Martin Lawrence

Martin Lawrence Limited Editions, a Van Nuys-based operator of art galleries, said its third-quarter earnings rose 45% from a year earlier, to $1.99 million from $1.33 million. Its revenue jumped 49%, to $12.4 million from $8.54 million. The revenue gains reflected Martin Lawrence's expansion efforts; the company opened three more stores in the latest quarter. Sales of stores that were open both this year and last year fell 11% in the latest period, the company said.

Martin Lawrence Limited Editions Inc., a Van Nuys operator of shopping-mall art galleries, said it lost $1.86 million in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, compared to an $863,000 profit for the same period a year ago. Third-quarter revenues dropped 53% to $5.8 million from $12.4 million a year earlier, the company said. For the nine months ended Sept. 30, Martin Lawrence lost $5.6 million on revenue of $18.7 million, compared to net income of $3.4 million on revenue of $37.

Martin Lawrence Limited Editions Inc., hurting from the economic recession and the art market's slump, said it lost $1.68 million in the second quarter, compared with a year-earlier profit of $506,000. The company, which operates retail art galleries around the nation, said the loss in the quarter ended June 30 came on a 49% plunge in its sales, to $5.6 million from $11 million. For the first half of 1991, Martin Lawrence lost $3.76 million, compared with a profit of $2.

Martin Lawrence Limited Editions Inc., a Van Nuys-based retailer of artworks for collectors, said it narrowed its second-quarter loss to $1.73 million from a loss of $2.26 million in the same period last year. Revenues for the second quarter, which ended June 30, were $3.83 million, compared with $3.82 million a year earlier. For the six months, the company reported a loss of $2.32 million in contrast to a $4.03-million loss a year earlier. Revenues for the six months were down slightly to $8.

Martin Lawrence Limited Editions Inc., an ailing Van Nuys-based operator of shopping-mall art galleries, said it plans to close nearly 40% of its galleries in the next year and eliminate approximately 45 jobs, partly through attrition. The closings will result in a $2.8-million charge against fourth-quarter results, the company said. Martin Lawrence will shut down 13 of its 33 remaining galleries, with eight scheduled to be closed by New Year's Eve.

"Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat," the comedian's latest concert film, was shot in Washington, D.C.'s Constitution Hall, whose use was once denied to contralto Marian Anderson. Clearly, we've come a long way since 1939, for as always, Lawrence is a no-holds-barred stand-up comedian who gets away with the strongest, most graphic language because he is so funny and because he makes himself the object of so much of his humor. "Runteldat," Lawrence's motto, comes from his demand: "Stop the gossip.

In the world of made-for-TV marriages, few seemed more solid than Martin and Gina. The couple at the center of Fox's "Martin" appeared to fit together like hand in glove. Their differences complemented each other. They had a healthy sex life. And though they regularly clashed, they were undoubtedly in love.