Variety (December 1922)

Friday, December 1, 1929 "^ - x;fffi.T LW*^ ;>K'''>^i>*»' r.^ .ll.-l7^^^^,i-»-Jr .-^^'V^li : »»!tw?»"i«»Tiw»j«y^TTj'^"» .^i"^'' r^)/' LEGITIMATE u CHICAGO'S BIG DANCE HALLS I KEEP LOOPS BALCONIES EMPTY »*i' X '4 Chicago Now Two-Night Capacity Town—Business Held Ur by Out-of-Towners—^22,600 for ''Shuffle Along'' ('Try to Get In'') —Jolson's Amazing Run Chicago, Nov. 29, Not the Broadway producers who .merely linger around the box-ofTlce And loop restaurants on brief visits liere ..sot the advance agents and com- pany managers who only know Chi- oago by the loop area Not even some of the house man- agers who fail to make a survey of the speedy expansion of their own city for entertainment opportunities on the north and south sides BUT WxT shrewd individual, who digs In. hustles around and learns the probable cause of all reactions and Improvements in legitimate loop trade, alone held the only true solu- tion (or last week's happenings of (1) The"'^eason's most noticeable •lump in balcony business. (2) "Shuffle Along" breaking the house record at the Olympic. (3) Al Jolson throwing an extra •*thump" into the whirlwind busi- ness for "Bombo." (4) Monday and Tuesday nights being the worst "combined draw" alump the theatres suffered in many 4reek8. «»- (5) Flop for all the Saturday matinees. It's easy to place the blame for the growing wretched balcony trade. Some of the show owners can't reckon the cause because they don't investigate in the right direction. 3aIcony trade is usually drawn from the young folks of the middle classes—at least 'while the lower floor holds the present scale of prices. During the war enthusiasm the young fellow who had more money than brains ran elbow to ^Ibow with the society chap "who gave box parties for his girl. Times have changed, and now the fellow who got a taste of so-called "high- life" by buying orchestra seats re- fuses to knock pride to one side and enter the balcony. Something must be done to educate this fellow to go back to the theatre location -where his bankroll permits. Instead of spoiling the illusion that he's an orchestra patron because of the "taste" that he got of the lower floor, the young fellow—thousands of young fellows—are treating the "best girl" to the entertainment that the mammoth dance halls on the south side afford. Nothing ails Monday and Tuesday night business at these dance halls. Any night in the week you'll find the young fel- lows there, and not at home because they are not at the loop theatres. Last summer Variety carried a story on how the dance halls here would "cut Into the balcony trade of loop theatres." It haa happened. Goinp deeper into the local situa- tion, which strangely the majority •f the house managers don't In- vestigate. It can't be said that Chi- cago people can be credited for giving various shows the huge grosses on the week. Towns within a radius of 50 miles of Chicago are deprived of show.s this season, more eo than ever. These out-of-town people are making it a Ug point to patronize Chicago theatres—Satur- day and Sunday. It's the gross re- ceipts on these two days that boosts the majority of the shows into the winning column. It's the out-of- town pjople who are keeping the hotel stands from adding to thelf losRes of the year. Chicago patrons are making Fri- day night alone stand out as a rep- resentative local night. Thursday night was always considered an "off night" and it still holds as such. Wednesday night isn't as good around town as It used to be. Mon- day and Tuesday nights are "ter- rible." Chicago people don't come Into the loop Monday and Tuesday nights like they formerly did. If you want to see where the people go, visit the south side dance halls on those nights and the entertain- ment opportunities up around Wil- son avenue. Something has driven the people out of the loop; many claim the dlaappointmonts at the box-offlces. but. whatever the rea- son Is. there Is a big reason and all these fants are merely a tip-off to those who ought to bo made ac- quainted with everything. The logical cause for any such Important change as has como over theatrical contTrtlons in the looi) can't be ascertained by .slttlnp around In a theatre box-ofTlce in the loop and wondering. Investiga- tion from chats with the "L" at- tendants proves the trafflr from the north side on Monday and Tuesday nights la way off. Same goes for the Illinois Central interurl)an traf- fic and the9ou,th ^Ide "L" patrpoafte. As conditions now stand. Chicaco. despite It Is the second largest city in America, has developed into a two-mghts-a-week capacity town. How ine balcony trade can be re- turned, even on the best nights of the week, is a matter that needs immediate attention, say those wha liiiov hi>w had It was last week. It was a balcony depression that kept "Music Box Revue" from sell- ing out at all performances at the Colonial. It was good business on the week that the big oi-janization did, but with the cancellation of the usual Wednesday matinee for the Thanksgiving matinee the Harris- Berlin wonderful array of fun-:^ makers won't be able to approach" the house record for the Colonial, sinte It will have only nine perform- ances. On average business for the length of its stay the "Music. Box Revue" will have to increase its ca- pacity speed to hold even with past "Follies" engagements. In making comparisons of this nature it must be remembered that the present Co- lonial attraction is enduring a season of less theatrical enthusiasm than was around when "The Follies" gained local record receipts. Under all conditions the "Music Box Re- vue" Is doing thunderously well in town. To Al Jolson, however, goes the choice palm of the loop. He's now told the local populace that he will eat his "turkey" here Christmas and his "goose" New Years, making the playgoers laugh all over again by the way he stated it. John J. Gar- rlty, general manager for the Shu- berts, deserves much creflit for the way he has handled the scaling of prices for the Jolson attraction, also the var*ous other things that keep aloft the enthusiasm for the show. Garrity has worked hard on this en- gagement, and Jolson, above many others, knows It. The populace Is falling all over Itself trying to get seats for "Shuf- fle Along." at the Olympic. Past records for this theatre are so deep- ly packed away that It is hard to get at them, but it is fair to .Hn.y last week's business broke the house record, since the scale of prices were quite different from those governing record weeks of other years. The Olympic was the most appropriate house In town fqr this attraction, and It pleases all to observe the happiness that the success brings j to George Wharton, disciple of many hard-luck weeks In the last two years. Two new openings featured the week—"So This Is London!" at Co- han's Grand, and "One of Us," at the La Salle. The former will do busi- ness here, but the days of the latter are numbered. Harry Ridings re- turned the Cohan atmosphere to the Clark street house with the prelimi- nary work for "So This Is London!" after the Fairbanks pictures, and while the present attraction opened light It Is Jumping nightly and Vill surely strike off big weeks once It becomes settled from the heavy campaigning It Is receiving. William Hodge didn't experience his usual success at the La Salle. The critics did some Jolting. The public promises to do the rest unless the present signs are conquered Im- mediately. The management essayed ; to have Henry Ford's approval of the show draw the box-oflice atten- tion, for Ford's praises were feat- ured In all ads, allowing the punists to work overtime. The smalltown plot plays continue to have "The First Year" hi the lead, but the Woods show slackened Its pacemaking, but It will overcome the Blip-back last week with the Thanksgiving week business. "Six Cylinder Love" Is still tangled up with a "buy" not affording a chance to learn what window draw the piece has since the early weeks of the engagement drove many the^jtre patrons away when the good seats weren't at the *box oflice. "Thank- U" runs along on its merit, while "Kempy," despite its big Sunday night house, got hit hard on Monday and Tuesday nights and again Sat- urday matinee, but is doing better than It was thought in face of the adverse conditions offered by the piece arriving at the tail-end of the small-town plot plays, "At the End of the World" got its premiere Thursday at the Playhouse, but the j>rospocta don't brighten up Lester Bryant's feelings. "Field of Ermine" did miserably at Powors. "Hairy Ape" failed