Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

S XH IB I TOR HAS HIS SAY wmammmmmmmm ABOUT PICTURESbmi Who’s Got the Action? (Para) — Dean Martin, Lana Turner, Eddie Albert. I’m still waiting to find out. Missed the boat. Only fair business. Played Sun., Mon. Weather: Hot and dry. — Terry Axley, New Theatre, England, Ark. Pop. 2,136. ALLIED ARTISTS El Cid (AA) — Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Raf Vallone. A very fine picture and enjoyed by those who saw it. Business was disappointing on this one. I think that people are getting tired of this particular type of picture. Small towns should especially beware. It's good, but watch that price. Played Fri. through Mon. — Harry Hawkinson jr., Orpheum Theatre, Marietta. Minn. Pop. 380. AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL Premature Burial (AIP> — Ray Milland, Hazel Court, Richard Ney. Used this on a midnight show and served the purpose admirably. Played Fri. midnight. Weather: Good. — E. A. Reynolds, Strand Theatre, Princeton, Minn. Pop. 2,108. BUENA VISTA Miracle of the White Stallions (BV) — Robert Taylor, Lilli Palmer, Curt Jurgens. Very slow. Too much talk, little action. One of Disney’s poorest offerings. A few walkouts, unusual for a Disney show. Not worth the high terms. — Leonard J. Leise, Roxy Theatre, Randolph, Neb. Pop. 1,029. Savage Sam (BV) — Brian Keith, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran. Here is what we need! Perfect picture for my situation. If only we could get some more like this one! Very good picture and business good, too. Played Thurs., Fri., Sat.— Bill Curran, Ramona Theatre, Kremmling, Colo. Pop. 900. COLUMBIA Jason and the Argonauts (Col) — Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Niall MacGinnis. Good show that did only fair business. Played Wed. through Sat. Weather: Warm. — Jim Fraser, Auditorium Theatre, Red Wing, Minn. Man From the Diners’ Club, The (Col) — Danny Kaye, Cara Williams, Telly Savalas. We tried another Kaye comedy. He has been “no go” here and this was the same. No draw, walkouts and no laughter. Martha Hyer was wasted in this. Danny Kaye and Judy Holliday are my biggest “no draw” stars. Played Sun., Mon. Weather: Ideal fall weather. — Ken Christianson, Roxy Theatre, Washburn, N. D. Pop. 968. Praise lor 'Lilies' As Family-Type Congratulations and best wishes to the producer of “Lilies of the Field,” which we played recently. It proves again that movies can be made without millions of dollars invested and be money-makers, by simply leaving out SEX and giving us family-type movies. I hope this producer will continue to make good, morally suitable for all, movies for everyone. We’re not new in this business. This theatre has been here since 1912. R. CLAYTON VAN DYKE Vaudette Theatre Kaukauna, Wis. Old Westerns Outdraw New Films in Kremmling Played a trio of reissue westerns — “Cowboy” from Columbia, “The Sheepman” from MGM, and “Saddle the Wind” from MGM — good oldies. These good old westerns always outdraw the new sexy pictures, love stories, dramas, etc. “The Sheepman” gave me the biggest gross of the month, on a Tuesday-Wednesday, and beat a lot of good new pictures that month. “Saddle the Wind” was second only to “The Sheepman.” These good old cowboy shows sure saved my life during a run of “sophisticated” pictures. You small town boys who need a shot in the bankroll, don’t overlook these three oldies. Wish someone would hear the crying of the small-town boys and make some westerns. BILL CURRAN Ramona Theatre Kremmling, Colo. METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER Cairo (MGM) — George Sanders, Richard Johnson, Faten Hamama. Not a bad robbery picture filmed on location in Egypt about King Tut’s jewels and his curse. We singled it and played to less than 20 persons in three days. It will not draw them in. Not worth running. Program before and after this one did do business. Played Wed., Thurs., Fri. — John W. Johnson, State Theatre, Caspian, Mich. Pop. 1,600. Come Fly With Me (MGM) — Dolores Hart, Hugh O’Brian, Karl Boehm, Pamela Tiffin. A real good show. My people liked it very much/ — John M. Bailey, Opera