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American theatrical producer
other people named Al Woods

Albert Herman Woods (born Aladore Herman; January 3, 1870 – April 24, 1951) was a Hungarian born theatrical producer who spent much of his life in the USA. He produced over 140 plays on Broadway, including some of the most successful shows of the period, sometimes under the name of the production company 'Al Woods Ltd.'. Woods built the Eltinge Theatre on Broadway, named for one of his most successful and profitable stars, the female impersonator Julian Eltinge.

Woods was born in Budapest, Hungary to a Jewish family, but his family brought him to the United States as an infant. He grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. As a child he would skip school to go to theatrical shows, where he developed the goal of becoming a producer himself.

Woods formed an early partnership with Sam H. Harris and Paddy Sullivan, running tour companies of popular melodramas, starting with The Bowery After Dark. His first Broadway production was The Evil That Men Do in 1903. His work on Broadway escalated after the popularity of the touring melodramas declined. Woods had a stable of favorite playwrights, most notably Owen Davis, who he worked with for several years on melodramas such as Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model. When Woods turned to producing regular Broadway shows, he focused on bedroom farces, starting with The Girl from Rector's in 1909. During a trip to Europe in 1911 he bought the US rights to the world's first full color feature film, The Miracle. which eventually premiered in New York 1913. Also in 1911 he starting building the Eltinge Theatre on 42nd Street, named after his star, Julian Eltinge. By May 1911 a run of The Fascinating Widow starring Eltinge at the Boston Theatre was expected to have receipts of $500,000 by the time it finished. From c1912 he took over the leases of a large number of Berlin theatres including what became the Ufa Palast am Zoo, to put on 'Kino Vaudeville' shows (a mix of variety acts imported from the US interspersed with silent films). He was also involved with the American millionaire Joe Goldsoll in the building of the German capital's first free standing purpose built cinema, the Ufa Pavillon am Nollendorfplatz." When he became successful, Woods continued to emphasize his humble roots and was known for his folksy manner with everyone. He greeted patrons at the Eltinge as "sweetheart". Upon being introduced to King George V, Woods addressed the monarch (who was older than him) as "kid" and took the opportunity to promote one of his productions, declaring it to be "a regular show". Woods was at his peak in the 1920s, producing such hits as Ladies' Night (1920), The Demi Virgin (1921), The Green Hat (1925), The Shanghai Gesture (1926) (filmed in 1941), and The Trial of Mary Dugan (1927). However, he lost most of his fortune in the early 1930s and never fully recovered. In the 1930s his only major hits were Five Star Final (1930) and Night of January 16th (1935). When Woods staged the Sheldon Davis comedy Try and Get It in August 1943, critics expressed hope that it would revive his flagging career, but it closed in less than a week. It was his final production.

Although Woods continued to read scripts and attempt to generate interest, he was unable to stage any productions after 1943. He died on April 24, 1951, in his residence at the Hotel Beacon in New York. The once wealthy former producer ended his life bankrupt.

Woods produced a number of bedroom farces, which critics and local authorities often saw as pushing the boundaries of propriety. In several instances Woods encountered legal troubles as a result.

In 1909, Woods staged The Girl from Rector's, Paul M. Potter's adaptation of Loute, a French farce by Pierre Veber. The plot portrays several couples in a tangle of adulterous affairs, and the play was considered indecent by many critics. Prior to opening on Broadway, preview performances were scheduled in Trenton, New Jersey. After the first matinee, a group of 25 local clergy complained to Trenton police the play was immoral. The police shut the play down and did not permit any further performances.

In April 1910, Woods began a production of The Girl with the Whooping Cough, an adaptation of a French farce that features a woman who spreads whooping cough by kissing numerous men. At the urging New York Mayor William Jay Gaynor, the New York City Police Commissioner attempted to suppress the play due to its risqué content. The commissioner contacted the theater's management company and threatened that if the play was not stopped, he would refuse to renew the theater's operating license. Woods got an injunction from the New York Supreme Court that prevented the authorities from interfering with the show directly, but it did not compel them to renew the license for the theater. Left with no home for his production, Woods was forced to shut it down.

