Variety (April 1953)

72 IE6ITOIATB i__m_ Wednesday, April 15, 1953 Indie Conservative Ticket Seen 't'. On Heels o Selection of a predominantly, liberal slate by the nominating] committee is exported to bring the entry an independent ticket by the conservative forces in- the an- nual Actors Equity election June 5. The regular slate was announced j yesterday * Tues. i by the union s ! Current Stock Bills (April 13-26) 22 Frisco Opera Group Show Finances San Francisco, April 14. San Francisco is today the only council. Deadline for putting up \ city outside of N. Y. to support two S * 30dayspriOT Ca Latter, whose season conclud- j Hart.-Quarterdeck, Atlantic City the election. Regular j S ! UM0.. second vl J* 2 *S d ®jVf° 5 11 ™* ® jmous growth in the past two years j expired term of. Kay- s , th mana£re _ as two-year un mond Massey. Arms *??„ *5® Arena 1 PAL JOEY St Around We Go — piayhouse,' (As of Jan. 31, ’53) Houston (13-26*. i Original Capital $125,000 Be Your Age—Arena, Rochester ’ capital returned to backers 125,000 (21-25). . Production cost (excluding tryout loss) 141,340 Buy Me Blue Ribbons—Arena, ? Tryout loss , 14,523 Gross for last five weeks 170.400 Profit for last five weeks *. 17,125 Total profit to date 168,358 Profits distributed to date 125,000 Bonds and deposits 21,475 Cash reserve 25,000 Balance available for distribution 18.358 (Note: The Jule Styne^-Leonard Key production, in association with Anthony Brady Farrell, opened Jan. 3, *52, at the Broadhurst, N. Y. When it closes Saturday night (18> it will have played 431 performance the longest-run revival in Broadway history). Rochester (14-18*. _ w w i m/i n i Hasty Heart (John Dali)—Quar- In Black With 48G Gross Georgie Tapps)—Paper Mill, Mil- bum, N. J. (13-26). Over 21 (Ilka Chase) — Ber- mudian, Hamilton (14-19). who recently ri- j smee coming under the manage- Yul Brynner, Larry Gates, meat of Dario Shindell. Money, Music, Merriment Johann Strauss’ "Die Fleder- ! maus,” which the N.Y. City Opera — 4 - a 1 T^T ler^t moderate liberals. * It’s understood that the nominat- ffivGisC^HiSSiSSj Company headed by Campbell Maxwell. William Redfield. Polly • McGregor, with Bo-le;. Edmon Rvan. Frank Sil-;musical director, had up until two vera and Eleanor Wilson to serve l years ago sustained seasonal losses rernlrr Jive-year terms; Osceola * from $15,000 to $20,000. ^ These Archer, four-year replacement; Jo- -six-performance, ^ three-w^ees sea- seen Anthony, three-year replace- sons are given m the 3,2o~-seat j Co p reeme d at City Center, N.Y., men*; Carmen Mathews and Paul jj Opera House, T p ° c ^ j last Wednesday (8), is a welcome addition to the troupe’s repertory. Such amusing melodic foolery whole scope of production and cast- j rentola ») is nee ded to offset the UKuarswuu tuuc mt: • gg nf ^OftO ^ ^ ! USUaI he W °P eratic fare , to make ing committee originally picked^ 48 ’ 000 ’ a profit of$8,000. ! a well-balanced repertoire, some conservatives, but the latter • Initial casting tnp was made by t T he Center’s "Fledermaus” may refused to be candidates on the! Shindell last summer to Is. Y..; be a little too broad in its treat- regukr ticket because of its pre-j where he signed and added nine ment f or SO me tastes, and the pre- ponderantly liberal makeup. Also, j singers to this season’s roster and Auction requires a few more run- the conservatives reportedly are \ addition of Glynn Ross as director, throughs to become a slick present- unsym pathetic to the nominating ?, plus production and promotion en- a ti 0 n up to NYCOC standards, but commk:ee's failure to name any I largement greatly responsible for ^ has a lot of merit. And because incumbent council members, par- j solid take. This growth is in spi.e , a f ew jaded.music critics are bored ticularlv what are regarded as [ of present local entertainment dol right-wingers among replaceriients drums, filling unexpired terms. I Incumbent cduncil members 1 (and what are regarded as their i faction*I leanings) whose terms! ■ ■ ■■■■■•?. j ON BORROWED TIME v at n*. n . <11 >1 (As of March ’ 53 > In New City tenter mans i original capital ,$ 30,000 rti/ii-'i r ft Additional capital borrowed 14,415 llirk Hi Sft3S0n Cos t t° bring production from Coast 19.439 MalnovliLIV OI »Jva \ Total gross on three-week Boston engagement 18,092 Loss on Boston engagement r 15,631 Total gross for first five weeks on Broadway, through March 14. 