Variety (October 1958)

63 yejnead^ October 1, 1953 kSsaaeff LEGITIMATE LURIE’S FRISCO ‘ICE’-BREAKER i And Pressagents Still Embarrassed By JESSE GROSS Restoration to the first and second night lists of most of the individuals who had been dropped from the rosters, per below, was accomplished at yesterday’s (Tues.) meeting. The cuts ordered by the Shu- berts in the first and second-night critics’ lists. for Broadway shows have put the New York legit pressagents on the spot. They’re being pelted with protests from individuals shorn of former privi¬ leges. Although members of the pub¬ licists chapter of the Assn, of Theatrical Pressagents & Mana¬ gers had met with Shubert repre¬ sentative Leonard Sang and agreed on a modification of the original slashes made by Shuberts, the sit¬ uation remains up in the air as far as the drumbeaters are concerned. A meeting to discuss the. matter was held by the Broadway p.a. group yesterday (Tues.). In a let¬ ter informing members of the con¬ clave, Merle Debuskey, chairman of the chapter) commented on the protests received, by those delet¬ ed from the lists'and the in-the- dark predicament of a number of publicists regarding the who’s who. Cuts, incidentally, were subse¬ quently agreed to by City Play¬ houses Inc. The reasons for calling the meet¬ ing Were summed up in Debuskey’s letter as follows: Perhaps upon reflection, the members feel they do not want a standard list. Perhaps they do not wish to accept the compromises that were made. .Perhaps they misun¬ derstood. Maybe they ioould now prefer to dump .the whole responsibility back up¬ on the individual producer to work out with the theatre owner - - The second night list is giving the pressagents the biggest head- (Continued on page 68) Tair Lady’ Tops Chicago Gross Mark of Tacific’ Bat in 20 Fewer Weeks Chicago, Sept. 30. Over the past weekend"“My Fair Lady” became the Windy City’s new boxoffice, champ, surpassing by several thousands the record. $3,204,380 held by “South Pacific” for more than six years. “SP” made its score in 67 weeks at a $5 top, while “Lady” did it in 47 weeks at a $7 top. The hit tuner is still strong In Chicago, running close to capacity nearly every week. Probability is that it will run another six months at least, whereby it figures to pad its record gross by at least another million and a half. Not likely at this point, however,. that “My Fair Lady” will attempt to best the Chi long run record Of 100 -weeks, set by “Good Night Ladies” (April 12, 1942 to March 11, 1944). Unless, says manage¬ ment, Jane Powell agrees to take over the role of Liza Doolittle when Anne Rogers quits the com¬ pany around December. Feeling is that with Miss Powell on the mar¬ quee people who have seen the show, once or twice might return to catch the new star. Anna Russell Sets New British Provincial Tour London, Sept. 30. Anna Russell opens a new tour Oct. . 7 at the Festival Hall here and will play a second London date at the same house Nov. 15. ' The singer-satirist’s tour, will include the key provincial cities, plus Glas¬ gow-and Edinburgh, and the two university cities, Oxford and Cam¬ bridge. Miss Russell’s new record album, "Anna Russell’s Practical Banana Promotion,” will be. issued- by Philips to coincide with her tour. 'vi-i 4 -- : - HEATED TENT GOESON Carousel at Framington Pushes ‘Season’ to Oct. 12 | Framingham, Mass., Sept. 30. , Carousel Theatre, only strawhat musical tent still continuing, add¬ ed two weeks to its season with “The Moon Is Blue,” with Donald Wood, opening tonight, Tuesday (30), through Sunday (5). For the final show of the sea¬ son, Carousel, which has a radiant heat system going to ward off the fall chills, will open “Mr. Rob¬ erts” Oct. 7 through Oct. 12. ' The 3,000-seat music tent has been competing with legit thea¬ tres in downtown Boston all through September. Topeka Sellout For BTL Season Topeka, Sept. 30. Don’t try to tell anybody in Topeka that the road is dead. Local stage buffs, offered the chance to subscribe for four legit shows this season in the local highschool aud¬ itorium, stood all in line all day in a driving rain to buy out the entire 2,404-seat capacity for the whole four-show series. It’s been: a byword in recent years that Topeka was a one-night graveyard, and the tepid local re¬ sponse to the few-arid-far-between touring shows has supported the premise. A notable instance was “Damn Yankees,” which pulled a miserable $3,400 last spring in a one-nighter at the'4,200-seat City Auditoripm. . There’s obviously a legit aud¬ ience hereabouts, however, and it responded to news stories about plans for a Broadway Theatre League subscription season of four touring shows. Due to sliD-ups, the mail come-dns and window cards for the drive were neyer used, and the single mail-order ad didn’t ap¬ pear until the day before the sale was to open, instead of the pre¬ vious Sunday, as planned. Although the b.o. didn’t open until 10 a.m., there was a long line [ at 8:30, despite the downpour, and for most of the day the string of (Continued, on page 68) BERT McCORD EXITS HERALD-TRIB POST Bert McCord is leaving his drama reporter’s pillar at the N.Y. Herald-Tribune within the • next