Variety (Oct 1927)

VARIETY E G LT.I-At A. "E E Wednesday, October 26, 1927 "LULUS" $32,000 CHICAGO'S KICK; SONG' $33,800 "Spider" Down $8,000, "Rome," $15,700, But Doubtful Chicago. Oct. 2S, Three new entrants and a change of bill by the Theatre Guild were greeted with encouraging business. But tho veterans depreciated, with one or two exceptions. . , ' Lulu Belle" thundered in with many sticks of advance stuff, and got about a capacity week at the Illinois. It is likely to continue at the same pace, for a lengthy period, as the town la talking. Some regard the ecrambled cast as Just the thing for Chicago, while others call It detrimental. -Next to Belasoo's donation came , '"Tin' Road to Kome" aa an opener in the profit class. "Rome" is * cer- tainty for three or four weeks, but doesn't look like a money show. It will no doubt find the going tough after a month. "Queen High" pre- miered fairly well and gathered nice money, but was not sensational. It Is scaled quite low for a musical . and the "nut" is slashed to a mini- mum. .Economy at the start gives it an unusual chance to keep on try- ing if not clicking at the outset. Guild switched to "The Second Man." -which It continues with this week, and Drought the Studebaker another »20,300. The two weeks' limit on every bill is making the Guild spot a regularity for the burg's class legit trade. Seats see the same tuxedos every two weeks. Of the shows already settled down to the eternal grind "Desert Song" again led the list. Operetta Jumped almost $4,000 last week and Is now averaging close to, capacity every performance. It looks like last sea- son's "Vagabond Kirtg." "Scandals" departed Saturday from the Erlan- ger after 17 weeks that started off like a record-breaker but wound up somewhat Inconspicuously. Heavy . • money began tq fade after comple- tion of an even dozen weeks, and foil owing $65,000 in 13 Days May Draw Tryouts to Montreal Montreal, Oct. 25. The lYinerss theatre here is showing grosses that are attracting attention south of the border. "The Vagabond King." early this month, took $31,708 for the- week and "Rose-Marie," which followed, to- talled $27.6CS, although It was the sixth time it has played here. In between GalH-Curcl hang on a Sun- day afternoon when receipts were around $6,000. This makes a total of over $65,000 for 13 days, or $5,000 per day. The result la that E. W. Charlton, manager of the Princess, will play a number of big shows during the current season. Outstanding among these is "The Squaw Man," which will have Its first showing here In November, prior to entering New Tork. Sunday afternoon concerts at the Princess have proved so at- tractive that 15 have been booked ahead and the probability is great that a Now York Symphony con- cert will be among them. For the appearance next week of Ooorge Jessel in "The Jars Singer" advance bookings were $6,000 up to Thursday of the preceding week. i ! Underwood Quits Morosco Job to Head Own Co. Franklyn Underwood has resigned as general manager and general .stage director of the Morosco Hold- ing Co. to . become an individual uroiUtccr, heading the Franklyn Un- derwood Productions. Underwood's withdrawal from the Morosco .Holding Co. Is In- dicative the'latter will remain In- active in producing. John J. Mooitey has temporarily replaced Underwood with the Holding Com- pany to continue in charge of Synthetic Sin," its only operating property save the Morosco, Los An- geles. Show, "John the -Baptist" (Actor's Theatre). ■ "The Royal Family" (Jed Harris). -The Studio Girl" (Shuberte). "Behold the Bridegroom" (Rosalie Stewart). "Sins of the Father" (James Osborne). " "Happy" (Murray Phillips). "Spring 310V (George L. Miller). "Show Boat" (Florenz Zleg- feld). " People Don't Do Such Things" (Jones and Green). "Take My Advice" (William Caryll). "The 8tairs" (Throckmorton, Light & Rockmore). STOCK BOYS DODGING QUICK BROADWAY FLOPS „v >i\M < TK>* ■ >-.