Variety (January 1917)

I LEGITIMATE, 11 SHOWS AT THE BOX OFFICE IN NEW Hofiday Period Huge Stimulus to Theatrical BuemeM, with Extra Matinees and Increased Prices. Broadway Picture Business Trade Not So Brisk. ■ Broadway hat had its theatrical holi- ' day feast, and it was a fattening one, u with e*tra matinees with increased prices, although the festival season • started off poorly with a light Xmas Day matinee. The early part of last week theatrical patronage eased np to an alarming extent but picked up and finished like a whirlwind, with the overflow still piling in on both per- formances New Year's. The larger of the ticket speculating agencies com- plained, however, last week. They were heavily "stuck" throughout and placed hundreds of their "outright buys" with the cut rate agencies. According to reports the picture busi- ness along Broadway for the special feature films is not as rosy just now as it once was or looked, with business off for some of the special picture houses and expenses as high as they can be. VAiunTT's estimate of the box office receipts during Christmas week follows. It is necessarily in abnormal amounts through the season and is not a true gauge excepting relatively with the normal weeks: "Ben Hut" (Manhattan) (9th week). Has two weeks more to go. Did $14,000 last week. Has reached top figure at Manhattan of $19,000 with one dollar scale. This revival has had the assistance of the Hearst papers under a special agreement, it is ■aid, that guaranteed Hearst at least $50,000. He in turn may have given a guarantee of some sort to secure that amount Hearst papers have been wildly "plug- ging" "Ben Hur." The Hearst system, it seems, is now extending to all cities where there is a daily Hearst publica- tion, it giving a show taken in charge of for publicity a tremendous quantity of advance and current notices. An ar- rangement of a kind is said to exist be- tween the Hearst publications and cer- tain music publishers, the Hearst papers boosting popular numbers issued by publishers making the deal "The Wanderer," a large production, is slated to follow^Hur" at the Manhattan. "A Kiss for Cinderella" (Maude Adams) (Empire) (2d week). The Maude Adams engagement may be de- pended upon to draw capacity. $12,000 last week. "Big Show" (Hippodrome) (19th week). Very big week last week, one of the best of the Hip's present season. Between $50,000 and $55,000 through heavily attended matinees. School vacations. Previously business de- cidedly off. Expected to pick up again when Kellermann opens in an elaborate diving scene Monday, suc- ceeding Pavlowa as the single at- traction. There will be about 20 girls diving with the star and all the chorus will be on the stage at the time. The tanks, requiring nine minutes to set, will be on top of the stage. The largest tank, holding 11,000 gallons of water, will be emptied after each performance within two minutes. "Captain Kidd, Jr." (C. ft H.) (8th week). $8,400 last week snd going so well seems booked for real stay. Cut rates. "Cen tury Girl" (Century) (9th week). About ^fttJttTTasf weesT*ana * no~ onV who saw the complete capacity houses the show played to, will doubt it Previous high mark for this production $38,000. An outright buy by the agen- cies for eight weeks ahead all the time. The Century for the first time since built, now under the Dillingham-Zieg- feld direction, is making money. Pres- ent attraction will remain throughout season. "Cheating Cheaters" (Eltinge) (22d week). $9,704 The longest run so far of this season. Cut rates. "Coma Out of the Kitchen" (Ruth Chatterton) (Cohan) (11th week). Good week, $9,500. "Follow Me" (Anna Held) (Casino) (6th week). $8,500 last week. Show will leave in a week or two. Never got started as^a draw. Cut rates. "Getting Married" (Wm. Faversham) (Booth)(9th week). $11,000. "Good Gradous Anaabelle" (Repub- lic) (10th week). $8300. Cut rates. ^Harp of Life^TLaurette Taylor) (Globe) (6th week). $11,400. Did^ $3,400 New Year's Day. '•Her Soldier Boy" (Astor). $13,000 last week. $2.50 regular, $3 Saturday, top. Fell down badly New Year's matinee. No explanation. Taking the lead in public regard among musical