Variety (August 1922)

ffriday, Augmt 4, 1982 SHOWS ON BROADWAY HAD INCREASES LAST WEEK LEGITI M ATE 13 ■< J fetter Previous Wedc't from $1,500 to $2,000— •Tollies'' Gross to Date Over $300,000 and Going Strong COLORED SHOW AT $1 IS UNDER CANVAS Broadway will get Ave attrac- tions next week, Includlngr three MW productions and two resump- tions. Activity In the legitimate field is noted; also in Boston, which If getting several attractions this week and next, and yirhile Chicago will not begin receiving fresh shows until later in the month the new aeason will be pre-dated from Aug. T on. As predicted earlier in the sum- mer, there will be an absence of the rush by producers for houses that marked fall seasons in recent years. Not all Broadway has been assigned openings to date, although the bookers are expected to have most houses dated for premieres by the end of next week (the middle of August). The season will get un- der way with at least three Broad- way hou.ses devoted to special pic- ture exhibitions. Next week will see the entrance of "Shore Leave" at the Lyceum, the earliest piemiere by David Be- lasco in many seasons. "The Mon- ster" will relight the 39th St. and "Whispering Wires" reopens the 41th St. "Blossom Time," the oper- etta success of last sea.son, tak^s up the going again at the Ambas- sador and it has a good chance to run well into the new season. "Tan- gerine" takes possession of the Ca- sino again, but for three weeks only. "Sally, Irene and Mary" succeed late in the month. "Tangerine" figures on getting summer money and Its management is playing it safe by placing the attraction in cut rates for the added three weeks. Boston, which was dormant fol- lowing the closing of "Sally," got Its first fresh attraction last Sat- urday, when the colored "Shuffle Along" opened at the Selwyn. The date was set ahead to dodge the premiere of "Little Nellie Kelly," the new Cohan musical show which bowed into the Tremont Monday. Beth shows started well, and the "Kelly" piece is regarded as a sure Broadway hit. It will probably not be brought in until October. The Hub gets a third attraction next week, when "Love and Kisses" opens at the Wilbur. The next premiere date for New York is the week of Aug. 14, when "Lonely Wives" (opened out of town as "Who's Who") will open at the Eltinge. "Manhattan" will start the Playhouse, "Lights Out" will bow Into the Vanderbilt and "Tons of Money" will be the first offering of the redecorated Gaiety. The luaical attractions will start arriving Aug. 21, when "Daffy-Dill" comes to the Apollo. The following week both George White's "Scan- dals" and "Molly Darling" will open. The latter will get the Liberty and "Scandaia" the Globe. The Green- wich Village Follies" was listed for, the Shubert Labor Day, but it, too. ttay open the same week (Aug. 28) without a tryout date date. T,nst week's better weather and tl resultant jump at the box of- fices appear to have decided the managers on making their openings more definite. The average in- crease in gross was $1,500, though Jve attractions drew better than 12.000 on the previous week (start- ing July 17), which was the low "rru ^"'^'"fss period of the summer. The Follies" jumped $1,100 for a total of over $37,200 and a total gross to date of over $300,000. The "Mu.qic Box Revue" h.id an lncrea.se of $2,000 and almost ', reached $21,000 for the week. 