Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1942)

42 MOTION PICTURE HERALD January 10, 1942 85 New York Film Firms Dissolved 35% DROP WITH A FILMS-ONLY POLICY Stage Shows Lifted Average at Stanley in Pittsburgh from $13,260 a Week to $20,700 by MORT FRANK in Pittsburgh Stage attractions were considered a definite help in 27 of the 45 weeks when vaudeville was presented in the past year at the Stanley, the city's only downtown stage house, according to a consensus of newspaper reviews and the theatre's management. The Stanley averaged $20,700 v/eekly for pictures plus vaudeville, contrasted with $13,260 average for the five weeks of the year when only pictures were the attraction, dropping 35 per cent. For the 50 weeks beginning Jan. 3rd and ending Dec. 18th this year, the theatre grossed $998,500. The Stanley's average weekly box-office during 1940 was approximately $18,100. Outstanding stage draw during the year were the Andrews Sisters. They appeared three times, only act to repeat, except Earl Carroll's "Vanities" and Martha Raye, and each time totalled far above average. Their $33,000 was the year's highest week, when they shared billing with Gene Krupa's orchestra. They grossed $30,400 in a week with Johnny Davis' band, and $23,400 with Joe Venuti. Movie Names Draw Name bands were the best box-office bets as a type of attraction. Of the 45 vaudeville weeks, 34 presented traveling orchestras with phonograph record and radio reputations. Weakest type of booking was the unit show. None of the nine presented hit the average weekly figure. Usual Stanley policy combines a top name band with one to three vaudeville acts, or a top act with a smaller name orchestra. Many players and bands with film records appeared on the Stanley stage. Besides the Andrews Sisters, Krupa and Davis, the movie names who were best money-takers were Glenn Miller, the year's second best gate at $31,600, Dennis Day, Jerry Coloma, Eddy Duchin, Cab Calloway, Jimmy Dorsey, Bill Robinson, Martha Raye, Rochester, Paul Whiteman, the Three Stooges, Phil Regan, Horace Heidt, Xavier Cugat, Guy Lumbardo, Shep Fields, Gil Lamb, Anita Louise, Phil Harris, Ben Bernie, Victor McLaglen, Simone Simon, Ted Lewis, Bob Crosby, John Boles, Pinky Tomlin, Larry Clinton, Raymond Scott, Singers' Midgets, Abe Lyman, Condos Bros., Wally Vernon, Willie Howard, Sylvia Froos, Frankie Masters, Mills Bros., Berry Bros, and others. More Warner Bros, pictures were played than any other producer's, 17, which is to be expected, since Warners own the Stanley. Metro booked 15 into the house, RKO 9, United Artists 5, and Paramount 4. Through a pooling arrangement, which tacitly keeps Loew's Penn from presenting stage shows and helps clear the flood of pictures for Warners' Warner and Ritz theatres which ordinarily play holdovers from the Penn when business warrants, the Penn usually gets first choice of product from Warners, Metro, RKO, U. A., and Paramount. The Harris Senator and Shea's Fulton play Twentieth Century-Fox, Universal, Columbia, Republic and miscellaneous pictures, with the Fulton also occasionally using product from one of the five companies selling to Warners and Loew's here. SHORT PRODUCT PLAYING BROADWAY Week of January Ird ASTOR Rhapsody in Rivets Vi+aphone Whispers MGM Feature: The Shanghai Gesture United Artists CAPITOL New York's Finest Columbia How to Hold Your Husband Back— Pete Smith MGM Glimpses of Kentucky — Fitz Patrick MGM Feature; Two-Faced Woman MGM CRITERION Jingle Belles Universal Feature: Sundown United Artists PARAMOUNT Superman in the Mechanical Monsters Paramount Feature: Louisiana Purchase . Paramount R I ALTO March of Time — "Battlefields of the Pacific" RKO Radio Unusual Occupations, No. 5. Paramount What's Cookin'? Universal Feature: Mad Doctor of Market Street Universal RIVOLI Canine Caddy RKO Radio Feature: Hellzapoppin Universal ROXY . Bird Tower 20th Cent.-Fox Life of a Thoroughbred .... 20th Cent.-Fox Feature: Remember the Day 20th Cent.