Variety (December 1952)

Wednesday, December 31, 1952 LEGITIMATE 49 Usual Pre-Xmas Lull in Chicago; ‘Banana’ Light $26,200, ‘Girl’ $13,400 Chicago,' Dec. 30. 4 While legit grosses picked up Christmas night, rest of the week before Thursday was brutal How- p£er prospects for this week, with New’ Year’s Eve, are excellent. "Call Me Madam” starts an un- limited engagement at the Shu- bert Jan. 20 and ‘‘Dial ‘M’ For Murder” begins a like stay at the Harris Jan. 25. “Point of No Re- turn” comes into the Erlanger .Tan 26, but only for four weeks. Estimates For Last Week “Constant Wife,” Selwyn ($4.40; 1 000) (Katharine Cornell). Ex- cellent $9,400 for four perform- an “Country Girl,” Blackstone (4th W k) ($4.20; 1,535) (Robert Young, Dane Clark and Nancy Kelly). Moderate $13,400. "Gigi,” Harris (8th wk) ($4.40; 1,000) (Audrey Hepburn). Not bad ^Gilbert Sc Sullivan, Shubert ($4; 2 100) (Martyn Green). With seven shows, light $14,000. “Stalag 17/’ Erlanger (18th wk) ($4 40; 1.334). Picking up slightly with $12,600. Closes Saturday (3). “Top Banana,” Great Northern (4th wk) ($6; 1,500) (Phil Silvers). Light $26,200 this week, but mail orders good. ‘DOLLS’ SMASH $38,200 IN 2D TORONTO WEEK Toronto, Dec. 30, On a fortnight's return Toronto, engagement this season, “Guys and Dolls” racked up a smash $74,800. On its second week, despite the Xmas holiday bite, the musical grossed a f errific $38,200, this sur- prisingly topping the previous week’s hefty $36,600, with the Royal Alexandra, 1,525-seater, scaled at a heavy $5.50 top with tax. Last four performances, Fri- day and Saturday matinees and- nights, went clean to turnaway business, plus a" good Xmas eve. Biz was off Xmas night, but drop was lighter than expected. With Allan Jones dropping out of the lead male role during the Toronto date, the Sky Masterson part was played by Charles Fred- erick for four final Toronto per- formances. Frederick was here for a previous week’s researsals. Troupe goes into the Hanna, Cleve- land, for the current fortnight. ‘Ladies’ Okay $10,000 In Pittsburgh Return Pittsburgh, Dec, 30. First of a two-week return en- gagement of “Good Nite, Ladies” at Nixon was all right, with take missing $10,000, and more than half of that coming in the final three performances. The ordinarily bad three nights before Xmas man- aged to account for around $1,000 each on the low-price two-for-ones, and the weekend jacked the Jules Pfeiffer show into the winner’s circle. “Ladies” looks to top opening figures on the holdover, with big advance sale for the special holi- day performances. Nixon gets its next subscription play, “The Four- poster,” on Monday <5) and then gets four weeks of “Guys and Dolls,” first of them also under subscription. ‘ROBERTS’ $15,200 FOR 6 IN 4 MIDWEST STANDS Little Rock, Dec. 30. “Mister Roberts.” with Tod An- drews starring, grossed a total of $15,200 last week in a six-perform- ance spread of four stands. Thomas Heggen-Joshua Logan hit drew $3,300 for a one-nighter Monday (22) at the Forum, Wichita; added $1,600 for another single showing Tuesday night (23) at the Conven- tion Hall, Enid, Okla.; omitted Wednesday night (Christmas Eve); picked up $5,200 for a matinee and evening Thursday (25) at the Mu- nicipal Auditorium, Oklahoma City, and wound up with $5,100 for two evenings Friday-Saturday (26-27) at the Robinson Auditorium here. Leland Hayward production is dividing this week between Shreve- port, La.; Jackson and Vicksburg, Miss., and New