'T.no.l | Morning Dearie" was $1,500 better j ^or nearly $19.000 gro.ss. "rMrlnrrM Again" jumped more than $2,000 jast we,.k .ind .so did "The r.old- " " '*"'^ "Spice of 1922" approxi- ate the same meaHure of better ou.siness ftn^^" ^^ *^^^*'" ^" revised form again Poned on I'.roadway. renting the Ule. The show drew $100 on It.s second niKht and w^nt into cut Bhn ^^^^ fourth of the colon-d nows to try for P.roadwav mnuov ^""'^i'r»""«day. It being "Oh .Toy- off.r,.d under canva.s at .JTth harm ""*' ^'^'^^^'^ avenue. It can nr« , ''*" ''ounted as belonuing to ih^a* ''^' ^*>^ «»^ow not h.v:n« a »neatre and charging $1 top. wl:h Ihaf ♦k'^"**'* •'** '^••^^- Indications an- ! «i the "dark wave" [-. over so far as New York is concerned. "Strut Miss Lizzie" got $5,200 at the Earl Carroll and tha "Plantation Review" about $5,500. That eight will be able to stick longer than this month is unlikely and it is probable that one to two of the current colored trio will go out in another week or two. The film special "Nero" continues at the Lyric and will run through the month. "Silver Wings." the other Fox picture, has another week at the Apollo. "The Prisoner of Zenda" opened at the Astor Sun- day, and "Monte Cristo" will start exhibiting at the 44th St. Aug. 14. The list of attractions continued as buy-outs in the ticket agencies is constant at eight for this week. Better business was noted by all brokers and indications that two of next week's openings will be ac- cepted as buys. The agency group: "Kiki" (Belasco), "Kempy" (Bel- mont), "Captain Applejack" (Cort). "Good Morning Dearie" (Globe). "Music Box Revue" (Music Box), 'Follies" (New Am.sterdam), 'Part- ners Again". (Selwyn), "Spice of 1922" (Winter Garden). The cut rates number 11 in all. one addition being po.ssible through the reopening of "Pin Wheel" (Lit- tle), which joined the others. That gives the cuts slightly more than 50 per cent of the total list as two of the three pictures are also of- fered at bargains, they being "Nero" (Lyric) and "Silver Wings" (Apol- lo). The other cuts are "Dover Road" (Bijou), "Strut Miss Lizzie" (Earl Carroll), "Plantation Revue" (48th St.), "From Morn Til Mid- night" (Frazee), "He Who Gets Slapped" (Garrick). "Six Cylinder Love" (Sam Harris). "The Bat" (Morosco), "Abie's Irish Rose"' (Re- public), "The Goldfish" (Shubert), "Sue, Dear" (Times -Square). BRYANrS PLAYHOUSE opening With ''Whit* Peacock." Other Plays Booked Chicago, Aug. 2. Lester Bryant returned from his motor trip to New York with tenta- tive plans for the Playhouse. His opening attraction will be Mme. Petrova In "The White Peacock." The date was first mentioned as Sept. 24. but it is now understood Mme. Petrova intends shortening her European trip, enabling a Sept. 3 opening for Bryant;s house. "The Hairy Ape" and "Dover Road" are two other attractions promised to Bryant, who will retain last year's house staflf for the new season. Bryant announces his rights to the one-night stand tour of "The Night Cap," process of organizing the cast now being under way. The last year hit at the Playhouse will open around Oct. 1. with a complete visit to the small towns in Illinois. Doc Storm, formerly at the I'lay- hou.se, will manage the road tour. "The Rubicon" will follow Fi.ske O'llara at the Olympic Aug. 27. Es- telle Winwood is announced as the central figure to succeed Violet Heming. George Wharton's man- agement also announces that Fritz Leiber in Shakespearean reixMtory and Fannie Hurst's play. "l!a<*k Pay." will be Olympic's pro-Christ- ma.s bookings, it is reported thn 01ymi>ic will 1>«^ minus a bouse or- chestra after the O'llara <'ngai?«'- ment. "Oh Joy" Started—"Lizzie" and "Plantation" Still Playing Now York's theatre zone ia offer- ing a trio of colored shows this week, the latest. "Oh Joy." which opened under canvas at 57th street and Eighth avenue Thursday. "Strut Miss Lizzie.'' at the Earl Carroll, and "The PlanUtion Re- view," at the 48th street, are the others. • The "Plantation" show is now renting from the Equity Players. Inc., which has the house under lease, though not ready to produce. An agreement between the Salvins, who own "Plantation," and Equity is for two weeks, the show orig- inally opening for a similar period of time. Last week (second) busi- ness grossed $5.5-00. a drop of $500 under the initial