Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

Waukegan Aflutter; Awaits Premiere Waukegan, III. — This town of 35,000 people at the northern tip of Illinois is all aflutter. For one of its most illustrious home town boys who made good in the big city, Jack Benny, is being honored during “Waukegan Celebrity Days,” starting next Wednesday, June 21. The celebration will be climaxed by the world premiere of Benny’s newest Paramount picture — and secretively SHOUTED his best — “Man About Town,” next Sunday, June 25, at the Great States’ Genesee. Carl Krueger, Paramount ballyhoo artist, has been here several weeks preparing plans for the event. He has organized an executive committee of the Waukegan chamber of commerce, headed by Mayor Mancel Talcott, a boyhood friend of Benny, which is making the premiere a city-wide event. All merchants have contributed to a fund of several thousand dollars to promote the event. The city will be decorated and Paramount will conduct its own junket of stars and scribes into the city. From Hollywood will come Benny, Mary Livingston, his wife; Dorothy Lamour, Phil Harris, Kenny Baker, Andy Devine and Don Wilson, all either members of the film cast or Benny’s radio show. There will be two performances on Sunday evening of both the radio show, sponsored by General Foods for its Jello, and the picture. The initial one will start at 6 p. m., to be followed by the picture; the second, at 10:30 p. m„ also to be followed by the picture. The stars will be seen in person at both shows. The Hollywood contingent of stars arrives June 21, and will be welcomed by Mayor Talcott at a civic celebration. On Thursday, the entire crew will be guests at a dinner at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station near here, where Benny enlisted during the World War. Friday, which is Mary Livingston’s birthday, will be given over to a tea by club women of the city. Saturday the radio cast will rehearse its Sunday show and climax it with a press party and civic banquet Saturday night at the Waukegan Hotel, which is headquarters for the event. Krueger has arranged numerous gag events, one of which is to be the subpoenaing by the mayor of Waukegan of Chicago newspaper people to be present at the premiere. Cliff Lewis, Paramount studio’s advertising manager, will arrive here early in the week to work with Krueger on final details for the premiere. Completing Arrangements for "Man About Town" Debut Waukegan, III. — Arrangements were being completed late this week to run the world premiere of Paramount’s “Man About Town” at all three local theatres simultaneously. This will include the Great States’ Genesee, where the Jello broadcast will originate; the Great States Academy, across the street from the Genesee; and the Times, operated by Nat Bernstein of Hammond, Ind. This will mark the first time that a world premiere has been held in every theatre in a city, big and small, and where opposition houses have been used for the showing of the same picture. Admission will be charged to the Academy and Times theatres, but the two shows at the Genesee have been bought out by General Foods and will be distributed to the press and others officially connected with the opening. The Paramount convention in Los Angeles included for Ben Elrod, Chicago salesman, a floral appendage from one of the Legionnair esses, and for Norman Scheinbaum, Milwaukee branch salesman, a conversation with Virginia Vale, Golden Circle player. Stage Shows Gaining In Nabe Theatres Indianapolis — Stage attractions of various sorts are being offered increasingly by neighborhood houses here. A presentation of the World’s Fair Talent Revue was offered on consecutive days at the Strand, Oriental, St. Clair, Uptown and Ritz. This was the first of six weekly editions of this stage presentation. The performers are changed for each weekly show and the audience picks a winner at each performance. The final winner of the contest has his choice of a week on the Lyric stage or a trip to the New York Fair. The Rivoli featured Denny Dutton and his band on its stage and the Strand is presenting jitterbug contests once a week, a form of stage entertainment that has met with growing favor. MILWAUKEE THE Warner Theatre observed its eighth anniversary here with “Juarez” and “Sweepstakes Winner” . . . Harry Perlewitz has disposed of his Astor and Jackson theatres, neighborhood houses, to the Fox circuit. It is the fourth independent house to go by the boards to the circuits in recent weeks, the former being the Ritz, also to Fox, and the Times, to the Standard Theatres, Warner subsidiary. B. N. Judell, Inc., has again been named distributor for the American Red Cross’ yearly release. “Footsteps,” a single reel film, will be supplied gratis to all exhibitors and they are urged to make their requests now for dates starting after July 1. Tommy Tucker, sound man who has lent his imitations to many Walt Disney “Silly Symphonies,” was a local visitor . . . Stanley Segelbaum, formerly manager of Fox’s Miller Theatre here, is now presiding over the State, west side neighborhood house. “King of Kings” is being shown in a Kenosha church nightly beginning June 11 with a free will offering as the admission . . . Carl E. Bunce, projectionist at the Jeffris in Janesville, owes his life to a kapok boat cushion, ivhich helped keep him afloat after his boat had tipped on Lake Kegonsa while on a fishing trip. Harvey Buchanan, Superior exhibitor, was chairman of the newsreel committee for the city’s Golden Jubilee observance, which was covered by Paramount. The Marshfield common council has hiked theatre license fees from $10 to $50 per theatre anually. Marshfield has three houses, all operated by J. P. Adler. H. W. Robarge, former operator of the Cosmo, Merrill, has taken over the Falls at Sheboygan Falls from Stanley Kohlberg. In connection with the “Day for Young America” program sponsored June 14 at the Wisco?isin Theatre, Wisconsin Rapids, by the Elks, young people whose 21 st birthday occurred during 1939, were admitted free to “Young Mr. Lincoln.” More than 60 employes of the Lloyd Manufacturing Co. were honored at Menominee when they were presented with service pins by Richard Greenwood, president of the Heywood Wakefield Co. 44 BOXOFFICE :: June 17, 1939