Variety (March 1921)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

■ ■ 14 LEGITIMATE Friday, March 25, 1921 = = XT SHOWS IN N. Y. AND COMMENT » >•-• >■ •AfQap," Central (20th week). An- other week to go; will stop for season; road In fall. Delysia re- turning to Continent for vacation. 'Dream Street/* Griffith film, suc- "Bad Man," Comedy (29th week). Picked up several hundred dol- lars in gross last week and went over the $11,000 murk. Manage- ment figures to regain $12,000 pace starting next week. "Blue Eye;" Shuhert (5th week). Moved over from Casino Monday. Sharp decline in takings indicates attraction has little chance. Agency buy expired Saturday, but was renewed through change of theatres. "Broken Wing," 4$th St. (16th week). Holding up better than some of the other non-musical at- tractions. Good chance to last out season. "Cornered," Astor (16th week). An- other two weeks for this drama which will play some Eastern stands starting April 11—got $10,300 last week. House goes into pictures, "The Four Horse- men of the Apocalypse" moving over from Lyric. •Dear Me," Republic (10th week). Stood up to good business for first two months. Has been hurt in slump; under $8,000 last week. "Deburau," Belasco (14th week). One of the. half a dozen attrac- tions holding up to standing room "business. Around $17,700 again with no sign of slipping. "Emperor Jones," Princess (8th week).- Wide publicity given this attraction makes it look good for the road next season. Has not gone off in takings more than oth- ers. Gross last week was $6,000. including matinees of "Dlffrent." HOLY WEEK OPENS WEAK IN CHICAGO Has been getting $7,000. Very good here. "Enter Madame," Fulton (32d week). Gross has slipped down since Washington's Birthday. Last week the early days were marked- ly off and extra Thursday mati- nee weak; extra performance has been withdrawn. Came back late in the week with around $11,000 drawn. •First Year," Little (23d week). This comedy and "Llghtnin* M only attractions continuing the extra matinee. Played to $12,401 for nine performances last week. A smash not affected by slump. "Ghost Between/' 39th St. (1st week). Out "of town premiere during winter attracted consider- able attention. Piece was with- drawn for recasting. Arthur By- ron now in lead and starred. Opened Tuesday night. "Gold Diggers," Lyceum (77th week). Very little drop last week over the previous week's going, the takings reaching $12,700. Looks safe until summer. "Good Times," Hippodrome (33d week). School holiday this week should give Hip a boost in takings as in other seasons during Holy Week. "In the Night Watch," Century (0th week). Lithograph tickets calling for half price seats pulling crowds up*< wn. Reduction has mad* for gross of $18,000 and better for past two weeks. "Irene," Vanderbilt (70th week). Off around $800 last week over pre- vious week, gross slipping under $15,000 for first time since Holy Week of last season. Gross last week around $14,300. "It's Up to You," Casino. Premiere postponed until next week. "Ladies Night," Eltinge (33d week). No farce offered this season has been close to the takings of this one. Off somewhat in the past three weeks, but management figuring on attraction running into summer. "Lady Billy," Liberty (15th week). Has had a successful run thus far. Gross around $16,000 last week. Figures to run through April with ease. "Lightnin'," Gaiety (132d week). Still playing nine performances, the extra matinee started early in Hie Winter continuing as weekly feature. Gross last week $15,716, showing no falling off for the run leader. "Little Old New York," Plymouth C29th week). The comparative drop here has not been as great as with most other attractions. Is assured fulfillment of season's run. Drew around $10,000 last week, "Love Birds," Apollo (2d week). Is first musical attraction to come at $2.50 top. Show panned, but work of Pat Rooney highly cred- ited. Showed strength with tin- night gross after Wednesday hit- ting $2,000 and over and the de- mand good. Nearly $15,000 on the week. "Maid to Love," Times Square (2d week). Opened