49.100 Loss on first five weeks on Broadway 18.327 Bonds and deposits 12,656 Deficit 8,982 (Note: The Richard Krakeur & Randolph Hale revival in association with William G. Costin. Jr., was produced on the Coast, then tried out in Boston, and opened Feb. 10, *53, at the 48th Street, N. Y. It closes there next Saturday night (18) after’78 performances.) Inside Stuff-Legit expirj tins year include Edith At- water. li-oeral; Sidney Blackmer, conservative; Clay Clement, vari- able; Edith Meiser, moderate con- servative; Eddie Nugent, conserva- tive; Erin O’Brien-Moore. ccnserva- ‘Sea’ Profits, Investment, fi .. - r. ii ... . T • - s "Deep Blue Sea,’’ Terence Rat- Twf 1 tigan drama starring Margaret Sul- ^ erva ^ lv ^ Ann TnomoS,; i avan represents a profit of about conservative, and the following re- ■ of Metropolitan Fledermice,” is no reason $ 20,000 on its $60,000 investment as of last week’s engagement in Pittsburgh. Show has returned the original capital to the backers, and as of March 28, had $19,812 in as- sets, including $9,900 in bonds and I . , * , ... deposits -and $9,912 available forj ? learl y- ? n f ™ akc L hls an enga ?' cash reserve. ■ The Alfred de Liagre, Jr., and placements filling unejepired terms, Whitper Bissel, liberal; Vickie Cummings, conservative; Arnold Moss, variable; Beverly Roberts, conservative, and Jane White, lib- eral. Nominating committee Included Frederic Tozere, chairman; Wynne Gifesc-n and Tom Ewell, all repre-, _ , _ . .. sent ins the council, and Ruth Me-! ^^ son ? r< ^5,i, on Devit'.. Beatrice Straight, Neva Pat- ( 538,335, but earned $8,547 on its tersen, Melvyn Douglas, John Mar-1 tr >' out tour and netted $50,745 on riott and George Keane, repre- 1 lts 13 2 -P e rf°rman c e Broadway run. sencir.g the membership. The six! For its first four weeks on tour membership reps were elected by j it grossed a total of $65,964 and approximately two-to-one vote at a netted $84, including a $1 398 loss recent quarterly membership meet- {on a $13,286 gross for the week ended March 14 in Baltimore. Show picked up around $500 more on last week’s $18,800 gross in Pittsburgh. Operating statement for the pro- duction indicates that Rattigan gets a straight 10% as author.- (How- ever, there appears to be an auto- matic Sliding-scale cut when the gross goes below certain levels. British director Frith Banbury, who also staged the original London production, gets 1 ^%, and there is a percentage setup for the cast, ap- parently involving 10% for Miss Sullavan. Uta Hagen is due to take over as star May 4 in Cincinnati, succeed- ing Miss Sullavan. with a .surfeit Opera for depriving City Center audi- ences of its lilting melodies. * As it happens, this Center “maus” has it over the Met’s "maus” in several respects, having younger singers who are also bet- ter actors, and who lend it more spirit. The Center’s production re- veals a charming, gifted Rosalinda in Laurel Hurley; .a pert if not completely at ease Adele in Elaine Malbin (the Aida in the recent Broadway "My Darlin’ Aida”), and capable support in Jack Russell, Jon Crain, Donald Gramm and especially in William Shriner, the Dr. Falke, They sing With class, enunciate Recent resolution by the Actors Equity council endorsing the action of the Ford Foundation in establishing a $15,000,000 fund to study restrictions on freedom of thought, was proposed and supported by conservative members of th# union’s governing body. The Equity statement announcing the council move called the Foundation action "an important contribution to the preservation of American civil liberties, which might result in great benefits to members of the theatrical profession.” In a letter to Paul G. Hoffman, chairman of the fund, the council offered "full cooperation to the end that black- listing, censorship and guilt by association, practices which"have grown up in the entertainment industry without knowledge of the public, endangering the livelihood of artists in ways hidden