three weeks. He had been at the Trib’s drama desk for the past 15 years. A replacement will .be filled from the staff. McCord is switching from the Broadway scene to rural living in New, England • and a freelance writing career. Garland/Swindle’ Charge Hearing Set For Oct 14 The initial referee's hearing re¬ garding all issues involved in the distribution of the remaining as¬ sets of Broadway Angels Inc., Hollywood Angels Inc: and Wallace Graydon Garland Productions will be held on Oct. 14 In New York at the .city's Assn, of the Bar. The referee, attorney Stanley Steingut, was appointed to take testimony and report recommenda¬ tions on the conflicting claims and intricate problems involved in the divvy of the assets; ’ The three firms, all formerly operated by Garland, are among the defendants In an action filed by the State, fol¬ lowing the ,N. Y. Attorney Gener¬ al’s accusation in 1955 that Gar¬ land had swindled about 4,000 in¬ vestors of $400,000. The Garland enterprises were involved principally in legit in- By WILLIAM STEIF San Francisco, Sept. 30. Louis R. Lurie, owner of the 1,758-seat Curran Theatre and lessee of the adjoining -1,550-seat Geary, has instructed every ticket broker in San Francisco to lay off scalping any tickets for the Coast Company of “Auntie Marne,” open¬ ing at the Geary next Tuesday (7). ! The show, set for a 10-week [Frisco run, had an advance of ! more than $100,000 as of last week¬ end, $58,000 in mail orders alone. Lurie’s instructions were con¬ veyed to the local brokers in a letter from William Zwissig, who | runs the two houses. The letter followed, a demand , from Benny Stein, general mana¬ ger of the “Auntie Marne” com¬ pany now in Los Angeles, for 250 house seats for opening night and 60 pairs of house seats every night thereafter. This number of house seats la indeed in the fine print of the com¬ pany contract—or so Lurie indi¬ cated but neither he nor Zwissig were aware ot-athis clause until Stein made his demand. Then, admits Lurie, “I blew my top.” He further remarks, “I’m not (Continued .pn page 68) To the Investors As‘Swim’Sinks “Swim in the Sea,” the Fay Bainter starrer, which folded last Saturday (27) after two tryout weeks in Philadelphia, represents an approximate $50,000 loss of the $100,000 investment. The manage¬ ment has already returned $40,000 to the backers and its anticipated that around $10,000 more may be forthcoming after all closing ex¬ penses arc covered. In an unusual move, the man¬ agement of the Jess Gregg come¬ dy-drama distributed the $40,000 to the investors two days before the show’s closing. The producers had notified the backers of their decision to wrap up the presenta- i tion in Philly rather than sink ad¬ ditional coin into the venture to bring it to New York, where they felt its prospects were dim. The play, which was produced by Robert E. Griffith, Harold S. Prince and Shirley Ayers, was pre¬ viously tested as a stock entry In Florida last April 28-May 3. Fade marks the second straight play casualty for Griffith and Prince,, who’ve had a string of hit Broad¬ way musicals. Last season they were partnered^ with George Ab¬ bott in the NBC-finaced “Soft Touch,” which was jettisoned dur¬ ing rehearsals. ;> Incidentally, there was no office charge by. the management in con¬ nection with the operation of “Sea.” Nyack Bam Will Extend; Beckers to Tour Europe Nyack, N.Y., Sept. 30. The Tappan Zee Playhouse, which played a nine-week strawhat' sea¬ son this season, will extend to 12 or 13 weeks next year, and may even try to continue into the early fall period. The lo'ng-dark former legit, vaude and film house will also probably be air-conditioned. Bruce Becker, operator of the spot, sailed last Saturday (27) with his wife and business associate. Honey Becker, for an extended motor tour of Europe. While in Paris, they will try to arrange for a French film production of “To¬ night in Samarkand,” the Jacques Deval drama which Becker pro¬ duced on Broadway several sea¬ sons ago, and on which he holds all rights. Alliance’s 22 Cities, 1 Weeks’ Dates On Subscription, Plus Guarantees - + Broadway Theatre Alliance, JACK LEMMON'S LEGIT ‘Scourge’ Set Year Ahead-Rehear¬ sals Start In Sept. *59 Hollywood,’ Sept., 30. Jack Lemmon has signed for lead role in Paul Gregory-staged “Scourge Of The Sun” which bows on Broadway next year. Actor, under non-exclusive two- pix pact annually to Columbia Pic¬ tures reports for “Scourge” re¬ hearsals in September of 1959. Studio has pre-empt rights on Victor. ‘Seesaw’ Profit Is Now $229,285 Backers of “Two for the See¬ saw” have netted nearly 100% thus far on their $80,000 investment. That’s based on a $145,000 profit distribution as of last Aug. 30. Re¬ turns are split equally between the investors and management. As of the latest audit, the Fred Coe production had earned a total profit of $229,285. That included an initial $78,700 installment on j the film sale, after deduction of' commissions and other expenses. I The rights were bought by Seven [ Arts Productions for $600,000, plus 10% of the film gross over $3,500,000. The balance of “Seesaw” assets after the divvy of profits and other deductions was $56,584. The man¬ agement figures that $35,000 .of that will be required to produce the touring edition of the William Gibson comedy-drama. The road company, to costar Ruth Roman and' Jeffrey Lynn, -opens Oct. 6 at the Ford’s Theatre, Baltimore. The Broadway original, starring Dans Andrews and Lee Grant (sub¬ bing for the vacationing Anne Ban¬ croft), is currently in its 37th week at the Booth Theatre, N. Y. FRANK HALE ABROAD ON TRINCESS’CASTING Frank J. Hale, producer of the Royal Poinciana Playhouse, Palm Beach, headed for Europe last week to- talk with Moira Shearer and Thomas Beecham for possible guest-shots in his Florida theatre. He is producing an original full- length ballet, “The Princess,” by Marin Bragiotti, and wants top names, lead dancer and conductor. Among Hale’s other interests are ballet shorts, which he produces mainly for dance instruction. I ■ - _ j Stratford (Ont) Fest’s $664,600 Season Gross . Stratford, Qnt., Sept. 30. The Stratford Shakespeare fes¬ tival grossed approximately $664,- 600 for the season which ended Sept. 13, nearly $50,000 ahead of its best previous record. Total at¬ tendance was over 218,000, an in¬ crease of 35,000 over the previous record. The 12-week season of Shakes¬ peare -repertory (“Henry IV,” “Much Ado About Nothing” and; “Winter’s Tale”) grossed $583,000 on 81% of capacity in the ,2,196- seat Festival Theatre, including a smash 12,000 attendance (95%) at six special reduced-price matinees for school children the final week.; The nine-week- season at the Avon Theatre, offering five weeks of music, two of ^ films and two of Montreal’s Le Theatre du Nouveau; Monde in “La Malade Imaginaire” drew nearly 40,000 attendance for a. $81,600 gross, almost double the previous season figure. * Festival officals plan a 12-week, two-production Shakespeare reper¬ tory next summer at the Festival Theatre, and music and films again at.the Avon.. which entered the legit booking field last year, will have subscrip¬ tion setups in 22 cities this season, comprising almost seven weeks of playing time. It also is booking non-subscription dates, mostly on guarantee. The legit agency, a subsidiary of Columbia Artists Management, ex¬ pects to have subscription in 60 cities next season and 100 the fol¬ lowing season. By that time, the subscription playing time will total about 40 weeks, spanning the en¬ tire non-summer months compris¬ ing the legit season. BTA is sending out four shows this fall, but may increase the number in future years if and as the public appetite for legit increases in sub¬ scription cities. Already playing BTA subscription dates is the Syl¬ via Sidney company of “Auntie Marne.!’ Slated to go out soon are touring companies of “Li’l Abner” and “The Diary of Anne Frank,” the latter starring Francis Lederer. The fourth tourer hasn’t been set, but a prospect is in negotiation. Season subscription prices are in four categories, from $1 to $7. Following are the BTA subscrip¬ tion cities for this season, with the number of subscription per¬ formances for each (in most cases, local subscription campaigns are still in progress, so subscriber totals are unavailable): Atlanta, 3; Beaumont, 1; Bir¬ mingham, 2; Charlotte, N. C., 2; Columbia, S. C., 1; Ft. Wayne, 2; Ft. Worth, 1 or 2; Greensboro, N. C., 2; Houston, 3; Knoxville, 1; Lincoln, 1; Memphis, 3; Mont¬ gomery, 1; New Orleans, 4; Roches¬ ter, 3; San Antonio, 1; Sioux City, 1; Topeka, 1 (see separate story); Tulsa, 2; Utica, 2; White Plains, N. Y., 2; Wichita, 2. ’Banned’ Nice Word For Subscription Secretary Of Glasgow Society Glasgow, Sept. 23. The Citizens’ Theatre, leading local legit group, has again launched a new season with a banned play. Public performances of the opener, Tennessee Williams* “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” are pro¬ hibited, with the audience limited to members of the Citizens.’ Thea¬ tre Society. The situation is a repeat of last season when the Citizens’ got un¬ derway with Arthur Miller’s “View From the Bridge,” another banned play. It’s figured that the "banned” appellation, which hypoes both public and-press interest, aids in increasing Theatre Society mem¬ bership since only members of that org are permitted to purchase tickets for such offerings. The cost of joining the Society is 80c yearly. Although, commenting that the Citizens’ is aware of the publicity value, Michael Goldberg, chairman of the operation's board of direc¬ tors, claims the decision to ooetf the new season with another banned play was not a stunt. Other plays slated for Citizens* presenta¬ tion this season include “Summer of the 17th Doll,” “She Stoops to Conquer” and a four-week Scot repertory festival, with the Citi¬ zens’, the Edinburgh Gateway Co., the Perth Theatre and the Dundee Repertory participating. ‘Godunov’ in Russian With Christoff, Resnik London, Sept. 30. Boris Christoff will sing the title role in a Covent Garden produc¬ tion of Moussorgsky’s opera “Boris Godunov,” which opens the fall opera season on October 31. The opera will be sung for the first time in Russian at the Royal Opera House. Regina Resnik will sing princess Marina. Others in the cast include Edith Coates, John Lanigan and Otaker Kraus.