at the same time as "Love Birds," but with a $3 top scale. Went into cut rates almost immediately. Though first week grossed only $S.000 man- agement figures show has a chance after Easter. Some cast changes. "Mary," Knickerbocker (23d week). Due to continue four weeks more; Philadelphia engagement being set for April 25. Business last week showed strength in the lat- ter haut "Mary Rose," Empire (14th week). Has two weeks to go. Last week gross around $8,700 which was better than expected. "Ca- llre de Lune'' with John and Ethel .» BArryrqore pay. be. next attrac- tion. "Mary Stuart," Ritz (1st week). New house rushed to completion and William Harris, Jr. opened in with John Drinkwater's "Mary Stuart" (first called "Mary, Queen of Scots") Monday night. House seats about 860. "Meanest Man in the World," Hud- son (24th week). Takings last week remained about the same as week previous. With no further slipping the pace was over $8,000. "Miss Lulu Beit," Belmont (13th week). Decline last week was about $400 with the gross about $7,200. This comedy is making a run of it after a bad start and is likely to last out the season. Pace is profitable. "Nice People," Marc Klaw (4th week). Has been a virtual sell- out since premiere. Is a new at- traction which slump did not in- terfere with. About $14,600 last week. "Passing 8how of 1921," Winter Garden (13th week). Agency buy expired Saturday and was not re- newed. Cutting of operating cost seen in notices given some cast members. House celebrated tenth anniversary Monday night. - "Peg o' My Heart," Cort (6th week). Revival was hurt in the downward trend of business; managed to tilt the $12,000 mark last week. Fig- ures to continue well into May. "Rollo s Wild Oat," Punch & Judy (18th week). Patronage here has been continuously good except balcony, which is a series of little boxes. Around $6,000 is profitable in this small house. "Romance," Playhouse (4th week). Still going strong, with the house enjoying best takings in several seasons. Over $12,000 again last week. "Rote Girl," Ambassador (7th week), has been holding its own. Pace after Easter will determine length of continuance. Attraction not a hit, but business better than first indicated. "Sally," New Amsterdam (14th week). Remarkable sale continues with no falling off; $34,000 week- ly since premiere, which beats all "Follies" records. "Spanish Love," Maxine Elliott (33d week). One of the season's dra- matic successes. Though not a high gross attraction it has held its pace steadily until last three ^weeks. Should recover /hext week and run into May. "Survival of the Fittest," Green- wich (2d week). Drew severe criticisms of season. Management, howevtr, intends continuing for four-week period of house guar- antee. "The Bat," Morosce (31st week). Agency sale has not been as big lately, but box-olhce trade still to be tapped. Scale arrangements reported after Easter should keep it sailing to big takings until summer. "The Champion," Longacre (12th week). Played to better than $10,000 last week. Stands a chance of recovery starting next week. "The Hero," withdrawn after first week of special matinees and held for regular presentation in fall. "The Green Goddess," Booth (11th week). One of the few attrac- tions weathering the depression unharmed. Again went to $14,000, with standing room in for several performances. "The Tavern," Cohan (26th week). Practically no slipping last week over the previous week's going, the gross being nearly $8,900. "Three Live Ghosts," Bayes (26th week). Made profit last week, which is more than others hit by the slump. Takings $6,700. Looks pood until May. "Tip Top," Globe (25th week). One of the big winners unaffected in recent weeks. Gross last week at $26,200 is little different from previous week. Only a few dollars in standing room in statements. "Toto," Bijou (1st week). Starring Leo Dltrichstein. Out-of-town re- ports excellent. Opened Monday night. "Wake Up, Jonathan," Henry Miller (10th week). Three weeks more for this attraction; due to go out April 16. Takings last week sagged further. Failure of show