from them and the public, might be banished from the entertainment industry.” The council also called on other show business unions to join in the action. mg Spgfld. Players Going It Alone ca Harford House Bows Out Springfield, April 14. Plan to split the playing week of the Springfield Playgoers be- tween t ie Court Square Theatre here and the New Parsons in Hart- ford, has been washed out for this season. Instead, the new stock group, organized to become the first regional producing theatre in New England, and backed by ANTA, will make this city its sole base for its initial six-week season, which gets under way April 21 with "Annie Get Your Gun.” Negotiations to play both cities during each week fell through at the last moment when the Play- goers had to postpone the opening bill from April 13 because of cast- ing problems, and to give this area an extra week of saturation pro- motion and publicity. Hartford management closed its regular sea- son Saturday ( 11 ), and would have been forced to retain its staff and pay rent during a dark week, and elected to stay shuttered. Because ing musical farce. Prize moments in an enjoyable evening are the czardas of Miss Hurley; the "Broth- erhood” second-act ensemble num-J ber, and the charming ballet inter- lude. Third of the spring season’s premieres (others were “Cene- rentola” and "Regina”), "Fleder- maus” becomes the opera troupe’s third straight, hit. The Center was able to put on this "Fledermaus” by acquiring the sets Sol Hurok used for his touring company last season. James Wes- terfield. who staged that enter- prise, directed this one too, and capably. Thomas P. Martin, who with his wife, Ruth, got up the amusing colloquial English libret- to, also conducted Wednesday- night, for a smooth, authoritative performance. There’s mone^, as well as merriment and music, in this "maus.” Bron. Backers of "Roonv Service,” current revival by Bernard Hart and Don Hershey of the John Murray-Alien Boretz comedy, include Sara Boretz and Hannah Boretz, co-author’s wife and mother, respectively: souvenir program agent Kal Efron, actress Arlene Francis, radio producer-director Jerry Devine, film distributor-exhibitor Joseph Bur- styn, Charles D. Rice, associate editor of This Week mag; producer Elaine Perry, theatre exec Louis A. Lotito, scenic designer Frederick B. Fox. pressagent Bill Doll, and Bert McCord drama reporter of the N. Y. Herald Tribune. The production was capitalized at $40,000 with- out provision for overcall. Although the partnership agreement states that the amounts of individual investments are specified, actual figures are not given. Alabam Ccol to Plan For Industry-Backed Legit Birmingham, April 14. . There has been little local reac- Mad Anthony Players To j tion to the National Theatre Bill 10 Toledo Dramas . League’s plan to bring Birming- Toledo, April 14. ham a four-week season of four The Mad Anthony Players, which j plays, with local industry financing offered their initial season of straw-; the project for $ 120,000 to $160,000 hat plays in Trail Playhouse at, f th > the Toledo Zoo last year, will again 1 1 r T tbe S ^ s ‘ ,, t present a summer program of 10 | Janies Boyd, identified as repre- plays in 1953, announced Robert: s&nting Ira Mosher Associates, and Gag letter was recently sent to Cornelia Qtis Skinner by John T. Sloper, stage manager of "Paris ’90,” her one-woman musical, which completed a season tour last week in Washington. "This has been a very pleasant tour,” it read, "and I hesitate to stir anything up the last two weeks. However, the final performances are just as important as any of the others, and I’m sure you must realize, as I do, that your Supporting company (M. le Bebe, Eulalie, M. Chariot, Agatha, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, etc.) has been letting down of late, and should be admonished. While I realize that it is an unusual procedure, these reprimands will carry more weight if distributed by you, as Equity deputy. You might even drop a veiled hint or two about the possibil- ity of brushup rehearsals in Washington. Thank you in advance for cooperating with me for the good of the show. (Supporting names men- tioned .are