week. It costs about 13,000 to operate the house, leaving about $1,500 for salaries and possible protit. "Lizzie" picked up about $800 last week, the show grossing $5,200, which meant normal salaries for the playens, who are running the show on a co-operative plan. The Carroll takes the first $2,500. the "Lizzie" company sharing on all over that sum after operating expense. Both the "Plantation" and "Liz- zie" shows are now topped at $2.50, the former raising its scale last week. The object is a bigger re- turn on the cut-rate tickets sold. Allotments in the cut-rale agencies call for 90 cents on each $2 ticket, but $1.25 is paid at the $2.50 scale. It also works out better in" the "two for one ticket" sales. "Bamboo Isle' is the name given the Van-Kelton Stadium, which has been placed under canvas to receive "Oh Joy." The scale will be $1. with some of the front rows at $1.50» The opening performance was at midnight, the show adopting the late performance idea that was started by "Shuffle Along" and picked up by "Lizzie" and "Plan- ta'tion." "Bamboo Isle," though a bit off Broadway, has the location benefit of being near the "San Juan" colored belt, on the west side above 59th street. The attraction will seek white patronage in the main. William Brandon Is manager of the canvas covered "Isle," H. S. Loins is treasurer and Eddie Klein is company manager. STOCKS Boston, Aug. 2. "Shuffle Along." the first colored show to be offered in years at a legitimate theatre here, opened at the Selwyn Saturday to promi.sing business. Managers are interested in the record of the attraction, since It is understood that the business drawn here by "Shuffle Along" will determine whether a legit route by the Shubert-Erlanger combine be laid out for the show. The opening drew $1,763. consid- ered excellent business for an at- traction topped at $2. Monday night's business was more surpris- ing, the takings going to $1,864. Indications are for a ^ross of over $14,000 on the week. The colored show's opening was put ahead to avoid conflict with Oeorge M. Cohan's "I'retty Nellie Kelly," which opened the Tremont's new sea.son Monday night. »The Cohan piece is topped at $2.50. It played to $2,514 on the first night. "FOLLIES" GIRL ACQUITTED C'}iic,ii;o. Au>; _'. Mr.s. Mary Kuhbiti.s, a furniir "Follies" girl, wa.s .icfiuitted of a charge of man^lauKhU'r in !h.« Municip.il Court .it K. rio-ba. Wi.s. Th«^ indifUiK lit arose tlimngh an accidental doath while Mr.^ H<.l»bin.s wa.*< driving an automolJiIf. RENT TOO HIGH ,M»'ini*his. Aiii,'. IV The I.yiii'. ;i c »nii>!:iat ioii pI.iyinR lion.-''', l.s on tho market. No on»' so far has aiiptired willini: to i>ay the rental a.«'lv<(l. Reports that a new colored hIiow was being readied for the n3d Street theatre by the authors of "Shufflf ...long" W'TO denied by John Cort. who ha.s the house und*»r It-ase. Cort. Sr.. was not int»»rested in •'Shufd'- Along." though Harry Cort wa.s h»'.\d of the company controlling that attrartion. he says. Neifh«'r js ho .'oiKVMnod with any other colored show and none will be presonted at thf r»3d Street, Mr. Cort»«tates. "LOVE AND KISSES" REOPENS "Lov an<l Ki.ss-.s." produced by l),.n Kusscl and L.iwr<*n<M» Srhwab will rcftp'Ti .It St;in.fr»r.l. Conn, to- iii^lit (Friday) ;ind will b'-i?in an enKaK'«'m«'nr it tlic Wilbur, lio.sfon. next .Monday, i;. pI.K'.rnont.s in tin? < a.st .ir'* I'.I'MiM.r l>awn, .\nie!ia .Sommc vill.-. i:ii.M.'««'ll M i<k and Loiii.-i.- Albn. I-Mdi" I'.U7.z<'lI fon- •imns in th<' bud. olh-T pl.iy-rH of the onuin.i! • i.^t n*t.nn«'d Iving lltbn l-'ord, Ilerton H«'iumorit ind Alan Kdward.s. The piece wa.s re .