plays in town. "Gamblers All" (Elliott) (1st week). Opened Monday, will close Saturday. English importation and reported as "awful 1" Cut rates. "Little Women" (Park) (2d week). Revival for the holidays. Did some- thing at matinees, little at night $3,500 on the week. Cut rates. "Merry Wives of Windsor" at Park next Monday. "Little Lady in Blue" (Frances Starr) (Belasco) (3d week). About ca- pacity. Miss Starr can take the credit "The Master" (Arnold Daly) (Ful- ton) (5th week). Did $4,000 last week. Cut rates. Leaves to make room for "In for the Night" (Tan. 11). "Mile-a-Minute Kendall" (Lyceum) (6th week). Show dropped away off after an attempt made to force it Pro- duction is under Oliver Morosco's man- agement, renting theatre. Morosco wanted to place seats in cut rate offices with theatre management objecting. Both sides consulted attorneys, al- though Morosco office denies the cut rate matter in toto. Show did $4,200 at Lyceum last week. Moves to Prin- cess Monday. "Her Husband's Wife" opens at Lyceum next week. "Miss Springtime" (Amsterdam) (15th week). $11,000, way below ca- pacity of house. "The Man Who Came Back" (Play- house) (19th week). Over $13,000 last week. Cut rates. "Seremonda" (Julia Arthur) (Crit- erion) (1st week). Opened Monday and was treated badly by reviewers. Expensive production. "Music Master" (David Warfield) (Knickerbocker) (13th week). Ca- pacity. "Nothing but the Truth" (Willie Collier) (Longacre) (17th week). $12,- 700. "Old Lady 31" (39th St) (10th week). $6,200 last week. "The Yellow Jacket" (Harris). About $3,200 at the matinees snd $6,500 gross on week. Has house for 10 weeks guarantee. "Pierrot" (Little) ( 18th week). Played to about capacity all week, $6,500, * ""snow" dx"^Wotfders" (W inter Gar- den) (11th week). Had a terrific week for Christmas, with a Sunday night (New Year's Eve) turnaway ssle at $5 a sest. $28,000 on week. "So Long Letty" (Shubert) (10th week). Going out in a couple of weeks. Cut rates. Tho 13th Chair" (48th St) (7th week). $10W). "Turn to the Right" (Gaiety) (21st week).. $97001 'Treasure Island" (Punch & Judy) (12th week). $4,000, "Upstair, and Down" (Cort) (15th week). $9,000. Cut rates. Waehington Square Players (Come- dy) (20th week). Doing but little. Cut rates. "Shirley Kaye" (Elsie Ferguson) (Hudson) (3d week). $12,000 last week, surprising show people who had seen the play. Big business held up this week. Norm Bayea (Eltinge) (2d week). Playing Sunday nights snd odd matinee days. Got $1,300 opening Christmas Eve, about $1,800 on three matinees during week and $1,900 at $3 a seat New Year's Eve. Miss Bayes giving entire performance. Tuesday matinee this week hardly anything. New Year's Eve showing considered remarkable for single woman, formerly vaudeville headliner, to draw that amount at $3. "Intolerance" (film) (Liberty) (16th week). About $4,000 last week. House rented on guarantee four weeks at time for picture. "Have a Heart" (play) opens at Liberty next week, 'Intolerance" moving out Sunday. "A Daughter of the Gods" (Annette Kellermann) (Lyric) (12th week). Down to about $8,000, expected de- crease on picture that plays to high priced scale. William Fox has whole house complete, renting from Shuberts. Big advertising, large orchestra and other expenses probably sending total cost of Lyric operation weeklv to $11,000, though some of this could be charged off for general advertising. Average lowest cost to plsy picture in Broadwav house, $8,000 weekly (when special film is exhibited and without figuring exhibition cost, not less than $100 daily). "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (Broadway (3d week). Did over $10,000 last week, house record. Universal film. While story does not carry, scenic portion of picture very strong. "Joan the Woman" (Geraldine Far- rar) (44th St.) (2d week). Not doing much and called a failure for New York, though Lasky film pronounced splendid, with Fsrrar in question as the selection for the title role. Location of house also against it. Farrar in her first picture took the house record for the Strand, New York, that theatre playing to $22,000 the week the Farrar film was exhibited there. 