all imaginary characters in the show.) B^pkers of "Camino Real,” current Cheryl Crawford and Ethel Reiner (in association with Walter P. Chrysler) Broadway production include realty operator William Zeckendorf, $4,600; theatre owner- investor Howard Cullman, $2,300; theatre owner-producer Anthony B. Farrell, $2,300; souvenir program agent A1 Greenstone, $2,300; producer A1 Lewis, $2,300; theatrical attorney Benet Polikoff, $2,300; Miss Reiner, "Camino” co-producer, $2,300; accountant J. S. Seid- man, $2,300; singer Jean Tennyson, $2,300; Warner Bros, talent and play representative Harry Mayer, $2,300; industrialist-producer Thomas Whyte, Jr., $2,300; Chrysler, "Camino” associate producer, $1,500; theatre-realty owner (City Investing prexy) Robert Dowling, $1,500; realty operator and Playwrights Co. member Roger L. Stevens, j $1,500; producer Clinton Wilder, $1,500; actor William Redfield, $575. ! The production was capitalized at $115,000, without provision for overcall. Scheduled B’way Openings‘Bucks County Barn Bucks Date With April, Royale, tonight Music Circus’ June Bow <Wed.). ‘ i amphitheatre — which backs the Trail Playhouse—will be used for the Ohio Sesquicentennial celebra- tion in Lucas County, season for thoir ^ . .. . | the Mad Anthony Players will be- they hope to join forces in the fall,! j u i v 7 Philip Langner and Chuck Bowdin, j 6 Ten Slav's acain will h* offers managing directors of the New Par- includtag one Zemiere wm l rtV^ d e 0 to r t h e he p^ g liSt “I Greg S/whi S Meanwhile, the.pjoducing gloupj IWTosis 'Fetadt ta? .“T tL? 8 Hartford P n 6nty fr * 0 ? 1 director at WSPD, Toledo. ° * the Hartford papers. Mastermind- ’ ing the production and publicity J.1- -rV , 1 .. * Feindt, producer. Because the Zoo ■ Frederic Chesnut, of Robert Mont- S 20- Dickens Readings, Bijou, April activities are Paul Anglim, manag- ing director of the Playgoers, and Dick Weaver, who has been called in to serve as general manager and publicity director for the regional theatre. Weaver is also serving as liaison man between the Playgoers Equity Shows (April 13-26) o* 22. go/nery 8z Associates, visited Birm- ingham first in a proposed nation- wide campaign to line up 10 01 - more cities where industry would finance a four-play series with big ! Aprif 30. names. Any profits made would ' go to local charities, it’s explained. Both Boyd and Chesnut tossed around most of the top names of Broadway for the actors, directors and scene designers who would be hired for the project, which would cost $30,000 to $40,000 per show per town. They admitted they had no contracts with the individuals involved. Cities mentioned for the project Pink Elephant, Playhouse, April Deep Arc the Roots—Lenox Hill: are Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Milwau- Playhouse, N.JY. (22-26), Dr. Faustus—Lenox Hill Play- house, N. Y, (J5-19). kee, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Ak- ron, Dayton, Memphis, Denver and i$an Eranci&co. New Hope, Pa., April 14. - Bucks County Playhouse opens its 14th season here June 5th— its traditional first-Friday-in-June i date—only to face immediate com- petition from St. John Terrell, who , has scheduled opening his Music Can-Can, Shubert, May 7. j Circus two miles away at Lambert- Me and Juliet, Majestic, May 28.' ville > N - J.. for the same night. For -— I the first five years of his opera- tion, Terrell deferred his opening Masquerade, Alvin, April 29. Men of Distinction, 48th St., N.Y, Center’s 200G Drive . until the barn, one of the oldest in N. Y. City Center of Music & the business, had made its bow. Drama has decided on its first * Playhouse producer Theron public drive for funds, with $200,- ‘ Bamberger, who started last year’s 000 as its goal. Drive will be season with a socko “Lady in the called the City Center 10th Anni-' Dark,” probably will schedule po versafy Fund. * f musicals at all this summer, ac- Newbold Morris, chairman of cording to assistant producer John the board, will head up the drive, : Crowley, who’s in town already lin- assisted by Morton Baum, exec. ing up program advertising. No committee chairman, and Jean shows Jiave been set for definite Dalrymple, | production.