■•■•-:*.» No More Heavy Coin for Rights to New Shows That Don't Get Over PLAYS ON BROADWAY INTERFERENCE Gilbert Miller preaents ■ melodrama In three act. writ Ma by Roland lm, M and Harold IMarden; staged by Campbell (Jul- ian, settings by William Castle. At the Empire. Oct. 18; as top. Douglas lleljar... Jolia Williams Al L-ivery A Philip Tonga Joseph Craghurat W.. H. Day Chlldera Arthur. Lewi* Sir John M i, lay, m; D Anhar Wontnar Barbara Marlay Elala Landlord ¥, lrl *J r Phoebe Poster Philip Voaae A. K. Matthew. Deborah Kane Kethlene Macdonell Mrs. Barme Ethel Crimea Alfred Ayre T.L. C i Cl£»v« Colin Hunter chief Inspector Haines Charles Dalton Doctor Pu Clock Horace .Sinclair Mrs. Plorenee Hooke Winifred r'raaer Detective Ser. Bourne Oscar Stirling cernlble profit. , "The Ramblers," second week, , (Barrlck, repeated its non-startling opening session. The buy is good sized, but so far this musical has failed to assert its real value. No . billing whatsoever isn't helping here. There's not a piece of paper on the show in town, "Broadway" continued Its heavy coin pace and was displaced as non- musical leader only by "Lulu." The hitter's high scale accounts for the difference between first and second places. "Chicago" has been running with "Broadway," hut lost ground and now looks wabbly, In spite of a gross yet large. "The Spider," ap- parently on Its last legs, suffered a huge decline and registered about ♦8,000 below the previous week. That dip Is considerable, and represents the entire week's figure of "Hoosiers Abroad," at the Blackstone. "Tommy," still favored by loca- tion, duplicated previous take, while "Rain" (Minturn revival) dropped off a bit The venture, a legitimate attempt, can get along at less than It is now gathering. Saturday's Children" came In rather quietly at the Princess Mon- day, but good reports will undoubt- edly help it, if the far-away spot- ting doosnt stand In its way. Estimates for Last Week i "Broadway" (Schvyn. 6th week). Again $21,000 and big; must now split monopoly on agency buy with "Lulu Belle." "Chicago" (Harris, 7th week). Down $:',000 for *17,000; lowest yet; figure more than suttlclent, so any I worry mlghWbc premature. "Desert Song" (G. N„ 8th week). Sudden Jump instead of expected decline means operetta is now a bet for season; Improved 13,800 to »33,- 8J>0. "Hoosiers Abroad" (Rlackstone, Sth week). Also a surprise as rose 11,000; $8,000, theatre parties and increasing matinee patronage In- cluded. "Lulu Belle" (Illinois, 2d week). A smash; $32,000 for first week; opening night got $3,GTS; chancing highest non-musleal scale in long while at $3.85 week days and $4.40 Saturdays; pretty positive that draw- will last for season. "Rain" (Central, 6th week). Com- pany's initial bill still holding up: has advantage as can change pro- gram any time; $7,000; bargain . slips floating around. "Queen High" (Four Cohans. 2d week). Moderate opening week at $14,000; inexpensive piece has plen- ty of time; revtows so-so. "Road to Rome" (Adelphl. 2d week). Hailed as artistic and ex- .Ve-.-.«•»• s-t aa , ..■■»• Mary Hay's New Show Financed by Husband M. iry Hay, dancer, is coming out of retirement which claimed her after her divorce from Richard Bartholmess and marriage to Vivian Bath, Singapore merchant. The latter Is reported financing his wife's return In a new musical. The couple have been In Los An- geles and are due in New York this Legit flops are net selling so well for stock releases; ■• ■• • Stock manager* are paying closer attention to the longevity of a met- ropolitan opener and won't pay the heavy money they used for a brief run show. ■ .... The current situation abrogates one of the best sales talks ever employed by producers of flops as; well as almost the Certain return, large or small, as It may be, from stock revenue. Producers of flops this season have found themselves up against an almost non-competltlve market for their weak' sister attractions. In many instances they have been unable to unload at all unless brokers are given an enticing btr- gain. Heretofore- brokers hate competed for tho quick releases and have been able to unload to far out stocks at a good rental figure. This was doubly profitable In man in- stances through