to make the four weeks' profit that the Hanks-Gnzzolo interests were pulling for at the Studebaker. but the limited engage- ment returned suffloient profit to support Mel Raymond's contention in booking the piece under the cali- bre of campaigning functioned. Most oC the attractions in town have canceled Uie.lr usual WednA«- dajr matins* to give a special Thanksgiving Day mallnee. The holiday promises to be the usual capacities, for in Chicago the Thanksgiving Day matinee is the best holiday matinee of the year. The Monday and Tuesday night slumps will deprive shows of what in the past have been called "ter- rific week's business" for Thanks- giving week. It's a great season of speculation in Chicago, with the pace becoming deadening for those who can't keep up with it by producing initiative in matters that the independent public is causing to be solved by patronizing shows Just the reverse of what the managerial slate in New York predicts. - The uncertainties are doing more to advertise Chicago, theatrically, than any clbster of affairs in the past. Last week's estlmat,es: "So This is London!" (Cohan's Grand, Ist week). Opened light but Jumped at ail i:^rformances, devel- oping enthusiastic promise for real business, from now on. As usual Cohan's 'presentation got the richest of newspaper reviews. Whipped out $13,000. "Onl of Us" (LaSalle, ist week). When the usual Williara Hodge fol- lowing pays its respects it is hard to guess where the patronage will come from. Not received gently by some of the critics. Hit off $6,000. "Music Box Revus" (Colonial, 2d week). If theatre isn't caught nap- ping by public thinking seats not available because of craze for ex- pensive revue, should hold high for remaining six weeks. With football season over, Saturday matinee should come closer to capacity. Re- ported at $33,400. "Bill of Divorcement" (Central, ith week). Doing some conserva- tive advertising and in all probabil- ity will now work for a Vun. Safe to average around 95,S00, "Hairy Ape" (Studebaker, 4th and final week). Went out with healthy $11,000, with Harry Lftuder opening Monday. Jack Lalt's "Spice of 1922" big event at this theatre Dec. 3. "Green Goddess" (Great Northern. 8th and final week). Another proof of valued literary plays not being able to stand more than six weeks in Chicago. Checked around $9,000. "Greenwich Village Follies" opened Sunday. -"Cat and Canary" (Princess, 12th week). Continues to draw big prof- its without great fuss. Has peculiar "draw" all its own. Three matinees this week will give record gross for engagement. Went over $14,000. "Six Cylinder Love" (Harris. 8th week). Col. Bill Roche's ideas shown In many ways overcoming ef- fect *'buy" had on this box oflice. Slipped somewhat la balcony but held around $12,000. "Shuffle Along" (Olympic. 2d week). "Try to get in" slogan of this big colored show hit. Batted out $22,600. Can go higher with better Saturday matinee. "Thank-U" (Cort, 13th week). For consistent business with anywhere near "smash hit," no house in Amer- ica compares with Herrmann dom- icile. Very good again with $11,- 500. "Firat Year^ (Woods, 3d week). Rightly called "smash hit." with fear need only be entertained for Monday and Tuesday nights. Went nicely to $16,000, but plentj of chance to get more. "Kempy" (Selwyn. £d week). Didn't do as well a^ previous week, when all seats were at box office. Extra Sunday night perforniance over premiere week increased gross on week, however. Commissions brought gross to $9,300. "Bombo" (Apollo, 10th week). Let Jolson landslide of popularity be praised merely by reporting big hit probably checked up $35,600 for total receipts on the first 10 weeks. Won- der engagement. "Field of Ermine" (Powers, 2d and final week). Plouse biggest loss for sometime. Doris Kcane In "The Czarina" opened Monday night. The O'Neill show went out around $6,- 500. "Lightnin'" (Blackstone, esth week). No performance until Wednesday after Frank Bacon's death Sunday. Beloved Bacon cre- ated record here that will stand for decade. "At the End of the World" (Play- house). Opened Thursday night. Mediocre newspaper reviews. Noth- ing to indicate any kind of run. winds up Saturday night, and "Bulldog Drummond" for the Hollis to take the place of "He Who Gets Slapped." There