8tran<L Pictures. Doing very well, around $11,000. It is claimed this house will show the highest average weeklv profit of any picture theatre in America. Plays a regular program weeklv. Riaito. Samepolicy as Strand. Do- ing about $10,000 on regular week. New York. Playing a daily change of feature pictures, with Roof also open at nights, continuing at big at- tendance, with extremely Targe profits. House management, Klaw & Erlanger, splitting with Loew Circuit New York never msde ss much money from any policy or attraction as since com- ing under the Loew direction. Chicago, Jan. 3. An .estimate of the box office takings for current legitimate attractions are: "Hit the Trail HoUiday" (Grand). $12,000. Looks like $14,000 this week. $3,000 New Year's Eve. "Turn to the Right" follows in, Tan. 14, •The Boomerang*' (Power's). Close to $16,000 last week. Probably $17,500 this week. Averaged $15,000 for eight weeks. New Year's Eve, $3,100, at $5 top The Kolliee" (Illinois). Will go over $22,000 this week if gait so far keeps up. "Go To It" (Chicsgo). Will reach $7,200 this week. Leaves Saturday, opening in Kansas City, Sunday. CHORUS MEN "WALK OUT." Boston, Jan. 3. Nine chorus m^n walk*$^ ouC.of Arthur Hammerstein's show, "You're in Love," Saturday afternoon, and al- though the incident is of minor import- ance, it is interesting in light of the threatened White Rat strike which brought a rush of extra acts and managers to town. The chorus when paid Saturday afternoon objected to a charge for shoes. The show manage- ment claims the men have contracts calling for salaries varying from $22 to $30 weekly and that in all is the stipu- lation that the cost of shoes is to be deducted, just as the cost of ahoes and stockings is taken out of the chorus girls' pay. The men went in a body to one of the newspaper offices and that sheet ran a few lines on the matter Sunday. Very few people, however, knew about the argument and White Rats said it was news to them when asked about it. Eddie Clark, an oihcer of the Rats, wrote the plav. The men "ihrown out" of the show and Ham- mt rstein now says that the play will not further use a male chorus. Also that he didn't know what chorus men were for anyhow. "You're in Love" has moved for the third time, opening at the Majestic Monday matinee and getting $4,180 on the day, it being the first time that Boston has celebrated New Year's as a legal holiday. *5 * STOCK SHIFT. Lancaster, Pa., Jan. 3. The Oily Logsdon stock at the Ful- ton has been taken over intact by C. A. Yerker, manager of the theatre. The Company was installed by Henry Chesterfield, who held a contract with the theatre having a two weeks' can- cellation clause. Yerker served Chesterfield with a no- tice which took effect this week and im- mediately reengaged the same company. ANOTHER WAITING. Zellah Covington's "Heads Up," pro- duced by Selwyn & Co., was given its initial tryout last week at the Lincoln, Union Hill. The piece is playing Balti- more this week and is waiting for a New York theatre. "RUINED* 9 REHEAR8INO. Arthur Hopkins has placed "Ruined," by Clare Kummer, a new starring piece for William Gillette, into rehearsal at the Republic. The company will open about Jan, IS. The title may be changed. "Ruined" opens Jan. 12 in Atlantic City. MARCIN FARCE UNDER WAY. Edgar McGregor will place Max Marcin's farce, "Are You My Wife?" in rehearsal next week. Will Deming has been engaged. "Beautiful Unknown" in Rehearsal. The Shuberts latest musical play, "The Beautiful Unknown," has been placed in rehearsal. It was taken from the German and has Strauss music. •«i 'Robinson Crusoe, Jr." (Al Jolson) (Garrick). Opened Sundav night Got $12,000 first two days. Gave midnight performance Sunday. $2,000 Tuesday night. $5 New Year's Eve, $3 other nights. Way over $20,000 for this week from indications. "Fslr snd Warmer" (Cort). Will go above $10,000 this week. "Fixing Sister" (William Hodge) (Princess).$6,500 this week. "His Bridsl Night" (Dollv Sisters) (Olympic). "New rear's live, $3,400. Should reach $10,000 on week. $1.50 top. E. H. Sothern (Blackstone). Be- tween $8,000 and $9,000 with extra per* frrmance Sunday night.