Variety (November 1954)

Wednesday, November 24, 1954 LEGITIMATE 75 Boston. Nov. 23. . This town was still loaded with four shows last week, but attend- ance was spotty. Only “Portrait of a Lady,” in first full week at the Colonial, drew strong b.o. action, despite tepid notices. ' “On With the Show,” at the Shubert, was in diffculty both backstage, and at the turnstiles. “One Eye Closed,” in for eight per- formances at’ the Wilbur,, had rough going. “Black-Eyed Susan” was okay in its first week at the Plymouth. There are no newcomers this week, but three are slated for Nov. 29. They are ‘‘Witness For the Prosecution," Plymouth, two weeks; ‘‘Caine Mutiny Court Mar- tial,” Colonial, one week, and Jose Greco, Shubert, one week, Estimates for Last Week Black Eyed Susan, Plymouth (1st wk) ($3.85; 1,200) (Vincent Price), pair $14,300; current week is the finale for the tryout. On With the Show, Shubert (2d wk). ($4.40-$5.50; 1,700) (Irra Pe- tina).. Mild $18,500; final week is • Current for the tryout. ., One-Eyed. Closed, Wilbur .(one week) ($3.85; 1,200). Sluggish $7,- 500;smoved on to Broadway; house is dark. Portrait Of a Lady, (Colonial) (2d wk) ($4.95-$4.40; 1,500) (Jennifer Jones). Wham biz at $35,700; left town to continue tuneup tour; house is dark. ‘HOUSE’ $3,600, BALTO Baltimore, Nov, 23. Menasha Skulnik in “The Flow- ering Peach” drew a fairish $14,- 000. at Ford’s last week on Guild- ATS subscription. The. Broadway- bound Clifford Odets,, comedy was the second of six plays promised to subscribers. Third offering is the current “Bad Seed,” how set for a second stanza,, ... Extension of road trek of “Por- trait Of A Lady” brings the Jenni- fer Jones starrer here for the week of Dec. 6 adding another week to what’s beginning to look like the busiest lbcal season in a decade. At Don Swann’s.Hilltop-Park- way, Reginald Owen grossed a hiild ! $3,600 in “Open House,” by Francis Swann and Victor Clement and is being held for a second round. “Heartbreak House” fol- lows, Nov. 30. Washington, Nov. 23. One-week stand of Deborah Kerr in the Toad company of “Tea and Sympathy” drew a tremendous $37,100 at the National Theatre last week at a $4.40 top. Saturday night (20) set a new house record for one performance of a dramatic show, with a take of $5,864. Record week for a non-musical sh w was racked up by the Na- tional last year when Mary Martin find Charles Boyer drew over $40,- 000 for “Kind,. Sir.” Maxwell Andersqn’s “Bad Seed,” in for a single week at the Shubert, si arted! slowly, but! built to sellout Saturday ijight and a comfortable SI 5,‘500 for the week.. “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” which played one veek at the house NoV. 1-7, grossed $18,500 there on twofers, instead of $8,500, as reported. Twofer ‘Moon’ 1510, Det. Detroit, Nov. 23. “Oh Men, Oh Women" grossed $17,500 at the 1,482-seat Cass last week in the. first inning of a fort- night’s run. Top is $3.85 for the Ralph Bellamy starrer. At the 2,050-seat Shubert, ‘‘Moon Is Blue” grossed $15,500 in the first week of a two-week stay. Twofer top is $3.85 Saturday nights; $3.30 other nights. The future dates include Nov, 29, “Seven Year Itch,” Cass, one week; “Tea and Sympathy," Shubert, two weeks; Dec. 6, “Dark Is. Light Enough,” Cass, two weeks; Dec. 20, “Oklahoma," Shubert, ohe week. inz Philadelphia, Nov. 23. Thanksgiving and the influx of visitors for the Army-Navy and Penn-Cornell football games this week has all five of Philly’s legit houses occupied for the first time in three years. The Locust and the Walnut relighted last evening (Mon,), the former with University of Pennsylvania's Mask and Wig Club musical “Tempest in a Tea- pot” and the latter with the tryout of “Lunatics and Lovers.” “House of Flowers” bows at the Erlanger tomorrow night (Wed.), and “Silk Stockings!' makes a de- layed debut at the. Shubert, Friday evening (26). Despite returns due to the postponement, “Stockings” comes to town with the largest, ad- vance sale ever clocked up locally, reportedly over $200,000. Estimates for Last Week South Pacific,. Forrest (MD) (8th wk). ($4.80; 1,760) (Iva Withers, Webb Tilton). Demand sti,11 strong for Rodgers & Hammerstein peren- nial; hefty $31,800, extended again, through Jan. 1. - Getting Gertie's Garter, Locust 1C) (3d wk) ($3.6.0;. 