Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

DE§ MOINES THE new Val-Air ballroom here bristled with folks in the film biz Tuesday evening when Ted Lewis tipped his battered tall hat to Des Moines. We chatted with Opal Judd and Walt Lohman, who had a table with Ray Lumsden and Charlie Brown of Iowa City . . . Opie said the tripping she did during the evening really was fantastic, since she was the sole feminine element in the party. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Plummer from Parrot Film were at our table, so we didn’t feel quite so lonesome with R&T artists Bill Connor and Hank Langren and Roto Editor Clayton. Harry Holdsberg, Don Allen and Attorney English were rolling around the place sort of loose-like, and finally sat with us a while ... an enlivening trio if we ever saw' one. Attorney English handed out 10 or 15 bucks worth of legal advice gratis, but it’s the taking it that costs dough. We didn’t see Burton Jerrel and the lovely Dorothy until we were on the way out. Chet Naylor’s hair is the only wig on Filmrow with more personality than G. Ralph Branton’s . . . Chet, Chuck Plows and Bill Morgan are a few of the boys who can be depended upon to show up somewhere along the Row hauling something in or out . . . and they always say “Hi” or wave if they’re too far away . . . C. R. Smith is another wandering fixture along High St. with a ready smile. We were strolling down Filmrow when Mitzi Lee starts to yell lustily, “Ice cream bars a nickle.” Imagine our predicament! Heads popping out every other doorway, Mitzi refusing to desist, and us with no ice cream bars! We finally dodged into RKO, where Lou Elman, Chick Friedman and Nate Sandler were at the mercy of the rampant Mitzi . . . Lou defended himself with a painful effort to draw a horse which turned to be a bear . . . Chick tried to get off by pushing a cigarette up his nose and pulling it out his ear, but finally had to buy his way out with a nickel . . . Nate fared best of all by just laughing the Mitzi off. After all this time we’ve just heard about the Gilley Wells’ whoopee room with hats from Havana, fireplace, piano, bar and an imaginary cellar from which Gilley can pull almost anything . . . Ken Clayton calls his latest pastime, “ The Taming of the Shrew” and he says you do it by tearing off their fingernails and threatening to break their darn necks . . . Hamburgers seem to be Filmrowers’ favorite dish. Don Allen is of the Hamburgers-by-Fisher school, while Art Stolte can be seen almost any day devouring Harkerts’ creations. Somebody oughta tell the Cards about the latest baseball technique for putting a player out as developed at the Monogram picnic. You lure the runner off-base with a tempting bottle of beer and then tag him with the ball! Opal Judd tells us Walt Lohman showed his famous dimples when he received his sheep skin at Drake the other day. Write Us Your AIR CONDITIONING Wants Peterson "Freezem" Mfg, & Sales Co. 316 Southwest Blvd. Kansas City, Mo. ''Career'' Premiere Widely Publicized Des Moines — Unlike Omahans, Des Moines citizens won’t need to tote beards around to be aware of “Career” when it premieres here July 2. The Register and Tribune is taking all the weight off local chins and putting it on its own front pages. Following the two-page Roto coverage in the Sunday Register, Monday’s Tribune carried a banner along the bottom of page one referring readers to the serialization of the book, “Career,” beginning that day. Tuesday’s paper again called attention to the fact with a page-one story and four pictures on Phil Stong, the Iowa author. A story on his recollections of Des Moines by former Iowan Raymon Hatton, who is in the film’s cast, has been received by the paper. This will no doubt be served up in some sensational fashion within the next few days. The original plan to charter planes at Douglas Field to bring the stars from Hollywood has apparently been abandoned. Tentative arrangements now provide for their arrival at Ames, la., via the Northwestern. A motor caravan will bring them from Ames to Des Moines, Saturday morning. (Ames is about 30 miles from Des Moines) . Jean Hersholt, Alice Eden, Edward Ellis, Anne Shirley, Janet Beecher, John Archer, Raymond Hatton, Leon Errol, and Samuel S. Hinds are already definitely scheduled to appear here. Claire Trevor is another celebrity expected as are Robert Sisk, producer of the film for RKO-Radio pictures; Leigh Jason, director; Jesse L. Lasky, film executive, and William Wrigley jr. Premiere tickets went on sale at the Orpheum and Paramount theatres, June 19. A movie ball at the Drake Stadium is is definitely scheduled. K. C. Film Trade Turns Out For New Booth Theatre Independence, Kas. — A number of film and theatre men attended the formal opening of the netw Booth Theatre here Friday evening, June 16. Hosts were H. J. Griffith and Glen W. Dickinson of the Griffith-Dickinson Theatres, Inc., Kansas City. Those in the trade, and local civic leaders were guests at a stag banquet at 9 p. m. Allied Notes as CEDRIC ADAMS put in his column in the Star: “It took A1 Steffes, perhaps the town’s prime gag man, to pull it. Delegates to the national convention of Allied States arrived on the Hiawatha, Monday night. Steffes arranged special transportation for the outfit’s leaders. One of them, Abram F. Myers, was hustled into a patrol wagon. Another, Ed Burnell of Chicago, was grabbed, put in a straight jacket and bundled into an ambulance which carried him to his hotel. Four husky orderlies in uniform did the grabbing.” Also, there was a huge truck that afforded transportation for the rest of the boys. M-G-M’s convention stunts caused much favorable comment. Exceedingly pretty girls in scant costumes passed out cigarettes. Two more beauties handed out “kisses” — candy ones with wrappings advertising “Gone With the Wind.” You’ve got to hand it to that Morrie Abrams, veteran M-G-M exploiteer. Further details on the convention will be found on pages 8, 19, and 22 of this issue. Grad Sears, Warner sales head, flew in from the west coast Tuesday morning and was so weary after his long and arduous journey that he immediately sought slumber. Minnesota and North and South Dakota exhibitors attended the convention almost en masse. Steffes had a “little German band” at the railroad station, too, to help welcome the convention special from New York and Chicago. Among the notables on hand early were Ed Kuykendall, W. C. Gehring, William Sussman, H. M. Richey and Harvey Day. Harry Morton, Winnipeg and Saskatoon exhibitor, was among the few non-Americans in attendance. Boyd Draws Crowd Des Moines — Over 60,000 persons viewed Hopalong Cassidy (Bill Boyd) and his horse “Topper” when they paraded here for Register and Tribune carrier salesmen June 12. OWNER MUST SACRIFICE 1,500 SEAT THEATRE Located in Denver, Colo. Will inventory at $12,500.00 but for a quick cash sale will take $5,500.00. Cheap rent. Good lease. No agents or brokers. Must deal direct with buyer. For further information, write or call at 308 Film Building, Cleveland, Ohio. BOXOFFICE :: June 17, 1939 53