to register better a surprise. "Woman of Bronze," Frazee (29th week). "With the takings around $9,000 last week this drama stands a good chance of running through April, figuring improvement next week. "Welcome Stranger," Sam IT. Harris (2Sth week). Hung around the $12,000 mark last week. Manage- ment looks to recovery after Faster. "Way Down East," 44th Street (30th Week). "Over the Hill," Broadhurst (25th week). "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," Lyric (3d week). Is by far the leader of films now specially shown in legitimate houses. Over $1*0,600 last week. "Hitchy-Koo" and "The Bat" Far in the Lead—"East Is West" Set. V». -<tt f week), should Money "Hitchy-Koo" setting new rec- ords at the Illinois. Topped every house and show in the city by $700. Engagement only for four weeks, with Hitchcock trying for an exten. slon. Week after next should sec many new shows on the Rlalto. Estimates for the week: "8havings" (Powers, 4th $11,900. Two more weeks write finish to this play, maker for house and show. "Fanchon- Marco Satires" (Olym- pic, 8th week). $10,000, a surprise, making some money on run. Thurs- ton opened without competition on Sunday. "East Is West" (Garrick, 2d week). Has caught on after fair opening, until it touched better than $23,000. Taking lead for a non-musical show. "Way Down East" (Woods, 14th week). Just over the stop clause. Did about $11,000. Looks like "Dream City" will follow in four* weeks. "Night Boat" (Colonial, 2d week). Went to $16,000. Extra advertising should place it in the $20,000 class. Show well spoken of. "Dulcy" (Cort, 4th week). Fell to below $10,000; expected to pick up after this week. "Tavern" (Cohan's Grand. 7th week). $12,000; means money to everybody concerned: should also pick up and round out three months' run. "Kitting Time" (La Salle, 2d week). Folded up on $6,500. House dark for one week, then "The Four Horsemen," film. "The Bat" (Princess, 12th w*ek). $19,000. Will easily last until mid- summer, with a steady line at the box office and big advance sale. Seats eight weeks in advance. "Hearts of Erin" (Shubert-Cen- tral, 2d week). Went out to almost nothing, giving way to "Beggars Opera." "Irene" (Studebaker, 16th week). Helen Shipman out of cast for few days owing to illness. No public announcement made of her absence. Miss Shipman back Sunday, and will remain for the remainder of Chicago run. Seats six weeks in advance. "Hitchy-Koo" (Illinois, 3d week). Bettered jts receipts every week; reaching its climax last week with $31,780. "Woman to Woman" (Playhouse, week). Getting heavy play from 2d women and word-of-mouth adver- tising. If show can stick out this week, has chance for a run; $6,000. "Mecca" (Auditorium, 8th week). Finished to $31,000, after eight weeks of aensational publicity and business. "Just Suppose" (Blackstone, 2d week). Fell to $8,000; bound to pick up next week. Four more weeks. BOSTON'S LEAN WEEK STARTED MONDAY Everything Off—One Opening —One Opening Next Week. at a $3 top, playing here at $2.60; first time the Colonial has played at leaa than $3. Had poor house Monday night this week. "Abraham Lincoln," (Hollis, 4th week). In for two weeks more; $19,000 last week. Will play four extra matinees next week. Expect- ed it will close to big figures. "Call the Doctor" Tremont, 2d week). First week got $US,000; only fair and below what other attrac- tion*, outside of film, secured at this house, this season. ^Honors Are Even**<P*rk Witfre; 12th week). $9,400 last week. Evi- dently in for protracted run. Close to record breaking stay now. "Earthbound" (Majestic, 3d week). Film. Takings for laBt week $4,500. "Samson and Delilah" (Wilbur, 1st week). Show should get fair play this week, despite conditions, but future is problematical Last and final week "Jim Jam Jems," $13,000. "Greenwich Village Follies" (Shu- bert, 3d week). Led town for tak- ings last week with $27,000. This betters record of previous week. One of the big money makers of the season. "Gertie's Garter" (Plymouth, 3d week). Ban about even last week with gross for opening week. Show will stay