^tajjod by Edgir M<^Jregor. The opening date of the Corso Payton stock at Keeney'e Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, has been postponed from Aug. 7 to 21. "Experience." "East Is West" and "The Storm" will be hicluded in the repertoire of the Charlee K. Champ- lin traveling stock this month. When the Victoria, Chicago, a north side stock house, oQenk Sept. 9, Frank A. P. Gazzolo will not be there. Gazzollo, a Chicago land- mark In theatricals, will hike to the entrances of the Studebaker theatre and maneuver through the duties of manager and owner of the house. Gazzollo has transferred the lease of the Victoria to Conrad Seideman, who has risen from the rank of director of the German stock company at the Bush temple. Seideman has his company of play- ers traveling along and will give two preliminary performances at his newly acquired theatre, Aug. 9 and 13. Between that time and the opening of the season the Victoria will be dark. The Proctor Players, Troy, N. Y., are doing business at the new scale. Seats on the lower floor arc 30 cent.s, reserved, and boxes 50 centa, The first week of the rodyced rates the gross Jumped between $300 and $400 over that of the previous week. Last week the night houses were close to capacity. There have been a number of changes in the cnst After over 60 weeks of playing, Eric Dressier is now on a canoe trip with his wife. Roy Elkins ended his stay Saturday and Mabel Col- cord leaves this week. It was not necessary to sign new players for the current week, as "The Storm," a jshort cast show, la being pre- sented. Cecil Qwen has joined the company. Crane Wilbur, who has been Till- ing a special engagement at the B^ulton, Oakland, Cal., and booked at the Orpheum, San Francisco, this week with Mile. Suzanne Caubct in a sketch, tried out an- other new play across the bay for his flnal week at the Fulton. It ia called "The Heart of Dan OHare" and deals with Irish folks at home and in America. The San Francisco critics classed "The Heart of Dan O'Hare" as the best of the bunch of Wilbur's new plays. It is a comedy-drama. The Orpheum. Newark, N. J., will open Labor Day with the Maude Fealy stock in "East Is West." Miss B'ealy will have a hard job on her hands getting the right sort of patronage at the Orpheum. This house has recently been a failure with the policy changed so often it lost standing. In the past, however, it has housed some excellent stocks. If Miss Fealy brings as good a company as nhe had last spring and sticks it out Mhe will ultimately clean up. Newark wants a stock company, but it wants a good one. Dramatic stock will reopen at Keith's Union Hill. N. J., Labor Day. A company is being organized by Pauline Boyle. William Wood who has been seriously ill is reported as having sufllciently recovered to again manage the house. Howard Hall replaced Alfred Swenson as leading man at the Colonial, Plttsfield, Ma.ss., this we^k. Ed Vlckery has Joined the company as stage director. The National Stork Co., rnanag*-- ment of Joe Wright and Harry Meyers, opens a road season Sept. 4 in Shamokin. Pa. The memi>ers of the stock com- pany organized l)y William Augustln which played a .short »>ngegement it the Acadf'my. H<ranton, .secured their .salaries in full from the l)acker of the company, Joe Josejih. an im- l)orter. THIS HAPPENS AT 40 Chj.;i>»o, Aug 2. CharleH Hickiin. 40. an actor, attf-mpted suicide by stabbing him- self with a pair of sci.s.«<ors at the Ri(M> hot.'l bore l;i.st week because his wif'*, lOdith. he .'^^ays, told hitn .she did not lov«' him .any longer wh«*n he infoirn«'d Iwr he could not buy hfr a dr«».ss she wanted. Hirklin inflicted several flesh wounds about his abdomen and is .slowly r^^covering at the Pa.ssavant ho.spital. where he was taken. ZIEGFELD DUE R<'I»orf.s during the w«-<;k w<*re that Flo 7jU'iifo]fi, .Jr. will reach New Vork today (F'riday) from the other •Ide. ASSm LABOR BOARD WITH I. A. COMMmEE Proposed Changes of Road Conditions—Wage Scales Not Being Considered Monday the first meetin^^ between the Labor Board of the Internv^- tional Theatre A.