1,580). Business rose for. the vintage comedy; bulg- ing $14,000 on twofers. World of Shalom Aleichejn, Wal- nut (D) (3d wk) ($4.20; 1;340) (Jacob Ben-Ami, Morris Carnoy- sky). Tour ended Saturday night (20) With mild $12,000 for final stanza. ? Not-So-Hot 12G For Coast Split-Week Sacramento, Nov. 23. ‘‘Time Out for Ginger” starring Melvyn Douglas, grossed a meagre $12,000 in a five-way, Seven-per- formance split last week! Comedy wound up a week’s run at the Met- ropolitan,, Seattle, with two per- formances Sunday (14), then played the Capital,. Yakima, Mon- day (15);. the Temple, Tacoma, Tuesday (16), the Auditorium, Portland, Wednesday - Thursday (17-18) and the Senior Highschool Auditorium, Sacramento, Saturday (20). Only one performance was given each day. » _ Production is currently at the Biltmore, Los Angeles; Tops’ $15,000, Cincy Cine innate Noy. 23. “Pajama. Tbps”, starring Diana Barrymore grossed a jamup $15,- 000 last week in the .1,300-seat'Cox on a twofer rate, of $1,98 top. At- tendance built to sellout at the Weekend. House is dark this week, but re : opens .next Monday (29) with Ralph Bellamy in “Oh Men, Oh Women.” Twofer ‘Natalie’ $4,200, 2d Week in Cleveland Cleveland, Nov.23. Sexed-up ballyhoo couldn’t save “Naughty Natalie" from a sterile $4,200 last week on the second lap of a fortnight stand at the 1,515- seated Hanna, at $3.75 top. Farce pulled inTabout $6,400 on the first week, helped by two nightly shows Fridays and Saturdays. Deborah Kerr in “Tea and. Sym- pathy” is current this week. ’Caine’ 23G, Montreal .Montreal, Nov. 23. “Caine Mutiny Court. Martial” last week grossed a hefty $23,000 at Her Majesty’s, with the 1,704- seat .house scaled to a $3.94 top. “School. for Brides” is current. ‘OKLA’SUBDUED $21,600; TORONTO STILL JINXED Toronto, Nov. 23, “Oklahoma” grossed a mild $21,- 600 last week to continue the en- tertainment jinx that has been current since five weeks ago, when Hurricane Hazel swept away all. but two bridges to curtail West End traffic. This was the 12th visit of “Oklahoma” and the 1,525-seat Royal Alexandra was scaled at $3.50 top, with tax. First two days’ mail orders for next week’s “Dark Is Light Enough,", with Katharine Cornell, totalled close to $15,000 at a $4 top, with tax. Chicago, Nov. 23. Loop receipts were off last week, with the final-week rush failing to materialize for "Wonderful Town,” and .“Fifth Season” getting off to a leisurely start. “King and I” arrives tonight (Tues.) and future bookings in- clude: Nov. 28; “Pajama Tops,” Blackstone, twofer, run; Dec. 6, “Oh Men, Oh Women;" Harris, subscription, run; Estimates for Last Week Fifth Season, Elanger (1st/ Wk) $4; 1,300) (Chester Morris, Joseph Buloff). About $16,300, but shows signs of building. Mrs. Patterson, Harris (6th wk) ($5; 1,000) (Eartha Kitt). Nearly $19,-900 (previous wTek, $21,000); exits next Saturday (27) for Broad- way. Wonderful Town, Shubert (20th wk) ($4-60; 2.100) (Carol Chiinning). About $27;800 (previous week, $31,700); resumed tour. Saturday ( 20 ). Opening This Week King and it Shubert, ($5; 2,100) (Yul Brynner, Patricia Morison), Opens tonight (Tues;) for run, first three Weeks on Guild, subscrip- tion. ’Itch’ Tapers to $16,700 For 2d of 3-Week Run; , St L. St. Louis, Nov. 23. “Seven. Year Itch” eased to $16,- 700 last week on the second stanza of a three-week run at the Ameri- can. With, the show standing! still and thereby needing less to get by, there was. still a profit at the fig- ure. Final session, current, may indicate whether St. Loo can sup- port a three-week stand, even for a hit comedy. “Three for Tonight," revue with Marge & Gower Cham- pion and Harry Belafonte, is due next week Donald Woods in ‘-Dial M for Murder” got a wrong number $9,- 500 last week at the Empress at $2.50 top. Favorable reviews didn’t