeling. House, on south end of the Loop, has had several theatrical offerings in the past few years, but most of its inhabitants, beside the National Barn Dance radio slmw which emanates from there on Saturday nights, have been in the amateur and semi-pro- fessional group. However, management is now trying to interest touring groups to play the spot. Patrice Munsel, Met Opera so- prano, who went to Europe in June for her honeymoon with Rob- ert Schuler, began recording the musical numbers for her first film, fhe "Nellie Melba” screen biogra- phy, in London last week. There are 10 numbers in all, from eight operas. Picture is being produced in England and on location in Italy,, by S. P. Eagle for United Artists, with Lewis Milestone directing. Operatic sequences will be shot in several Italian opera houses’ and in London’s Covent Garden Opera House. Film begins actual shooting this week. Miss Munsel Is expected back in the U. S. middle of October to re- port for the Met season. Relations between the Shubertg and tlfe Sullivan theatre ticket: agency, which have been off and on since their open breaik two yearp ago, are now apparently amlcabl* again." According to managementg with shows playing Shubert housei in New ’York, the old Sullivan al- lotments, in force before the split, have been back in effect several weeks. No explanation has been offered for the i*enewah '' At the time of the break a couple of years ago, Lee Shubert and John A. Sullivan, president of tl^ agency, decline to reveal tW cause of their dispute, Shubert denied trade reports that the is- sue was a demand for an increas#. of the purported 25c-p!er-ticket 'fe# for Sullivan’s allotments at Shut- bert theatres... Since Sullivan, with outlets in most of the leading New York hotels, was the major dis- tributor of tickets .to transients, there was Considerable indignatioYi among managers of current shows over the curtailment of the Sulli- van allotments, Despite protests, however, Shubert A'efused to bu^gei. About that time, the Liberty agency was opened in Shubert Al- ley ^at 44th St., adjacent to the Shubert Theatre, where Lee Shu- bert's office Is located. It' was commonly understood in the trade that the Shuberts were Interested in the new outfit, and other agency allotments at Shubert houses were reduced to supply it. Despite more grumbling oyer this development, the new arrangement stood. Belief among managers is that since Liberty has not achieved a dominant position in the agency field, .Shubert has found it ncces- . sary to settle his quarrel with Sul- . livan, who has maintained his branches In the hotels.. Fact that Sullivan has never publicly at- tacked Shubert or revealed tlie cause of their tiff Is created with facilitating the truce. 'Bell’ Bookings Running Gamut in Autumn Touring Through West, Midwest Shepard Traube's toui’ing pro- duction of "Bell, Book and Can- dle,” currently playing the north- west before going to Los Ang«les and San Francisco, has some un- usual bookings for its subsequent route through the southwest and midwest into early December. For instancer the production will be trucked between some of the Texas dates where fall connections are difficult, and several of the stands are slated to open on Saturday or Sunday nights. The Joan Bennetb-Zachary Scott starrer, after closing Oct, 18 in San Francisco, goes to the Capitol, Salt Lake City, Oct. 20-21; Chief, Colo- rado Springs, Oct. 23; Municipal Auditorium, Denver, Oct. 24-25; Forum, Wichita, Oct. 27; Oklahoma, (pity, Oct, 28; Ft Worth, Oct. 29-80? and Dallas, Oct 31-Nov. 1. The John van Druten comedy next goes to San Antonio, Nov. 2-3; Austin (Scott’s hometown), Nov. 4; Houston, Nov, 6-6; New Orleans, Nov. 8-15; Baton Rouge, Nov. 17-18; Little Rock, Nov. 19-20; Memphis, I Nov. 21-22; Kansas City, Nov. 24- 26; Des Moines, Nov. 27 (Thanks* giving Day, when a large conven- tion is in town); Omaha, Nov, 28- 29, and Milwaukee, Dec. 1-8. After closing its Current stand Sunday night (7) at the Metropoli- tan, Seattle, the show goes to tho Mayfair, Portland, Sept. 8-12; Bllt- more, Los Angeles, Sept. 15-27, and Geary, San Francisco, Sept. 29- Oct. 18. .‘Bagels’ Tees Off Hub Boston, Sept. 2. The FTiib’s legit season tees off next Sunday (7) with a return en- gagement of "Bagels and Yox,” here for a two-week stint, with in- dications that it will repeat tho capacity biz racked up during its previous visit here. Revue plays its first week at the Shubert, moving to the smaller Majestic for its final week, to make the Shubert available for re- ,hearsals for the new musical, "But- trio Square,” which is slated to preem here Sept. 22.