Orleans. Dielz ‘Camera’ Slips to $13',900; ‘Okla’ Okay 2!0G, Frisco San Francisco, Dec. 30. “On Borrowed Time.” with Vic- tor Moore, Leo G. Carroll and Beulah Bondi, opened last night (Mon.) at the Alcazar. “Affairs Of State,” with Marsha Hunt and Otto Kruger, will open at the Geary Jan. 26. Estimates for Last Week “I 4 m A Camera,” Curran (2d wk) (D-$4.20; 1,758) (Julie Harris). Slipped to $13,900 (previous week, a hefty $23,000). • “Oklahoma,” Geary (1st wk) (M-$4.20; 1,550). An okay $20,000. Ballet Theatre $20,400 For Three in Baltimore Ballet Theatre resumed its sea- son’s tour with three performances last weekend in Baltimore, for a sock capacity $20,400 take. - .__Tr° u P e is playing a full week in Washington currently, appearing at th6 Capitol Theatre instead of at Constitution Hall, as formerly. Scheduled B’way Openings “Fifth Season,” Cort, Jan. 13. t , Your Age,” 48th Street, Jan. 14. “Love of Four Colonels,” Shu- bert, Jan. 15. “Crucible” (Arthur Miller play), Beck, Jan. 23. t no theatre set, week of Jan. 19. ' ja^^'Summcr,” no theatre set, “Hazel Flagg,” Hellinger, Feb. 5. of Feb 61 ?) 1 * 116 ’” n0i theatre set > week Fcb J °l4 n Browns Body,” Century, 'SHRIKE' $16,200, CINCY Cincinnati, Dec. 30. *f eflin in “The Shrike” dec- ui«i i-. *»300-seat Cox last week mu f 1 ?' 20 , 0 « $<*.31 t0P- - Drtnla’s m "fiht houses were Wednesday matinee and night and Christmas vve(!k Use has “Fourposter” this Continued from page 46 lovers is now most poignant, ap- pealing and believable. Strong Gerard Assist Another strong asset are the sets and costumes of Rolf Gerard, a vast improvement over previous produc- tions. They create mood and at- mosphere of a 10th century Bohe- mian Paris that are striking. A first-rate cast carried the show off Saturday, avoiding the mistakes of miscasting in the earlier “Fleder- maus,” when two of the principals, foreign-born, spoiled the perform- ance with their thick accents. Here an American-born cast sang, in the main, distinctly, although at times, for some reasons, the words were lost. They also brought dramatic conviction to the performance, especally in the sensitive portrayal of Nadine Conner as the frail Mimi. She looked the role, and played it affectingly. Vocally, the cast was admirable. Miss Conner sang well, her voice perhaps being a little too small, but nevertheless being sweet, sure and appealing. Richard Tucker sang feelingly as Rodolfo, his rendition of the first-act “I’ll hold your hand” aria being the opera’s highspot. Robert Merrill, as Marcello, in many ways was the cast standout, for an intelligent, intelligible, ar- tistic performance, vocally and dra- matically. Patrice Munsel, as the coquettish Musetta, was a charm- ing actress and sang her famous waltz with dash and spirit. Jerome Hines and Clifford Harvuot com- pleted the quartet of Bohemians, Hines being particularly affecting in his fourth-act aria about his be- loved overcoat. Albert Erede conducted the per- formance to fine effect, pulling dra- matic and vocal, as well as indi- vidual and group, elements togeth- er with sensitivity and skill. Bron. ‘Return’ $17,600, Detroit Detroit, Dec. 30. “Point of No Return” returned $17,600 at the Shubert last week. Henry Fonda starrer remains for another stanza. The Cass, which is currently dark, relights- Jan. 5 with a fort- night of “The . Shrike,” starring Yan Heflin. ‘Anonymous Lover’ $8,200 In Week at Cleveland Cleveland, Dec. 30. Larry Parks and Betty Garrett, in “Anonymous Lover,” grossed around $8,200 at $3.70 top for eight performances at the 1,500-seat Hanna last week. “Guys and Dolls” returned to the Hanna Monday (29) for a two-week stint. ‘Madam’ $38,400, ‘Age’ $4,21, Philly Philadelphia, Dec. 30. “Call Me Madam” continued to get heavy piay with steady box- office call, but other offerings suf- fered in the Christmas Week de- pression, “Paint Your Wagon” never got rolling and “Be Your Age,” comedy which preemed at Locust Christmas night, was thumbsed-down by local crix. Estimates for Last Week “Summer and Smoke,” Academy Foyer (6th wk) (350; $3.25). “Call Me Madam,” Forrest (2d wk) (1,760; $4.55) (Elaine Stritch- Kent Smith). Musical topped first week’s take handily, despite pre- Christmas slough. Expected to clean up this sesh, with New Year’s Eve extra tariff, juast week, solid $38,400. “Be Your Age,” Locust (1st wk) (1,580; $3.90) (Conrad Nagel). Com- edy disappointed and bad reviews failed to help. Poor $4,200 for four performances and a preview. - “Paint Your Wagon/’ Shubert (3d wk) (Burl Ives). Vehicle con- tinued downward skid during last week of run; drab $18,900. TACIFIC’ OKAY $37,500 IN 2-WAY TEXAS SPLIT Fort Worth, Dec. 30. “South Pacific” did healthy but not sensational business last week, for a $37,500 total in a split be- tween Waco and here. The Rod- gers-Hammerstein musical drew $8,000 in two performances Mon- day-Tuesday night (22-23) at the Waco U. Auditorium, and added $29,500 for four evenings and two matinees Wednesday-Saturday (24- 27) at the Will Rogers Auditorium here. Show is playing Houston all this week. ‘Fifth Season’ $8,000 In Four at New Haven New Haven, Dec. 30. • Preem of “The Fifth’ Season” at Shubert last week ((25-27) pulled fair evening biz, for a so-so es- timated $8,000 on four perform- ances at $3.60 top. Current is break-in of “The Bat” revival (31-3). Next week gets two days of “Bagels and Yox” (6-7) and three days of “The Intruder” (8- 10). Following a week of final re- hearsals (12-17), “Wonderful Town” (Rosalind Russell) plays a full stanza Jan. 19-24. “Bell, Book and Candle” (Zachary Scott, Joan Ben- nett) gets three days (Jan. 29-31). See ‘Swan’ Continued from page 47 stage the comedy, which is slated for mid-February rehearsals. Ferrer planes Sunday (4) to Lon- don to take over from author Jo- seph Schramm on direction of “The Shrike,” which opens a try- out Jan. 19 at Brighton and is due in the West End three weeks later, with Sam Wanamaker as star. JU& then returns to New York for the “Angels” assignment. The. London presentation of “Fourposter” depends on the will- ingness of the Cronyns to take on the added stint with the Jan de Hartog comedy after they wind up their current tour in Boston late in March. The stars have indicated interest in the project, but final acceptance depends on terms and the time element, etc. The West End engagement would be done by the Playwrights Go., in association with Stanley French, who produced the original version of the two- character play there in the fall of 1950, with Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray. - ^ Incidentally, the Cronyns would presumably have no labor permit difficulties,, as she is a native Brit- on and her husband is a Canadian. Holiday Pickup Halts B’way Skid; Nearly All Shows Zoom; ‘Wish’ 48^G, Bette $4l,6(IO, ‘Children 14^G 1st Wk. After a dreary first four nights through Christmas, attendance at Broadway legiters finally took off last Friday night (26) to rescue a staggering week of business. Al- though receipts Saturday night (27) w r ere below expectations, with various shows failing to go clean, the week’s grosses were generally much better than for the previous stanza. With upped scales for the New Year’s Eve performance tonight (Wed.) and the holiday trade jam- ming midtown streets, business this week, traditionally-the top for the season, is expected to take a spectacular jump (New Year’s Eve top prices for the various shows are indicated in the gross sum- mary below). As usual, next week’s grosses are due to sag sharply. Attend- ance ^..should bounce back after that, however, and maintain a healthy level through Washing- ton’s Birthday and intg Lent. Last week’s only closing was the limited-engagement “Million- airess.” The only scheduled exits are “Mrs. McThing,” Jan. 10, and “Male Animal,” Feb. 7. Keys: C (Comedy), D (Drama), CD (Comedy-Drama), R (Revue), MC (Musical Comedy), MD (Musi- cal Drama), O (Operetta). Other parenthetic designations refer, respectively, to top prices; number of seats, capacity gross and stars. Price includes 20% amuse- ment tax, but grosses are;net: i.e., exclusive of tax . “Bcrnardine,” Playhouse (11th wk) (C-$4.80; 999; $21,500). Almost $13,200 (previous week, $8,500); $6 top New Year's Eve. “Children’s Hour,” Coronet (2d wk) (D-$4.80; 1,027; $28,378). Near- ly $14,500 (previous week, $10,400 for first four performances and two previews); $6 New Year’s Eve, “Deep Blue Sea,” Morosco (8th wk) (D-$6-$4.80; 912; $26,000) (Margaret Sullavan). Laid off last Wednesday (24), but grossed $13,- 100 for the six-performance week (previous week, $20,500); $7.20 New Year’s Eve. “Dial *M’ for Murder,” Plym- outh (9th wk) (D-$4.80; 1,062; $30,- 495) (Maurice Evans). With'only one small party, the gross went over $30,800, a new high for the run (previous week, $30,000); $7.20 New Year’s" Eve. “Evening With Beatrice Lillie,” Booth (13th wk) (R-$6; 900; $24,- 184) (Beatrice Lillie, Reginald Gar- diner). Nearly $23,900 (previous week, $24,200); $9.60 New Year’j^ fourposter,” Golden (1st wk) (C-$4.80; 769; $19,195) (Sylvia Sid- ney, Romney Brent). Almost $9,500 (previous week, laid off); $6 New Year’s'Eve, , “Guys and Dolls,” 46th St. (110th wk) (MC-$6.60; 1,319; $43,904). Hit $37,800 (previous week, $33,000); $9.60 New Year’s Eve. “King and I,” St. James (92d wk) (MC-$7.20; 1,571; $51,717) (Yul Brynner). Over $46,900 (previous week, $38,500); $9.60 New Year’s Eve. “Male Animal,” Music Box (35th wk) (C-$4.80; 1,012; $25,903). Near- ly $14,100 (previous week, $9,000); $6 New Year’s Eve. “Millionairess,” Shubert (11th wk) (C-$6-$4.80; 1,361; $39,000) (Katharine Hepburn). Omitted show last Thursday (25); grossed nearly $28,900 for the six-per- formance week (previous week, $36,500); closed limited engage- ment Saturday night (27) after 84 performances. • “Moon Is Blue,” Miller (95th wk) <C-$4.80; 920; $21,586) (Don- ald Cook, Barry Nelson, Janet Ri- *ley. Almost $9,200 (previous week, $6,200; $6 New Year’s Eve. “Mrs. McThing,” 48th St. (38th wk) (C-$4.80; 925; $22,927) (Helen Hayes). Nearly $16,500 (previous week, $10,900); $6 New Year’s Eve; closing Jan. 10, to tour. “My Darlin’ Aida,” Winter Gar- den (9th wk) (O-$7 ? 