House, Miltonvale, Kas. Pop. 911. Flipper (MGM) — Chuck Connors, Luke Halpin, Kathleen Maguire. This is a honey. Good draw and both young and old liked it. Not a dull minute in it. This is hard on the concession stand, but plenty of satisfied customers. — O. B. Hancock, Princess Theatre, Whitesboro, Tex. Pop. 1,854. PARAMOUNT Donovan’s Reef (Para) — John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Jack Warden. A darn good picture from start to finish. Elizabeth Allen has the makings of another Maureen O’Hara. The two kids were scene-stealers. Did average business both nights. Played Fri., Sat. Weather: Warm. — James Hardy, Crescent Theatre, Jasonville, Ind. Pop. 2,500. Girls! Girls! Girls! (Para)— Elvis Presley, Stella Stevens, Jeremy Slate. Played this after almost all the theatres in the area and did only average, which is quite good considering. The picture itself is average entertainment and way below par with all the other Presley films. But there are three redeeming features: Laurel Goodwin, scenery, nice songs. But they are hardly enough to compensate for one of the weakest dialogs I have ever seen in any picture. Played Thurs., Fri., Sat. Weather: Nice. — Paul Fournier, Acadia Theatre, St. Leonard, N.B. Pop. 2,150. UNITED ARTISTS Birdman of Alcatraz (UA) — Burt Lancaster, Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter. Good direction, very fine acting. One of the best dramas I have seen. Businesswise it was slow at the boxoffice. Burt Lancaster at his best. Played Sun., Mon., Tues. Weather: Good. — Mel Danner, Circle Theatre, Waynoka, Okla. Pop. 2,018. Hero’s Island (UA) — James Mason, Rip Torn, Neville Brand. Fair acting, poor sets, not enough action to hold interest. Unless you’re hard-pressed for a picture, avoid this one. Played Sun., Mon., Tues. Weather: Clear. — C. D. Simmons, Grace Theatre, Grace, Ida. Pop. 725. UNIVERSAL For Love or Money (Univ) — Kirk Douglas, Mitzi Gaynor, Gig Young, Thelma Ritter. Excellent picture. Don’t fail to use this one. Played Sun., Mon., Tues. — S. T. Jackson, Jackson Theatre, Flomaton, Ala. Pop. 1,480. Paranoiac (Univ) — Janette Scott, Oliver Reed, Alexander Davion. Okay horror feature strictly for the program fare. Pulled fairly good on the Friday-Saturday change, but nothing extra. Played Fri., Sat. Weather: Fair. — I. Roche, Starlite Drive-In, Chipley, Fla. Tammy and the Doctor (Univ) — Sandra Dee, Peter Fonda, Beulah Bondi, Macdonald Carey. Not quite up to par of previous Tammy’s, but it should please. Peter Fonda has the makings to follow in the footsteps of his famous dad. Beautiful color. Did a little above average on Saturday. Played Fri., Sat. Weather: Cool. — James Hardy, Crescent Theatre, Jasonville, Ind. Pop. 2,500. WARNER BROS. Black Gold (WB) — Philip Carey, Diane McBain, James Best. A black and white action drama of oil well wild-catting. Just gets by. Played Thurs., Fri., Sat. Weather: Good. — E. A. Reynolds, Strand Theatre, Princeton, Minn. Pop. 2,108. Giant (WB-Reissue) — Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean. Very good for the whole family. Gorgeous color and lots of action. It’s an old movie that will make you money at the boxoffice. Don’t pass it up. Play it while WB will let you have it. Played Sun., Mon., Tues. Weather: Good. — Herman Powell jr., Joy Theatre, Joaquin, Tex. Pop. 500. Gypsy (WB)— Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden. With extra advertising this picture did very well, but it is not what the people expect. Out of 143 minutes running time, 43 is about Gypsy and 100 about her mama, and Roz starts to make you a little ill after the fifth reel. Played Sun. -Wed. Weather: Good. — Paul Wood, Escambia Drive-In Theatre, Century, Fla. Pop. 1,500. Spencer’s Mountain (WB) — Henry Fonda, Maureen O’Hara, James MacArthur. Even though they had tears in their eyes as they left, everyone told me they enjoyed the show. It’s tops. Sell it to the whole town. From three to 90 they will enjoy it. Business excellent. Played Thurs., Fri., Sat. Weather: Fair then rain. — Joe M. Seery, Butte Theatre, Gridley, Calif. Pop. 3,500. 4 — 196 — BOXOFFICE Showmandiser : : Dec. 9, 1963