Variety (March 1921)

14 LEGITIMATE SHOWS IN N. Y. AND COMMENT f. "Afgar," Central <r.nli wreak). Two weeks more to !«>. anow going off for season April 2 Present plans call for house going into pictures until summer. Griffith's "Dream Street" is the Aim, "Bad Man" Comedy <-28ih week). Around $11,000 last week, which is $1,000 off the pace this hit has run up to the start of the slump two weeks ago. "Blus Eyee," Casino (4th week). Slipped badly last week, the tak- ings going under $11,400. Will be moved over to the Shub. -t Monday, "It's Up to You" succeed- ing with the prelmero on Thurs- day next. "Broken Wing," 48th Street (16th week). Business here has held up well in the slump. Some cut rate aid and no increased Saturday night scale helping. Should weath- er the senson. "Cornered," Astor (15th week). Two or three weeks more for this at- traction, which then closes. Madge Kennedy, starred, going to Kurope for vacation. "The Four Horse- men of the Apocalypse" will move over from the kyric. "Dear nje," Republic (9th weekT- I^ast week's business dropped something like five per cent, over the takings of the week previous. Gross around $8,000. Show can make money at that pace. "Deburau," Belasco (13th week). Belasco production has shown its fine class ever since premiere. Is still a sell out and one of the few offerings so listed. Gross was $17,780 last week. "Emperor Jones," Princess (7th week). Business of this dramatic novelty surprising. Takings are around $7,000 weekly. That in- cludes daily matinee of "DifTrent," but management well satisfied in this small house. "First Year," Little (22d week). Rid- ing with the leaders, takings only held down because of size of theatre. Comedy smash , that slump has not affected. Got $12,641 last week. "Enter Madame," Fulton (81st week). Has gone off within past three weeks, but not greater pro- portionately than some other hits. Drew $12,000 or a bit better last week. Management claims con- tinuance through summer. •Gold Diggers," Lyceum (76th week). Little under $13,000 last week, but management plans run until August when show will take to the road, with Atlantic City the first date. "Good Times," Hippodrome (32d week). Exact closing date will not be decided until after Kaster, which is generally big at the Hip. Last week the gross was $47,700. Show operates on a weekly ex- pense of $41,000 over all. "Her Family Tree," Shubert (12th week). Closes Saturday In spite of special publicity given attrac- tion on its moving over from the Lyric. First week here was un- der stop limit "Blue Ryes" moves over from Casino Monday. "In the Night Watch," Century (8th week). Cut rates and lithographs provided plenty of box office ac- tion last week. Gross naturally not big because of reduction. Around $15,000, however, with a slight profit made. "Irene," Vanderbilt (69th week). Management considers pace of original company as good as the big money takings of the road companies because of long run. Over $15,000 right along. Claim made for summer continuation. "Ladies Night," Kltingo (32d week). One of the attractions regarded safe for the balance of the season. Strength at box ofllce since first of year indicates it might remain into the summer going. "Lady Billy," Liberty (14th week). Went close to $17,000 last week, paco being surprisingly good. Strength of 'Sully" and the turn- away has helped this show, but it has stood up conslstantly since opening. "Little Old New York," Plymouth <28th week). Running to form. Hurt in the slump but ftbt as much as others. Played to around $10,000 last week and should pick up again after Easter. "Liflhtnin\" Gaiety (131st week). No evidence of slump recorded in takings of this remarkable at- traction. Gross last week with an extra matinee was $15,706.50. "Love Birds," Apollo (1st week). Second Wilner and Romberg at- traction this season. Opened Tuesday night. Pat Rooney and Marion Bent featured. "Mary Rose," Empire (18th week). Has two weeks more, then goes to the road. John and Ethel Bar- rymore in "Claire de Lime," writ- ten by wife of former, will be succeeding attraction. "Maid to Love," Times Square (1st week). Opened Tuesday night, being the second Selwyn opening on that evening. Show was out in the fall under different man- agement. Has since been fixed up. "Mary" Knickerbocker (22d week). About another month for this Cohan success. Takings last week down to around $14,000. Probably will regain form after Easter, but will move to Philadelphia for a third engagement there. "Meanest Man in the World," Hud- son (23d week). Slipped again last week, the gross being be- tween $8,000 and $9,000. Should recover and run through April. "Miss Lulu Bett," Belmont (12th week). Was off over the previous going, last week's gross being $7,600. Pace is said to be profit- able for show in small house. Has good chance to last out season. "Nice People," Maro Klaw (3rd week). The newest non-musical hit. At $2 50 top the gross last week (first full week) totaled over $14,500. It is the fifth Sam H. Harris attraction on the list and is getting top money among