t*e,*»oli.ers buying the plays outright a»nd, fjraetieally forcing releases. The' boys In the -sticks are now laying off the Impossible*, finding plenty of material In the better class rel become Milton Richard W; Krakai vice-president of l'i eductions. Krakauen foi several productions staged by Wil- liam Frledlamler. ." Cellent entertainment, but not In dough grabbing class; $15,700; not certain to last. "Saturday's Children" (Erlncess, 1st week). Monday opening; Is sit- uated badly. "Scandale" (Erlanger, 17lh week). Long run considering town and ex- penses; Just skinned by at $26,000 in final week: show goes on road; house dark until "Wings" (film) Oct. 30. "The Ramblers" (Oarrick. 3d week). Down to $23,000; easy coin, hut not what show should got; had start, but may climb; even Mc- Cormack can't draw if they don't know he's In town; Wednesday matinee cut this week. "The Second , Man" (Theatre nulld) (Studebaker, 6th week). Third of Guild's productions up- held company's regular $20,300: mostly repeaters; speaks well for Guild, east and staging. "The Spider" (Olympic. 11th week). Disastrous fall last week; novelty show that looked surefire is a sudden turnover; $11,000. "Tommy" (Cort. 9th week). Frail farce getting by on location: $9,000 again: getting many last minute shoppers. Jessel, $9,000, Wash'ton Washington. Oct. 25. fieorgie Jessel in "The Jazz Singer" at the National, though set to be the only legit attraction In town last week, had competition In "And So to Red*' rushed into the Belasco for the last half of flip week. Jessel, however, received excellent notices and a response at the box office that Indicates something around $9,000 on the week. "And So to Bed" to only four performances, and also some great reviews, posnlhljr made the payroll for that period. Allan Fostei* Withdraws His Girls From 2 Shows Two Allan K. Foster troupes have been withdrawn from "The Circus Princess," Boston, a n d " A Night In Spain," New York. The trouble, particularly In "Night in Spain" troupe, is stated to be a contract which Foster held with the Shuberts which gave him $200 more weekly when the gross went over a certain point. The gross went over that point, Foster claims, Jyut rather than fuss lie withdrew the girls. Foster now has five troupes of girls and it Is expected that about four will be working for Tubllx. | - Germans' Own House Chicago, Oct. 25. Germans in Chicago will have their own opera house tills season. The Victoria theatre (Belmont and Sheffield avetiuos), hsas been leased for one year from Mrs. Caroline ICohl by Kudnlph Rich. • The house, now playing straight pictures, will have a performance every night. wHh v 4>e *how a week by the Milwaukee German theatre- Co., Fritz Fischer directing. Dr. BIsfrled I'rager will be the musical director, IOWA TJ'S THEATRE Iowa City, la., Oct. 25. University of Iowa is to have a theatre. Work is scheduled to be | undertaken next fall with Prof. E. C. Mable, director of the university theatre; Prof, G. P. Baker of Tale; l'rof. T. W. Stevens, Chicago Art Institute, director of the Goodman theatre, and Walter Prlcbard Kat..n. the critic, designing the building. The stage will be 50 feet deep with an opening of 74 feet. The auditorium is to seat 775. 'Adam-Eva' Collaboration Guy Bolton and George Middle- ton are collaborating on a musical comedy adaptation of "Adam and Eva." Neither composer nor producer is Got a good chance for a short run. Built up cleverly, without loose threads, the boys who wrote this show prove a pair of expert play carpenters. But despite the bril- liant technique, . it becomes melo- dramatic in spots where the dialog consists mainly of "My God's" and blank -silences when appropriate la Th U bse%vho 8 'admire sktllM han- dling and super-sophisticated word- weaving are .bound to like this kind of entertainment. It is extremely doubtful, however, if anyone would give It a rave. "Interference," from reports. Is riding; the waves in London; said to be one of the biggest hits of the season. The locale, the characters, the language they speak and the manner