will also be a change of bill at the Shuffert when Eddie Cantor and his show pull out and the house Is taken by Frank Tinnoy In "Daffy Dill." Despite the death of Frank Bacon "Llghtnln* " will come into the Hollis Christmas day, as was planned. With Bacon in it, however. It was good for a run that would undoubt- edly have carried it through to the end of the regular season and per- haps well Into the summer. Now it will come in as a matter-of-fact attraction, depending on the busi- ness how long it will stay and not looked upon as a decldbd capacity .hit. i After a week of Cecile Sorel the i Boston opera house will have for two weeks the Russian Grand Opera Co. The house for the engagement of this company will be scaled from $1 to $3. The Arlington, the ill-fated up- town experimental house, which, since It ceased to be the home of the Craig stock company, has been more or less of a theatrical waif, with dif. ferent experiments being tried, has booked in Harvey's Minstrels for a two weeks' stay. This is an all- colored aggregation along strictly minstreHlnes, with no attempt being made to follow "Shuffle Along" and other all-cqlored revues. Estimates for last week: "He Who Gets Slapped" (HOllls, 3d week). Business islipped off about $1,500 last week, bringing the gross down to around $7,000. Is not looked upon to have a chance to build up, and if it grosses as much will be considered doing well. Evidently no field for this sort of play here Just aow. "White's Scandals" (Colonial, Sd week). The show lost something of its punch last night and slipped off from -$24,500 the opening week to business just above $22,000, Is In for two weeks more, and during that time will probably hold what it is doing now. "Captsin Applejack" (Tremont, 3d week). While not building up any this show kept within $500 of the business done the previous week, with a gross of $11,600. "Make It Snappy" (Shubert, 4th week). Now on the final week. Did about $17;000 for last week, begin- ning to show the effect of the stay here and the opposition from the "Scandals," "Anna Christie" (Plymouth, 3d week). Due to pull out at the end of this week, with business last week off from that of the other two. Gross figured In the neighborhood of $7,600. "The Bat" (Wilbur, 13th week). While showing considerable strength this attraction went off a bit with the others in town and did under $15,000 for the week. Reports around town Monday night were that Thanksgiving would be one of the biggest theatrical days of the season, and the advance sale for the shows for that day had reached unusually large proportions. UTTLE THEATIUIS ' SHOWS IN BOSTON (Continued from page 14) weeU, which opened Monday night with Cecile Sorel and her company of French players for a week. She hit this town just right, coming here on the heels of Clemcnceau, and found the place made to order. There was a big house at the open- ing with the huuso scaled from 50 rents to $5. Changes that are booked for next ', ick are "The Dover Road" for the rivmouLh. where "Anna ChrlirtJe" "Summer Is a-Comin' In," Louis N. Parker's light comedy that has made a hit on the London stage, made its first appearance in aa American theatre when it was pro- duced by The Players in Talma theatre. Providence, Nov. 16. Tha play was happily cast and the act- ing was quite satisfying. Set In / Rosemoor, at Ipplcpen, Devonshire, England, the action revolves about a young bachelor who finds it enjoy- able to trifle with the charms of three attractive young women of high social position. Into the harassed life of the man comes an- other woman, different from tha others, and then the usual hap- pened. But at the same time the unusual happened in the appear- ance of a triple breach of promlsa suit which threatened to bring trag- edy in its train. Mrs. Irving Fulton Orr took tha leading part as "Sylvia," playing ■opposite William P. Farnsworth aa Wllloughby Spencer. As the three bachelors, Vernon Llbby, W. Stan- ley Holt and Farrand S. Stranahaiv Jr., were effective, as were the three girls who ran away to escape their irate fathers. Miss Caroline Che*, ney. Miss Helen Capwell and Miss Amy Steere played the rolea Tha play was produced under the direc*^; tlon of Sarah Minchen Barker, as*; slsted by Mrs. William J. Storjr. Herman Lanfield, known