them. "Passing 8how of 1921," Winter Gar- den (12th week). Agency buy over this week, but will probably be extended. Comedy strength of revue drawing though takings have been off during slump. "Peg o» My Heart/' Cort (6th week). Went off about $1,000 last week with the gross reaching close to $14,000. Pace of this revival is far better than some of the sea- son's successes. "Rollo's Wild Oat," Punch and Judy weekly and should last through April. "The Champion," Longacre (11th week). Off like the others, but pace still strong. Will run until summer, then go to Chicago for hot months. "My Hero," special matinee attraction with Grant Mitchell, started Monday. "Wake Up, Jonathan," Henry Miller (9th week). Business markedly off here last week, with the gross $7,000 or a little under. Plans call for show running into next month, however. "Woman of Bronze." Frazcc (28th week). Another long-run atrac- tion to feel the slump. Gross last week around $9,000 or slightly better. May recover after Easter. If not Margaret Anglln will con- tinue in house, offering "Joan of Arc.** "Welcome Stranger," Sam H. Har- ris (27th week). Length of stay may have figured in drop last week. Gross about $12,100. "Way Down East," 44th St. (29th woe* It) "Over the Hill," Broadhurst (24th week). "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," Lyric (2d week). Barring open- ing night, when tickets at $10 were not for sale, the first week of this exceptional film production grossed over $17,400, which only counts for cix days. Pace this week should send it over $20,000 mark. It will remain here an- other three weeks, then move to Astor. "Queen of Sheba" will be exhibited at Lyric. "Connecticut Yankee in King Ar- thur's Court," Selwyn (1st week). Opened Monday. HOLY WEEK AHEAD FOR BOSTON SHOWS All Theatres May Remain Open —"Greenwich Follies" Take House Record. Friday, March 18, 1921 PHUA. EXPECTS NEW ONES TO END SLUMP Four Openings on Monday-* "Ermihie" Holds Lead. HITCHY IN LEAD, BUSINESS MILD Chicago Trade Dull, Though Not Disastrous. Chicago. March 16. "Hitcby-Koo" leaped to the fore- front of local money-getters In its second week. Business generally was lame. Box office estimates for the week: "Shavings" (Powers', 3d week). $11,500; substantially popular, though never of the capacity class. Fsnchon-Marco Revue (Olympic, .7th week). $12,400 claimed, which is not far off; doing steady business with middle classes. Leaving next week "East Is West" (Garrick. 1st week). $14,000. Got over solidly and will probably blossom into money sensation with Easter, show- ililS ?' cck) „ *, Ia V ne # V 8 oi fP*f>«l ing strong indications that way now. playlets will last through this p £ Balnter extravagantly lauded week, but show will continue in- m no ti cea . Le ROY DUFFIELD Leading Tenor with ON A M UN- SON at the Colonial This Week. Watch His Career; Another Find. Personal Representative, CLAK- KNC16 J AC OB SON. definitely. Takings last week $6,000 show, "Rollo" to be little affected by slump. "Rose Girl," Ambassador (6th week). Continues at a much better pace than expected. Not drawing big business, but gross between $14,- 000 and $15,000 said to bo profit- able. . "8ally," New Amsterdam (13th week). Continues at the head of the Hat and is getting more money than any attraction barring the Hippodrome. Still around $34,000 or better.' "Romance," Playhouse (3d week). Thus far this revival is a smash. Played to little over $13,000 last week. That is claimed to be a new figure for house, record hav- ing been held by "The Man Who Came Back." "Skin Game," Bijou (22d week). Pinal week. "Toto," new Leo Ditrichstein piece succeeds next week. Galsworthy play goes to road Made best run here of the Knglish importations this season. "Samson and Delilah." 39th St. (18th week). Final week, going to road. "The Ghost Between," with Ar- thur Byron, the succ» edlng attrac- tion next week. "Spanish Love," Maxlne Elliott (32d week). Dropped down with the others last week, with the takings being around $10,000. Figures to rebound after Easter and r'-main for balance of season. "Survival of the Fittest,"-Greenwich (1st week). Supposed to be a serious play, but first nightcrs enjoyed piece, taking it n« a ludi- crous offering. That unexpected angle may start something. "The Bat." Morosco (30th week). Gross here climbed a bit last week, the figures being $17,800. Little slower in selling house, but re- Knrdlcss of agencies not going clean house statements showed capacity. "The Green Goddess," Booth (9th week). Melodramatic hit that has not been hurt in the slump. Gross at $14,000 means capacity for the week. Good into the summer. "The Tavern," Cohan (2f.th week). Extra advertising again for this Cohanized drama. It has fallen away like the other long-run at- tractions. Around $9,000 last week. "Tip Top." Globe (24th week). Is the Globe's biggest winner. Ca- pacity pace will continue as long as Fred Stone desires to play. Show will run until June. "Three Live Ghosts," Hayes (25th week). Still making money. This comedy can show a profit at $6,000 "Way Down East" t Woods', 13th week). Playing to plenty of emp- ties, but still drawing more than most talkies. Around $12 000. with a peculiar stop clause requiring two weeks* notice after show drops be- low $10,000 two consecutive weeks. "The Tavern" (Cohan's Grand, 6th week). $14,500. Very strong for the times. "Kissing Time" (La Salle. 