In Which they speak it, the type,character's and settings are riot of universal Appeal. Locally, there- fore, the run is. In a degree, limited Abroad it propably has a good chance- Play successes In New York seem to run In cycles or types. The pub- lic demand at present indicates a preference for Americanized themes —theatre life) New York. Broadway, Times Square and similar surfjeets. A production featuring an alien ele- ment would of necessity have to be of greater heart or thought appeal to bring the big mobs. A. B. Matthews and Kathleen Macdonell. In the heavy roles, cop the honors with difficult parts (n which* -they* shine. Matthews de- livers with a masterly touch aa the fnst-llvm'g mrvn-nbout-town, about to cash In, still In love with the girl whom he betrayed first and then married. The girl, thinking him killed Iri 1 the war, had been lfving With an eminent physician aa his Wife.' ' i . • .■!-'•-- -■• Miss Macdonell, ns Deborah, Is the spurned woman whom Voaze forgot when he met Faith. Deb loved Voaze and figured Faith hnd lured him away. Deb knows that Voaze was still living nnd blackmailed Faith with the threat of exposing Sir John and making his publi- life Impossible. Arthur Wontner portrays n suc- cessful physician ns most of them are In reality, cold-blooded, calculat- ing, certain.* Voaze visits Deb to get a bundle of letters Incriminating Faith. * In doing so he poisons Deb. Sir John later comes on the scene nnd Is somehow Implicated. Then the vin- dication when Voaze confesses to the police, because he hasn't lone, to live, that he committed the crime because the girl offended his taste of propriety. A capable cast as a whole, with a few laughs to brighten some of the draggy situations. The title Is weak. Weather Clear, Track Fast CofMdy In three art* by WUiarfl Mnr-k, (irvtonIfM] ln'l<pfn.l*»n'1y nt In* Hudson Oc*. tH; Jo*, lit -. Jr. an.I A\ ilMnm ("ourt- I. iith f.-ntiip tl: it aged by the author. Two Thi.fl Krlly:.: Chnrlot, HIM n.lcken Mfin ✓ Jo* Huck Hiilt(nn»r»>' ."-l.-pner., Hi.My Frum-ls Dick P-'ltv-rmck. ., Bon Wilfon 0la.1I..I;t Jk-nninKfl. Silftit efofewrtm*... J';hi.n»- < '(irclfMn., Alex r-rinar ,Jv* Mv'.inn Br*. rp*h:iw Milt A1:trio, MonUi f.Sfcn.v iv Tn«4+vfl. Jim HnUhlen T^mmy M.a.lr FrnnU I,yon —w.vdii Man*fl*>M . . . .l.t-rtrudc Wal!;or .T-iscfh Swn. v lee t.nurle. Jr. Florence K.irlf Jr.n«-*KI.-:y r.Vtrar.i Cnbltl HrrWt AstWnn to get married and settle down In Baltimore. But Joe needs two grand" to buy a refreshment store lack of ,the dough delaying their marriage. Everything looks rosy, wily old Johnson has picked a spot for his mature nag. Dr. Patrick. A win will bring him money he badly needs, and It w!U.gtve Joe and Mary their start. Everything looks set, when Joe discovers that the jackev has been bullied Into throwing the race by Alex Cerinac. a gambler who ihad been off the tracks for a ceupie of years. Johnson had accused him of poisoning a horse at Aurora Just before Cerinac took the fence. The Jockey Is pulled out of the race, with arother boy up at the last minute But the horse Is nosed out. Cerinac Is forced to restore some of the loss and he Is chased off the turf. Mr. Mack's play la In no way an exposure. His villain was Invented for dramatic purposes only. On the opening night in a speech he stated the Idea was to present an enter- tainment and "Weather Clear, Track Fast" to to be so rated. That the 'Play to dedicated to young Mars Caasldy (son of the noted starter) ia Mack's salute to horse racing as a thoroughbred sport. L<aurle la not the only player from vaudeville In the cast There Is Charlie Hill, a next to closing act himself, playing the role of "Two Time" Kelly, a tout with "Ideas." Only a wise audience will get sonie of the dialogue, but there is little doubt he puts across addiction to "happy dust." Hill's tout Is amus- ing, and at several points he scored big laughs, once when he went out- side "to fix the radio* aerial" and returned all charged up, and an- other spot when he sold a tip to two colored stable boys. Then there are Joe Buck and Jim Bubbles, formerly