Woods produced over 140 plays on Broadway. + List of Broadway productions by Albert H. Woods Title Author Theater Opened ClosedThe Evil That Men DoTheodore KremerAmerican TheatreAugust 29, 1903Not knownThe Errand BoyGeorge Totten Smith (book);Edward P. Moran (lyrics)Haverly's 14th Street TheatreOctober 31, 1904November 5, 1904Tom, Dick and HarryAaron Hoffman and Harry WilliamsMultipleSeptember 25, 1905January 20, 1906Chinatown CharlieOwen DavisAmerican TheatreMarch 5, 1906Not knownThe Gambler of the WestOwen DavisAmerican TheatreJuly 28, 1906Not knownA Marked WomanOwen DavisWest End TheatreDecember 10, 1906Not knownNellie, the Beautiful Cloak ModelOwen DavisWest End TheatreDecember 31, 1906Not knownThe King and Queen of GamblersOwen DavisAmerican TheatreJuly 27, 1907Not knownA Race Across the ContinentJohn OliverThalia TheatreJuly 27, 1907August 3, 1907A Chorus Girl's Luck in New YorkOwen DavisHaverly's 14th Street TheatreAugust 3, 1907Not knownConvict 999John OliverHis Bridal NightLawrence RisingTheatre RepublicAugust 16, 1916October 1916The Guilty ManCharles Klein and Ruth Helen DavisAstor TheatreAugust 17, 1916October 1916Mary's AnkleMay TullyBijou Theatre (August);39th Street Theatre (October)August 6, 1917Not knownBusiness Before PleasureMontague Glass and Jules Eckert GoodmanEltinge 42nd Street TheatreAugust 15, 1917June 1918Eyes of YouthCharles Guernon and Max MarcinMaxine Elliott Theatre (August 1917 – July 1918);39th Street Theatre (July–August 1918)August 22, 1917August 1918The Scrap of PaperOwen Davis and Arthur Somers RocheCriterion TheatreSeptember 17, 1917November 1917On With the DanceMichael MortonTheatre RepublicOctober 29, 1917December 1917Parlor, Bedroom and BathCharles William Bell and Mark SwanTheatre RepublicDecember 24, 1917July 1918An American AceLincoln J. CarterCasino TheatreApril 2, 1918April 1918Friendly EnemiesSamuel Shipman and Aaron HoffmanHudson TheatreJuly 22, 1918August 1919Under OrdersBerte ThomasEltinge 42nd Street TheatreAugust 20, 1918January 1919Why Worry?Montague Glass and Jules Eckert Goodman (book);Blanche Merrill (lyrics), Leo Edwards (music)Harris TheatreAugust 23, 1918September 14, 1918Where Poppies BloomRoi Cooper MegrueTheatre RepublicAugust 26, 1918November 1918The Big ChanceGrant Morris and Willard Mack48th Street TheatreOctober 28, 1918February 1919Roads of DestinyChanning PollockTheatre RepublicNovember 27, 1918February 1919The Woman in Room 13Samuel Shipman and Max MarcinBooth TheatreJanuary 14, 1919June 1919Up in Mabel's RoomWilson Collison and Otto HauerbachEltinge 42nd Street TheatreJanuary 15, 1919August 1919A Voice in the DarkRalph E. DyarTheatre RepublicJuly 28, 1919November 1919The Girl in the LimousineWilson Collison and Avery HopwoodEltinge 42nd Street TheatreOctober 6, 1919January 31, 1920Too Many HusbandsW. Somerset MaughamBooth TheatreOctober 8, 1919January 1920His Honor: Abe PotashMontague Glass and Jules Eckert GoodmanBijou TheatreOctober 14, 1919April 1920The Unknown WomanMarjorie Blaine and Willard MackMaxine Elliott TheatreNovember 10, 1919January 1920The Sign on the DoorChanning PollockTheatre RepublicDecember 19, 1919May 1920No More BlondesOtto HauerbachMaxine Elliott TheatreJanuary 7, 1920February 1920Breakfast in BedGeorges Feydeau; adapted by Willard Mack and Howard BoothEltinge 42nd Street TheatreFebruary 3, 1920April 1920The Blue FlameGeorge V. Hobart and John WillardShubert TheatreMarch 15, 1920April 1920The Ouija BoardCrane WilburBijou TheatreMarch 29, 1920May 1920Crooked GamblersSamuel Shipman and Percival WildeHudson TheatreJuly 31, 1920October 1920Ladies' NightAvery Hopwood and Charlton AndrewsEltinge 42nd Street TheatreAugust 9, 1920June 1921The Lady of the LampEarl CarrollTheatre RepublicAugust 17, 1920November 1920Happy Go LuckyIan HayBooth TheatreAugust 24, 1920November 1920The Unwritten ChapterSamuel Shipman and Victor VictorAstor TheatreOctober 11, 1920November 1920The White VillaEdith EllisEltinge 42nd Street TheatreFebruary 14, 1921March 1921Getting Gertie's GarterWilson Collison and Avery HopwoodTheatre RepublicAugust 1, 1921November 1921Back PayFannie HurstEltinge 42nd Street TheatreAugust 30, 1921November 1921The Demi VirginAvery HopwoodTimes Square TheatreOctober 18, 1921June 3, 1922Abide With MeClare Boothe BrokawRitz TheatreNovember 21, 1935December 1935The Ragged EdgeMary HeathfieldFulton TheatreNovember 25, 1935December 1935Arrest That WomanMaxine AltonNational TheatreSeptember 18, 1936September 1936CensoredConrad Seiler and Max Marcin46th Street TheatreFebruary 26, 1938March 1938Nine GirlsWilfrid H. PettittLongacre TheatreJanuary 13, 1943January 16, 1943Try and Get ItSheldon DavisCort TheaterAugust 2, 1943August 7, 1943