1st week). Mildly received; got $8,300, which reads like hit business in view of conditions. "The Bat" (Princess, 11th week) $19,600. Still the predominant non- musical hit, and good for a fortune here. "Hearts of Erin" (Shubert-Cen- tral, 1st week). With unknown star, Walter Scanlan. and unknown Irish play in Lent, attracted small general interest, but managed to pull over $3,000, with hopes of St. Patrick's day impetus this week, Its last. "Hitchy-Koo" (Illinois, 2d week). Unanimously accorded the /erdict of the best Hltchy show ever here, pulling capacity; first in demand at brokers'; $30,000. "Women to Woman" (Playhuos*. 1st week). Got $6,000 in seven per- formances and, while not a flop, not regarded as having strong chance to pull into money division. Wil- lette Kershaw's personal draw help- ing. "Irene" (Studebaker, 1st week, 15th week In town). $23,000. This is some $5,000 below average at- tained at Garrick. but Studebaker capacity smaller and move hurt some- Business will undoubtedly pull up to average of at least $25,- 000, and run should hold through summer. "Just Suppose" (Blackstone, 1st week). $9,200. Patricia Collinge, always local favorite, showing even unexpected strength. These figures considered remarkable for house, show and general conditions. "Mecca" (Auditorium, 7th week). $36,000. Winding up a spectacular run to uniformly extraordinary re- turns. Holding up within $8,000 of biggest week. Publicity has been unique and terrific. "Dulcy" (Cort, 3d week). $11,500. A ciassy light comedy hit. but not a walloping draw as yet. Regarded as having splendid possibilities as a money maker and considered a prime bet for New York. "The Night Boat" (Colonial. 1st week). Between $18,060 and $19,- 000; important money, but not im- pressive as against the record the "Follies' left: show admired rather than raved over. And will probably get fair run at tfrtf. returns. Boston, March 16. Th« town was saved from the usual "flrst-of-the-week slump" Monday by a large play from those in town for the automobile show. There are no indications that all the houses won't remain open next week and take whatever losses are coming to them. All the shows in town now are booked to remain here for another two weeks, and this would preclude any house being dark for the Holy Week. There was little change in the takings for last week compared with the weeks since the first of the year. The one exception was at the Shu- bert, where the "Greenwich ViilaRe Follies," which opened there, broke the house record for a week, get- ting away with over $26,000 for the eight performances. Two new attractions Monday night, White's "Scandals" opening at the Colonial, where "Mary" had a long and profitable run, and "Call the Doctor" at the Tromont. which had been using a feature film for the past weeks. With the passing from the town of "Aphrodite" the Boston opera house is again dark, with no indication that any new at- traction will be booked in there at present. Estimates for the week were: "Scandals of 1920" (Colonial, 1st week). Despite the Shuberts rather bunched up the play by bringing the "Follies" in a week ahead, this show had usual first night of those that follow revues for the opening performance. The house was ca- pacity, with very little paper, at $3 top. "Mary" on the final week got away with $20,000. a bit better than the previous week, and showed that the show was booked out of town while still going strong here. "Abraham Lincoln" (Hollis. 5th week). This show is in for three weeks longer, the engagement hav- ing been extended because of the fine business. It will undoubtedly run to near capacity for this period, as it has taken quite a hold on local theatregoers and It is considered quite the proper thing to attend this show. Did about $20,000 last week, which was only a bit off from that of the* previous week. "Call the Doctor" (Tremont, 1st week). Opened the house for legiti- mate shows after a film for three weeks. Monday night got good play, but did not have audience show opening at the Tremont usually gets. "Passion," film, final week, did about $8,000 and had about run itself out for big-time attraction locally. "Honors Are Even" (Park Square. 