<?sociation with Charles Shay and the Kxecutive Committee of the L A. T. S. V.. was held. The sesHion was a prel'mlnary discussion of proposed changes mostly affecting working conditions for road stage hands next season. Wa,' scales were not mentioned and it is not expected there will bo a revision asked. Virtually all crews engaged for Broadway productions going on tour are paid over the scale, which calls for $G2.50 weekly, with new production men getting %i more. Although the local contract for the stage hands was automatically continued for next season, as an- nounced recently, the managers are expectant that a change in working conditions will be agreed on. It is believed any changes affecting Droadway crews must' be handled through New York local No. 1. It was suggested a general committee to revise working rules might be granted by the I. A. T. S. B. The managers' labor board com- mittee made certain suggestions for working condition changes at the annual convention in Cincinnati. They were referred back to the ex- ecutive committee for later consid- e. at ion with the managers. One thing asked is the elimination of the yellow card system, a regulation fix- ing the number of men to handle an attraction. Managers throughout the country are hazy as to the pro- visions of the yellow card regula- tion and many inquiries have been made of the I. T. A. When the con- ferences are over detailed informa- tion is to be bulletined to managers by the association. The double crew systom, which provides that any attraction playing outside of New York over six weeks must retain the crew during the Broadway engagement, in addition to the regular house crew, has come up for proposed modification. It is doubtful if a change will be agreed on. The L A. T. S. K. adopted the rule to protect crews after an at- traction is set, and has tak^^n the stand in the past that any attraction designed* for Broadway has ample time to come in within six weeks. Unusual conditions are subject to concessions, and where booking con- ditions make it impossible for au attraction to secure a New York house, I. A. T. S. E. has been known to ex'tend the Hmlt for an additional six weeks. The managerial as.sociation al.so will seek to lighten the burden of the one-night stand managers. In some of those stands where attrac- tions may play but two or three days a week, th<» regulations call for a full week's sal.ary. Wages on a perform- ance buHla is sought. Cliangt's of that nature are likewi.se matt<.'rH of local unions, though the labor board 8e<'ks some aid from the I. A. T. S. K Daily meetings have been the rule of the I.iabor Board for the lawt month. The meetings have be*»n ad- viHory to all members of the aHMo- ciation seeking information. It was stated no out of town contracts for next season had been signed either with the locals of the stage h.ands or musicians. The I. T. A. at its annual convention in June arrang^-d the early date so that all labor matters roxild be adjUHtod during the .sum- mer inxti-ad of th« usu.al m«'thod of signing agreements'^ Immediately prior to Labor Day. That his not worked out thus far this soa.son. ex- cept for N(iw York, where last year's contracts were extended for another season when rif^ither sidw serv'd notice of any jiroposed ^hang<'S. The mu.sici ins' road .«i<;ale has not <om>j up, l>ut no rrvi.slons are ex- pected. The .scale for week stand attractions is |65 w*»ekly for nin« services (which may b** taken 1o the form of eight performances and one rf?hcarsal). For one-nijjhters the scale is $70 pfr wc-k for as many ln»rforfiiance8 or rehearsals as rc- quir^'d • MASCOT" ON THE ROAD The Boston Comic Op«»ra Co.. un- d'-r the m inag«*m'^nt of E M. B«'rk, IS preparing for a road tour In a revival of "The Mascot." The com- pany in routed through the New i:ngland territory, Op«ns Aug. 2S. J