here for quite a while and make money. $11.00f last week. "Twin Beds" (Globe, 2d week). Despite show played here for sev- eral weeks few seasons ago, good houses last (first) week, $6,000. This the last week. NEWS OF THE DAILIE8 drew with HOPEFUL IN PHILA., THAT SLUMP IS OVER Four Openings This Week— "Whirl" at $1.50. Philadelphia, March 23. Four openings Monday night changed the complexion of the thea- map here, and gave rise to the slump of the weeks had passed Boston, March 23. Monday night was a lean one. The exported slump materialized and Indications were there would not bo any pickup later on this week. All of the houses, with the ex- ception of the Boston opera house, dark since "Aphrodite," were open. But one opening, Ben-Ami in "Sam- son and Delilah," at the Wilbur. Contrary to the general run, there will be hut one opening in the city next Monday, when "Honeydew" comes into the Majestic, supplant- ing the film which has been housed there. Last week all the shows ran well up to the average, the Influx of visitors to the automobile show giv- ing the theatres a splendid play. K.stimates were: "Scandals of 1920" (Colonial, 2d week). Did $25,000 business last week. Although advertised to play David Belasco told guests at the dinner tendered him in the Hotel Astor March 20 by the America* Society of Dramatists and Com-, posers that next August he will have been In the show business 39 years. For 19 of these years he haa managed his own playhouse. Ha spoke of hie barnstorming days aa a youngster and recalled great ac- tors with whom he had been asso- ciated, the .quickness with which plays were produced' in the'6l3 days,' and other such matters. Distin- guished guests to the number of 250 were present. The speakers In* eluded Oeraldine Farrar, William Gillette, ,John Drew, Cosmo Hamil- ton, Sir Philip Gibbs, Montrose J. Moses, Franklin Sargent, Rose Coghlin, Daniel Frohman, Lauretta Taylor, Major-General O'Ryan, Ar- thur Hobson Quinn, Charles S. Hit- man, George Pierce Baker, Roland Holt, Frances Starr and William A. Brady. Prof. William Lyon Phelps presided. Kitty Berg, an actress, living at 115 West 71st street, reports a ride out to Lynbrook, L. I., and back cost her $16,000 In jewels. Two men accompanied her. Failing to per- suade her to gamble, they got her to leave the cab at Calvary Cemetery, near Newtown in Queens, and the next thing she knew, she told the police, she woke up from a period of unconsciousness minus her jewels. Hollywood Park, the big amuse- ment resort in Baltimore, caught lire March 20. Loss is estimated at $250,000. The Paris opera will give picturca in the off season and during the season for matinees to stave off a threatened deficit. JACK - l*.%BKIX89 SIDNEY and T0WNLEY Tn "A SUBWAY FLIRTATION" at BROADWAY, NEW YORK, this Week (March 21). Keith's, Philadelphia, April 4. Maryland, Baltimore, April 11. "Connecticut Yankee in King Ar- ' thur's Court," Selwyn (2d week).Direction, C1IAS. A. B1ERBAUER, trical hopefulness that last month or six its crest. Geo. M. Cohan had two of the openers, and incidently the two most promising as far as first-night houses. "The Acquittal" at the Broad filled its very last rows down stairs, and "Nemesis" brought up from last week's try-out at Atlantic City, also pulled nearly capacity, both houses were freely papered. "Adam and Eva" at the Adelphl, and "The Whirl of the Town" at the Chestnut Street Opera House, the latter an innovation at $1.50 top, gave only fair promise with their first night's gross. "The MasqueracTer" at the Walnut has been added to the four shows now about to close. The Post show has done nicely right along. All the continuing attractions were hit by the numerous first-nights. The only opener Monday next is "Somebody's Lion," the annual Mask and Wig Show of the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania which plays at the Forrest for one week. The ad- vance sale is heavy. Further price reductions are ru- mored here, following the lead of the Shuberts with "The Whirl," although the Syndicate houses in- sist that they have no intention of coming