11th week). If this show can Just hold its own until after Lent it will probably settle down to a run which will carry it through until the end of the season or close to It. Busi- ness held up well last week. In the neighborhood of $9,000. "Earthbound" (Majestic, 2d week). Got away with $4,000 last week, drop of about $1,000. Film booked for two weeks more. "Jim Jam Jems" (Wilbur, 4th week). Did $14,600 last week. This is final week, and while it may drop off indications are entire engage- ment is more profitable than those back of show hoped for when it came here. Much changed in cast from time It played New York Ben-Ami in "Samson and Delilah" underlined next week. "Greenwich Village Follies" (Shu- bert, 2d week). Cracked house rec- ord for week, with $26,000. Show opened strong Monday night and is sure to go big while it remains. "Gertie's Garter" (Plymouth, 2d week). With business of $11,000 opening week this show did better business for farce opening week than has been the case at any house in this city for some time. The publicity the show got, together with the personal word-of-mouth adver- tising, helped immensely. "Twin Beds" (Globe, 1st week) Did fair business for opening niffht. considering show with original com- pany had long run hero several sea- sons ago. "The Old Homestead" final week did about $5,000. "Way Down East" (Tremont Tem- ples 26th week). Running strong. "Aphrodite" (Boston opera house). Finished Saturday with $15,000 for week. House now dark. COAST'S "FIND" Los Angeles, March 16. Hcdwig Helcher has been pre- senting a series of special matinees of "Monna Vanna'* at the Kgan Little theatre here for the last week. Olga Gray Zacsek is starred and locally pronounced a distinct find as an emotional actress. The production work of Mies Reicher was given unusually favor- able comment. Philadelphia March 16. The past w-ek saw little change in the show world here, with n« imminent improvement on the hori- zon until Monday, the "1st. when the first four of a batch of nine- shows in three weeks open. The Tyler production of "Erminle* remains the surprise knockout at- traction. Bad weather for the Wednesday matinee and one even- ing performance brought down the week's total, but full houses oh Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, during Lent, too. testify to the old opera's heavy play. "Jim* mie" was this week's only open. It easily beat "Honeydew's"' gross and stuck pretty close to Tinney's hist week's record for "Tickle Me." None of the straight shows had much to show in comparison. Interest is expressed here in the $1.50 top price ecalo of "The Whirl of the Town," which the Sbubertn bring to the Chestnut Street next week. This marks the lowest here at a downtown house in four years. Other openers include two Cohan productions. Augustus Thomas' "Nemesis'' and "The Acquittal,'* which has never been here* though old. The fourth show is "Adam and Eva," which the Shuberts are said to hope to run into the summer at the Adelphl. What is probably the biggest the- atrical night of the year here will take place April 4 When Drinkwa- ter's "Lincoln," Ziegfeld's "Follies" and Belasco's "Son-Daughter" open at the Nixon-Nirdllnger houses and Florence Beed in "The Mirage" comes to the Lyric. There is much speculation as to how the critics will divide up. Current attractions are: "The Hottentot" (Broad, 2d week). Collier's show, which played to good money here last year, is trying a comeback of two weeks. The show got nothing but reading notices in the dailies and pulled less than $11,000. "Jimmie" (Shubert, 1st week). Frances White and Ben Welch well received at opening Monday, but show received mixed notices, lean- ing on the favorable. "Tickle Me" went out to about $20,000. "Erminie" (Forest, 3d week). Showed little if any falling off ex- cept Monday night and Wednesday matinee, and grossed pretty close to $24,000, with no increase Saturday night. Has two weeks more to run, with a drop forecasted. "8milin' Through" (Lyric, 4th week). The Shuberts decided to keep this one In until April 2, but the houses of last week and this don't appear to warrant it. Was under $12,000. "8candal" (Adelphl, «th week). Last week. Has drawn moderately and remained for run. To be sue* cecded by "Adam and Eva." "Scan- dal" grossed about $10,000. "One" (Garrick. 2d week). Has) failed to catch on to any extent. Some agency play downstairs, but didn't get more than $10,000, if that, "Nemesis" next. "Honeydew" (Chestnut Street, 4ta week). Zimbalist's play aided by the popularity of this house hasj picked up and should go out strong. Probably $12,500 last week. "The Masquerader" (Walnut, 4th week). No end ennounced for Post play, which has made a good rec- ord in this renovated house. Not a knockout, but excellent for a re- peater; $12,000. MANTELL'S SECOND WEEK. New Orleans, March 16. Robert B. Mantell opened his sec- ond week at the Tulane very lightly. His business for the fortngiht will not compare with that of last season. If Mr. Mantell contemplates play- ing return engagements next season, he could with advantage surround himself with at least the scmblanco of a new production. COHAN REVUE EEHEAESING. The first rehearsal of George M. Cohan's forthcoming revuo was acfcodulod for yesterday (Thursday). Julian Mitchell will stage the dances. ARCH 8ELWYN COMING IN. Ar:h Selwyn sailed from Englanl last Saturday for New York, due here Sunday. Leading Makers of Stage Attire For Men and Women We costume completely mu-^ sical and dramatic produc-<» lions, moving pictures, acts, revues and operas. 143 West 40th St., New York 2 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*