proteges of Nat Nazarro. As "Chicken Man" and "Baltimore" these colored lads add much to the fun of the Mack plav. They not only handle dialogue well In richly colored dialect, but play the piano and dance, nearly stop- ping the show. Of course, the situ- ations are built up for them. It the show goes Into stock later It seems reasonable this team or another can be secured for such engagements. While Buck and Bubbles were doing their specialty the tune of "This Is My Lucky Day" was played as a melody, but Bubbles refrained from singing the lyric.,. Among the hoof- ing bits was the darkest kind of Black Bottom. One two-a-day player lamped the show and won- dered how the vaudevllllans would use up their off-matinee afternoons. Laurie stood out as a likeable lit- tle chap all the way, and it did not seem that spots were especially pro- vided for him. He. gets across the footlights regardless. The descrip- tion of the race as he watches It from the top of a stable shed was one of the show's high lights, as told by one who knows. The cast holds a name that was once the goods at the tracks. It to Tommy Meade, former Jockey. A real score was made by Florence Earle, whose boarding house was a haven for the Jocks and stable hoys. 'A blustery old girl, with a good heart underneath, she made her character so real that it won genuine plaudits. Joseph Sweeney looked the racket guy, playing the fellow who tried to gum things up. Frank Lyon in the Juvenile role was out last week after the. opening night, the stage manager (unpro- gramed) going in. "Weather Clear, Track Fast" may not be a show that will get class patronage, but it should draw profit- able business for about three months, and is likely to find good going In the major stands out of town. I nee. A comedy of the race track Is "Weather, Clear, Track Fast." a term used In the rare charts. It is the work of WlUard Mack, most prolific of actor-authors. Some- times the charts indicate different going, such as "Weather Rainy, Track Blow." The new Mack plav was Ricclcd with that kind of weather on the opening nisht and for several successive days there- after. But it is good ent"rtninment in nny kind of weather because it f* humorous, human nnd well acted. .Toe Laurie, Jr., familiarly known as the ' half-pint comedian," Is fea- tured with the veteran William Courtlctgh, the latter playing "Si-, lent" Johnson, a horse owner with n modest stable, with Joe as Joe McGinn, a crack Jockey until h« ■mashed his les In a spill at Sara- toga. Both are well cast. Laurie l as been appearing in the legiti- ti ale for the past two or three sea- sons and winning laurels plenty. The setlon occurs at the Havre de Grnfc track In M-irvlund, Were tho sp-in:; met tin* is nhetn tm Mart. Jre's little sweetie. Marv Mil.... lives there, and it to 'lieu; ambition LOVE IN THE TROPICS Melodrnnpa In While presented l)y Clar» Koas; Mradozs; Ahola Pllnklns Isabella Helen Fllanton.. Hiurh Blnnton.. Dick Cray Wing W'anibo Nntto Lieut. Seymour. three acts by Corning at Daly's 03d St.. Oct. Is by Cyril Raymond. Benedict MnoQuarria Lao Mas Frank Horton Gildn KreeR.-in Isabel lldrina- K. J. Blunlcill ...Walter N. (treaza Allen At well Kfnlngham Plate Kemll .Robert U. I-iwrence The first performance was given at Daly's without try-out else- where. It was then a cold opening for a hot show, the latter going for the title "Love in the Tropics." The only thing really warm about it, though, seenred to be the weather, most of the male character coni- I plaining about the heat on this , plantation in the Philippines. Ever since digging out "White I Cargo" from the Village the house ! management has been rubbering '" r a tropical play. They got it under the title of "Tropical Lave," h when learning that another play named was In process of present tlon and also that the title was used for a piece being played In the ti nts and reps this season and last, changed the label a bit. Coming White, the author, is said .'. he a college brofl—or. His name. I with a first handle of Arthur, BOS .-•»»•*•••< Illlllllllll ll*»N,ll.