down to $1.50. "The Acquittal" (Broad, 1st week) opened to good business and 1 kindly treated. Looks liko money-maker for two week's stay. "The Hotten- tot" went out to less than $9,000. "Jimmie'* (Shubert, 2d week) not matching up with the Tinney show which preceded it. Hit this week by the four openers, and not likely to remain more than a couple more weeks. About $18,000. "Ermine" (Forrest, 4th week). Last week of healthy old-timer which slipped considerably after original two weeks, but still turning neat profit. About $17,000.' "Adam and Eva" (Adelphia, 1st week). Broa&wa-y run did not seem to impress as much as expected. Well liked by critics, but many va- cant ^eats. Must pick up soon if show is to round out season at this house. "Scandal" out-played its welcome, and went out last week to less than $7,000. "Smilin' Through" (Lyric, 5th week). Two more weeks for this Unusual comedy-drama which picked up nicely last week and ought to realize nice profit, though not the success In Philly it was in Chicago. About $13,000. "Nemesis" (Garrick, 1st week)- Conaiderably touched up by Cohan, and enthusiastically received by all except one critic. Had fine house and announces large advance sale. Hero two weeks. "One" departed last week, unapplauded. "The Whirl of the Town" (Shubert's Chestnut St. Opera House, 1st week). Opening and advance sale not quite up to hope considering $1.50 top. William A. Brady made public March 21 an exchange of telegrams between him and Dr. Wilbur F. Crafts, Blue Sunday propagandist, in which Brady reproached Crafts for continuing his campaign against pictures after promising to give producers time to clean up them- selves so far as it might be found necessary. Jeanne Eagels continues to occu- py her apartment at 17 West 57th street under protection of a Su- preme Court order directing J. and T. Cousins, the owners, not to dis- turb her. She holds a lease till Oct. 1, 1922. Even if they refund the $13,000 she has spent in redecorat- ing, she says she will not move. Sothern and Marlowe will open their Shakespearian season in New York Sept. 27, they announced when sailing for England last week. Roland Young is hut in pictures In a Bergere. to make his de- drama by Ouida Ignace Paderewski Jpft New York Sunday for the coast for a two months' rest. Dorothy Miller, a blonde Irish lass, March 21, through the columns of the World, offered herself in mar- riage two years from now, when she will be 18, to any man who would provide $1,000 for her mother's operation. The letter was investigated by the World, whosa reporter found the family intelll- fent and respectable. The girl's mother said they never had solicited or accepted charity. Archibald Sclwyn returned from Europe March 22, bringing front Paris Henri Battille's "L'llomme a la Rose" and "Le Chasseur de Chez Maxim's" by Mirande and Quinson, in which Sam Bernard will appear. The special committtee In Boston investigating new sources of revenue has reported to Mayor Peters recommending a larger tax on thea- tres by increasing the license fee. The Japanese actors, Mr. and Mrs. Michetaro Ongawa, interested a large audience at the Town Hall March 22 by their presentation of native plays. John Daniels, the only gorilla ever to be exhibited here, according to Ringllng Brothers, arrived on the Old North State, March 22. The shipnews scribes who greeted him shortly discovered that he did not approve of prohibition. Down In Washington Tom Moore presented a gold pass to his the- atres to the Preside nt and Mrs. Harding. Unless the law Is changed, however, they will have to pay ad- mission taxes. Nanine V. Joseph of M. Witmarl: & Sons was the subject of a feature story bv Catharine Brody in the Globe, March 22. According to the story M'SS Joseph manages De- partment C—the Charm Department (Continued fro mpage 25) Show will stay about three weeks, when house reverts to pictures for summer season. Griffith'* "Dream Street" announced. "The Masquerader" (Walnut, Dth week). Turning over steady, but not phenomenal gross. Will stick two more weeks, with successor un* announced. $10,000.