help. Meller is holding over this week at tfie Ansell Bros, stock spot. “My 3 Angels” ‘ due next week: ’King’ $41,700, Columbus; ‘Okla,’ ‘Gertie’ Due Next Columbus, Nov. 23. “King and I,” rolled up a royal $41,700 in eight performances at the Hartman last week, with re- served seats going clean at every performance, at a $5.65 top. “Oklahoma" arrives Thursday (25) for four performances and “Getting Gertie’s Garter" is due the week of Nov. 29. Following are the Comparative figures based on Variety’s box- office reports for last week (the 25th week of the. season) and the corresponding week of last season: BROADWAY Biz on Broadway dropped last week; Upswing expected the latter part of this week, with the holiday; weekend a factor. It. then starts the annual pre-Christmas ebb. Dip in receipts last week ran as high aS $3,000 for. a straight play and $7,500 for a musical; There was one'closing last week; “Traveling Lady*” Three more shows are skedded to fold next Sat- urday (27). They are “By the Beautiful Sea,” “Fragile Fox" and “King of Hearts.” Slated to wrap up at,the end of next week is “On Your Toes." Openings this week are “Sand- hog," which bowed last night (Tues.), and “One Eye Closed," debuting tonight (Wed.). There were three preerns last week, “Living Room," "Abie’s Irish Rose" and “Wedding Break- fast.". Estimates for Last Week Keyset (Comedy), D (Drama), CD (Comedy-Drama ), R (Reinic), MC (Musical-Comedy), MD (Musi- cal-Drdma), O (Opera), OP (Op-, eretta). Other parenthetic designations refer, respectively, to ‘weeks played , number of performances tjirough last Saturday t top prices, iiumber of seats, capacity gross and stars. Price includes 10 % Federal and 5% City tax, but grosses are net ; i.e., exclusive of tax. Abie’s Irish Rose, Holiday (C) (ist wk; 4; $5.75-$4;60; 900; $28,- 000). Opened last Thursday (18) to one favorable review (Coleman, Mirror), four pans (Chapman, News; Kerr, Herald Tribune; Mc- Clain, Journal-American; Watts, Post) and; two inconelusiyes (At- kinson, Times; Hawkins, World- Telegram); around $2,500 for first four performances. Anniversary Waltz, -.Broadliurst (C) (33rd wk; 259; $4.60; 998; $28,- 000) (Macdonald Carey, Kitty Carl- isle); Over $22;000 (previous week, $22,800), moves Dec. 6 to the Booth. . Boy Friend, Royale (MC) (8th wk; 60; $6.90; 1,172; $38,200). Over capacity again, $38,300. By the Beautiful Sea, Imperial (MC) (33rd wk; 260; $6.90; 1 400; $50,000) (Shirley Booth). Over $19,700 (previous week, $25j000); folds next Saturday (27). Caine Mutiny . Court Martial, Plymouth (D) (44th wk; 348;. $5.75- $4.60; $33,331). (Lloyd Nolan, John Hodiak, Barry Sullivan). Over $27,500-iprevious week, $29,900). Can-Can, Shubert (MC) (81st wk; 644; $6,90; 1,361; $50,160). Almost $48,500 (previous week, $49,000). Dear Charles, Morosco (G) (10th wk; 77; $6.90-$5.75-$4.60; $29,850) (Tallulah Bankhead). Nearly $25,- 600 (previous week, $28,600). Fanny, Majestic (MD) (3rd wk; 20; $7.50; 1,510; $65,300) (Ezio Pinza, Walter Slezak). Capacity at i almost $69,000 (previous week, $65, 927); tab on standing room was reduced from $3.45 to $2.50. Fragile Fox, Belasco (D) (6th wk; .47; $5.75-$4.60; 1,077; $28,300) (Dane Clark, Don Taylor), Nearly $11,000 (previous week, $13,500); closes next Saturday (27). King of Hearts, National (C) (34th wk; 266; $5.75-$4.60; 1,172; $31,300) (Donald Cook, Jackie Cooper). Almost $12,200 on two- fers (previous, week $14,000); closes next Saturday (27). , Kismet, Ziegfeld (OP) (51st wk; 404; $6.90; 1,528; $57,908) -(Alfred Drake). . Over $53,900 (previous week, $56,700). Living Room, Miller (D) (1st wk; 6; $5.75-$4.60; 920; $23,248) (Bar- bara Bel Geddes). Opened last Wednesday (17) to five unfavorable opinions (Atkinson,. Times; Chap- man, News; Coleman, Mirror; Haw- kins, World-Telegram; Kerr,. Her-, aid Tribune) and two incooclu- sives (McClain, Journal-American; Watts, Post); grossed over $12,000 in first six performances... On Your toes, 46th St. (Me) (6th wk; 48; $8.Q5-$6.90; 1,319; $48,547) (Vera: Zorina,. Bobby Van). Almost. $26,800 (previous