2Q-$6.60; 1,519; $51,881). Almost $27,000 (previ- ous week, $26,000); $9.60 New Eve “New Faces,” Royal e (33d wk) (R-$6; 1,035; $30,600). Nearly $24,- 600 (previous week, approached $18,000); $8.40 New Year's Eve. “Pal Joey/’ Broadhurst (52d wk) (MC-$6.60; 1,160; $39,602) (Vivi 7 enne Segal, Harold Lang). Almost $33,200 (previous week, -$25,200); $9.60 New Year’s Eve. “Seven Year Itch/’ Fulton (6th wk) ($6-$4.80; 1,063; $23,228). With the upped weekend scale now be- coming effective, the show hit al- most $24,600, a new high for the, run (previous week, $23,800); $6 New Year’s Eve. “South Pacific,” Majestic (193d wk) (MC-$6; 1,659; $50,186) (Mar- tha Wright, George Britton). Over $33,600 (previous week, $22,600); $6 top New Year’s Eve. “Time of the Cuckoo,” Empire (11th wk) (D-$6-$4.80; 1,082; $25,- 056) (Shirley Booth). Over $22,000 (previous week, $22,000); $6 New Year’s Eve. “Time Out for Ginger,” Lyceum (4th wk) (C-'$4.80; 995; $22,845) (Melvyn Douglas), Nearly $16,000 (previous week, $12,000); $6 New v Year’s Eve. “Two’s Company,” Alvin (2d wk) (R-$7.20; 1,331; $47,167) (Bette Davis). Over $41,600 (previous week, $45,300); $9.60 New Year’s Eve. “Whistler’s Grandmother,” Presi- dent (3d wk) (C-$3.60; 300; $7,000) (Josephine Hull). JLaid off first part of week, reopening Thursday night (25) and grossing almost $1,500 for four performances (previous week, $2,000); $6 New Year’s Eve. “Wish You Were Here,” Imperial (27th wk) (MC-$7.20; 1,400; $52,- 080). Nearly $48,500 (previous week, $46,000); $9.60 New Year’s Eve. ‘Love’ $15,500 (4), Dial’ $5,400, Hob Boston, Dec. 30. Following .a three-week hiatus, legit bounced back last weekend with “Love of Four Colonels,” at the Colonial, and “Dial *M’ For Murder,” at the Wilbur, proving strong boxoffice lure. Two newcomers this week (29) are returnees; “Bagels and Yox” in for a week <at the Majestic and “Paint Your Wagon” in for two- weejeer at the Shubert. * Estimates For Last Week “Dial ’M’ For Murder,” Wilbur (1,200; $3.60 Mon.-thru-ThUrs., $4.20 weekends). Opened Friday (26) and pulled $5,400 for three performances. “Love of Four Colonels,” Colo- nial (4.20; 1,500;. Opened Christ- mas night and nabbed nifty $15,- 500 for four performances. Cur- rent week shapes clean. SKINNER $6,100 IN4; ‘AFFAIRS' $10,200, L.A. Los Angeles, Dec. 30. Prospects brightened here this week with Christmas shopping out of the way and the town beset by tourists, including many in town for the annual Rose Bowl game. Last week, “Affairs of State” hit $10,200 for its 13th frame at the Carthay Circle. Production elimi- nated the Christmas Eve perform- ance. Cornelia Otis Skinner drew a pleasant $6,100 for the first three days (four shows) of her 10-day stand in “Paris ’90” at the Bill- mere,,! after opening Christmas nigKtr ‘Intruder’ Thin $13,000 In 1st Washington Week Washington, Dec. 30. First week of “The Intruder,” new Margaret O’Brien and Eddie Dowling starrerj drew a thin $13,- 000 at the Shubert Theatre. Poor reviews combined with the usual Christmas week slump to beat down the boxoffice take. National Theatre was "dark for the second straight week last week. It reopened last night (Mon.) to a strong advance sale for Ballet Theatre. NX City Ballet $35,200; Slavenska Troupe $15,000 The N. Y. City Ballet, in its eighth week at City Center, N. Y., last week, racked up a respectable gross of $35,200, omitting a Xmas Eve performance and skedding a Friday matinee instead. The Slavenska-Franklin Ballet, in its third week at the Century, N. Y., dipped to $15;0OG. Troupe winds there Jan. 3, to open its win- ter tour lii Philly Ffeb.. 9. The Japan deal has been pacted, with I troupe opening in Tokyo May 15, Ifor an eight-week Nipponese stay.