In fight circles as "Kid" Herman is suing hia wife for divorce in California. Mrs. Lanifleld filed the first suit and the "Kid" turned around and filed a cross-complaint. ''y ■-, Walter Rast, English prodttoer, has made an arrangement with Frank C. Elgan whereby he will pro- duce plays at the Egan Little the- atre, Los Angelea Following the long run of Maude Fu4ton's "The Humming Bird," which Is now lit Its twenty-fifth week, a record for the pint-sised theatre. Hast will stage "Suspicion," by George Appell and Wheeler Dryden. Carmel Myers, the picture star, will be featured. Engaged for the other roles are Marjorie Meadows, at one time with Henry Miller; Wedgwood NowelU John T. Prince, Theodore Ton Elits, Charles Knealy and George Appell, Jr. Lawrence Deas says he had A. right to use two songs from "Shuffle i ATong" in the other all-colored show he is now with, "Plantation Dayat Both songs are published, says Mr. ' Deas, and he was given orcheetra- 1 tlons for them by their publisher I with a request that he use them. ■>», INSIDE STUFF / .N^ >' • (Continued from page IS) / ''■*"'.■ was turned Into a green room. It will now afford a sitting and reception room for Miss Eagles. ' ' **Sally, Irene and Mary** gives promise of being a corking road attrac- tion, In addition to indications of a long run at the Casino. Around each holiday time, business has taken a marked Jump, that being understood to show the title's reaction on visitors who may think the show is a "three in one" combination. The title is fusing of the names of three musical comedy successes and produced by the Shuberts, who were not concerned in the producing of either of the trio. Broadway was a bit surprised that the original producers did not make a sign of protest about the three-way title. That might have happened a year ago when the show was then a vaudeville act. written by Eddie Dowllng (who is now featured In the piece). The Vanderbllt Producing Co. ("Irene") was inclined to go to court about It and wrote Flo Ziegfeld, the latter replying he wasn't Interested, although his "Sally" was in its prime oif Broadway./ When "finally" went to Bosft>n and was approaching the end of its stay there, Ziegfeld got an idea that as "Sally, Irene and Mary" had played there as a vaudeville act, it might have had some effect. Thereupon he wrote the Vanderbllt office, but the latter had lost interest. In fact, the latter expressed gratification for every mention of "Irene** (still on the road), George M. Cohan never bothered about it His "Mary" wae through. -^ , 'i Now that "Swlfty** has been here and passed on Its way, It may be safe to tell a story regarding the renaming of the production. Originally It was called "The Lady Killer" by Hale Hamilton, but he declined to appear In the piece while It had that name, and this brought the decision to change it. ■ " ^'; , ■ ': . ^^f -■"<'■■: A current story regards the "raiding" of the apartment of a musical comedy woman^ in an effort to obtain divorce evidence In behalf of the wife of the man who was supposedly Interested in her. Incidentally, the wifo is one of two sisters known to the stage as actresses, who has also written vaudeville sketches and plays. Her husband some time ago took abode apart from his wife. The raiders on entering the building where the musical comedy wonrvan lived, simply asked to be shown to "Mr. Blank's apartment." They were ushered Into the apartment of the woman who Is now named as the co-respondent In the action the wife has brought for a divorce. They didn't find the husband, but found some of his clothes in the apartment. — 'It's a Boy^* closed at the Selwyn, Boston, Saturday, and a picture le the attraction at the house, marking time while the Selwyns get "The Rear Car" ready for presentation there, about the holldaya The loss on "It's a Boy" totals around $40,000. Ram H. Harris had his usual group of associates Interestcd-ln It The failure of the comedy In the Hub was a good deal of a surprise. A profitable engagement of six weeks was expected instead of a flop In two weeks, WTien it could not draw. Harris believed the critical comment that it was too much like "Six Cylinder Love." But the latter attraction had not played Boston, which com- plicates the explanation of the failure. . . •• .