week, $34,300); closes Dec. 4. Pajama Game,: St. James (MC) (28th wk; 220; $6.90; 1,571; $51,717) (John Raitt, Janis Paiges, Eddie Foy Jr.). Capacity again at over $52,100. Peter Pan, Winter Garden (MD) (5th wk; 37; $6.90; 1,510; $57,500) (Mary Martin), Almost $53,300 (previous week, $55,300). . Quadrille, Coronet (C) (3rd wk; 22; $6.90-$5.75-$4.60; 1,027; $30,000.) (Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Edna. Best, Bjrian Aherne). Capacity at over $33,100. for nine perform- ances, including an extra show Nov. 14 (previous week, $29,700 for regular eight performances). Rainmaker, Cort (G) (4th wk; 28; $5.75-$4:60; 1,056; $29,000) (Geral- dine Page). Nearly $1.7,700 (previ- ous weeic, $18,200). Reclining. Figure, Lyceum (C) (7th wk; 52; $5.75-$4.60; 995; $23,- 389), Almost $16,600 (previous week, $17,400).- Seven Year Itch, Fulton (C) (105th wk; 837; $5,75-$4.60; 1,063; $24,000) (Elliott Nugent). Over $19,- 700 (previous week, $21,600). Solid Gold Cadillac, Music Box (C) (55th wk;. 437; $5.75-$4.60; 1,077; $27,811). Over $19,500 (pre- vious week, $22,200). Tea and Sympathy, Barrymore (D) (60th wk; 477; $5.75-$4.60; 1,214; $28,300) (Joan Fontaine), Nearly $19,500 (previous week, $ 21 , 200 ). Teahouse of. the August Moon, Beck'.(C) (58th wk; 468; $6.22-$4,60; 1,214; $33,608) (Burgess Meredith, Scott McKay). Capacity agai at over- $34,000. Tender Trap, Longacre (C) (6th wk;. 45; $5.75-$4.60; 1,048; $26,317) (Robert Preston, Kim Hunter, Ronny Graham), Over. $23,400 (pre- vious. week, $24,900). Traveling Lady, Playhouse CD) (4th wk; 30; $5.75-$4.60; 999; $23,- 500) (Kim Stanley). Nearly $14,300 (previous week, $12,600); closed last Saturday (20) at an approxi- mate loss of its full $55,000 invest- ment. Wedding Breakfast, 48th St. (D) (1st wk; 1; $5.75-$4.60; 925; $23- 720). Opened last Saturday (20) to three affirmative reviews (Atkin- son, Times; Coleman,fMirror; Haw- kins, World-Telegram), t\yo dis- sents (McClain, Journal-American; Watts, Post) and one yes-and-no (Kerr, Herald Tribune); grossed nearly $2,500 for first, performance. Miscellaneous Sandhog, Phoenix (M) ($4.60- $3,45; 1,150; $24,067). Musical by Earl Robinsbn and Waldo Salt, based On Theodore Dreiser’s short story, “St. Columba and the River,” presented by T. Edward Hambleton & Norris Houghton, in association vvith Howard Da Siiva and Arnold Perl (Rachel Productions); produc- tion financed at $60,000, with in- vestment split evenly between the Phoenix .and Rachel; the second of five stock productions to be pre- sented at the Phoenix, it can break even at about $13,000; opened last night (Tues.). OPENING THIS WEEK One Eye Closed, Bijou (C) ($5.75-$4 60; 603; $16,979). Play by Justin Sturm, presented by Haila Stoddard; production financed at $50,000, cost about $50,000 to bring in, including approximately $10,000 tryout loss;-but excluding bonds, ai d Can break even at around $15,- 000 gross; opens tonight (Wed.). OFF BROADWAY SHOWS (Figures denote opening dates) Doll’s House, Finch Coll. (11-12). Dybbuk, 4th St. (10-26-54). I Feel Wonderful, de Lys (10- 18-54). Importance Being Earnest, Prov- incetown (11-9). In Splendid Error, Greenwich Mews (10-26-54). Sands of the Negev,. President (10-25-54). Slight Delinquent, Blackfnars (10-25-54). . , ^ Stone For Danny Fisher, Down* tpwn National (10-21-54). V Twelfth Night, Jan Hus (11-9-54). Way of the World, Cherry Lane (10-2-54). Now Haven. Nov. 23. Four-day breakiii of "Lunatics and Lovers” at Shubert last Wednesday-Saturday pulled a sub- stantial $19,000, With word-of- mouth a help. Gross was on basis of five shows at $4.50 top. This week "Witness for the Pros- ecution” plays Thursday-Saturday (25-27), with “Anastasia” due Dec. 2-4, followed by “Plain and Fancy,” Dec. 11-18, all playing tryouts. ’Brides’ $9,900, Hartford Hartford, Npv. 23. Touring “School fot Brides” grossed a fair $9,900 on twofers for eight performances last week at the Parsons. Last two days drew cfanVlppc Parsons is dark this week, .but reopens next Monday (29.) for a full week tryout of “Hello, Paree.”