-Fox Prison Utilizes Films To Bolster Morale Like many other institutions throughout the country the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, N. J., utilizes the motion picture screen to bolster the morale of the men. Twice each year J. A. Reynolds, director of education and recreation at the prison, selects the films for exhibition in the prison theatre. The season usually consists of from 30 to 32 playdates, with each program running an average of 120 minutes. A single program includes a newsreel, short subjects and the feature. Films of questionable character, such as gangster pictures, films depicting institutional life and the cheaper type of western picture, are precluded. Handles Chaplin Films Mort Sackett, president of Guaranteed Pictures, Inc., announced Monday that his company was authorized by Herbert Silverberg, attorney for Festival Films, Inc., to be the exclusive distributor for the 12 MutualChaplin two reel-comedies. Festival recently won a judgment against the Movie_ Parade theatre in Los Angeles, for showing a Chaplin picture owned by Festival without authority. In Albany, Michael F. Walsh, Secretary of State, this week announced the dissolution of 85 motion picture enterprises, many of which have gone out of business. The group includes some whose corporate taxes have not been paid in three years, leading to mandatory dissolution. The dissolved corporations, alphabetically, are : A. J. M. Amusement Corp., A. T. Amusement Co., Inc., A. W. B. Amusement Corp., Abbott Theatres, Inc., Abra Amusement Corp., Acme Films Corp., Adams Amusement Corp., Aimer Theatres, Inc., Astor-Bijou-Morosco Theatres Realty Corp., Attom Amusement Corp., Automatic Amusement Corp., Avondale Theatres Corp., Bar-Rit Amusement Corp., Beach Theatre, Inc., Benly Theatres, Inc., Brisk Amusement Corp., C. B. M. Productions, Ltd., C. F. Amusement Corp., Cavalcade Pictures, Inc., Char Amusement Corp., Church Avenue Theatre Corp., Court Theatres Corp., Commodore Pictures Corp., Con-Wil Amusement Corp., Crescent Theatres Corp., D'ama Amusement Corp., Demgar Amusement Corp., Dixie Motion Picture Attractions, Inc. Also, Excelsior Theatrical Corp., East Coast Studios, Inc., Eron Pictures, Inc., Florence Theatres, Inc., Fredman Amusement Corp., The Film Exchange, F. B. P. Theatre Co., Inc., G. F. G. Amusement Co., Inc., Glim Theatrical Corp., Greyhound Amusement Corp., Home Theatre Corp., Industrial Cinemas, Inc., International Photo Play Distributors, Inc., International Distributors Corp , Joleen Amusement Corp., Junction Cities Amusements, Inc., K. & G. Theatrical Enterprises, Inc., King Cameron Productions, Inc., Kraupin Amusement Co., Inc., Lake Shore Amusement Corp., Liat Productions, Inc., Linwood Amusement Corp., Mackey Theatre Ticket Service, Inc., Marilyn Amusement Corp., Memmor Theatres, Inc., Misam Theatrical Corp., Mount Vernon Exhibition Corp., Mormen Theatres, Inc., Musical Entertainments, Inc., Nehoc Theatrical Enterprises, Inc. Also, Oxford Theatre Realty Corp., Pitkin Amusement Corp., Radio & Film Methods Corp., Regal Theatre, Inc., Regent Pictures, Inc., Rex Film Corp., Robar Theatre Corp., Roseman Theatre Co., Inc., Ross Theatre Corp., Rugby Theatre Corp., Russian Theatre America, Inc., Scott Theatres. Inc., Seaboard Amusement Corp., Sias Theatres Corp., Southern Dutchess Amusement Corp., Stainless Theatre Corp., i-tar Pictures Corp., Syndicate Amusements, Inc., Technifilm Laboratories, Inc., Thalrose Photo and Stage Theatre Corp., Treklog Films, Inc., Triboro Playhouse, Inc., Unity Amusement Co., Inc., W. G. Amusement Corp., The West Farms Amusement Corp., Woodland Amusements, Inc., and 67th Street Amusement Corp. Sliter Promoted, Honored at Banquet More than 150 associates and friends staged a farewell dinner at Gloversville, N. Y., Tuesday night for Harold F. Sliter, Mohawk Valley district manager for the Schine circuit, who has been promoted to district manager of the larger Ohio-Kentucky area. His headquarters will be at Bellefontaine, O., to which town he is moving with his family. The dinner was arranged by the Kiwanis club, of which the theater man was a member. It had State Senator Harry Dunkel as toastmaster. Speakers included J. Myer and Louis W. Schine, Mayor Chauncey C. Thayer, chief Schine film buyer George V. Lynch, comptroller John A. May, eastern zone manager Gus Lampe and Kiwanis president Ed LaPlace, who presented Mr. Sliter with a diamond-studded watch in behalf of the gathering. Lloyd Madison, president of the Glove Cities projectionists and stage hands union, in behalf of the union, gave him a cigarette case, on the back of which was engraved an honorary life membership in the union. Mr. Sliter went to the Schines from Buffalo 10 years ago where he was with Paramount-Publix. He also has been connected with Fox-Skouras. A native of Lynn, Mass., he was head of the Schine circuit advertising and publicity department before being made Mohawk Valley manager.