Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1947)

QUOTA OF WESTERNS RISING ; TOTAL FOR SEASON TO BE 79 United Artists Is Entry In Horse Opera Field; Republic Heads List NEW YORK — Seven companies are releasing a total of 60 new western features for the 1946-47 season, three more than the 57 released by six companies during the previous season. However, 19 cowboy reissues being released during the current season will bring the grand total up to 79. United Artists re-entered the western field, for the first time since 1944, to release six Hopalong Cassidy pictures produced by William Boyd and Lewis J. Rachmil and starring Boyd, who has been identified with that cowboy character since 1939. In addition, 12 Hopalong Cassidy reissues, originally released by Paramount, were brought out under the Screen Guild banner to give Boyd the greatest number of westerns to be shown during any one season. EIGHT FROM ROY ROGERS Republic is releasing the largest number of westerns, 20, the same as for 1945-46. This number is exclusive of the eight Roy Rogers musicals, which are actually westerns although Republic places them in a higher category. The 20 include six westerns starring Gene Autry, who returned to the screen after several years of army service; six in Trucolor, starring Monte Hale and eight Red Ryder films, starring Allan Lane. Republic also reissued a series of Three Mesquiteers westerns, but these were made available only in certain territories, according to the Republic home office. During 1945-46, Republic released eight pictures starring Sunset Carson, eight Red Ryder films, starring Bill Elliott, and four in Trucolor, starring Monte Hale. Elliott has since been promoted to feature billing as William Elliott in such Republic specials as “The Plainsman and the Lady” and the forthcoming “Wyoming,” both with outdoors backgrounds. PRC is releasing a total of 14 new westerns and six Bronco Buckaroo reissues during 1946-47, in contrast to 16 new westerns for the previous season. Eight star “Lash” LaRue and A1 “Fuzzy” St. John and six star Eddie Dean, while the reissues, cut down to 40 minutes, team Buster Crabbe and St. John or Dave O’Brien and James Newill. For 1945-46, Buster Crabbe and St. John starred in eight westerns, Bob Steele starred in four and Eddie Dean was starred in four in Cinecolor. 15 LISTED BY MONOGRAM Monogram has eight Johnny Mack Brown westerns and six Jimmy Wakely musical westerns for 1946-47, the same as for 1945-46, but the reissue of “Silver Stallion” brings the total for the season up to 15. Columbia again has a total of 12 westerns for the current season, the same as for 1945-46. Eight of these star Charles Starrett, who has been a Columbia western headliner since 1937, and four are musical westerns. RKO is releasing a total of four Zane Grey westerns for 1946-47, in contrast to one released during the previous season. In addition, the company released several features with western backgrounds but these had name players and were placed in a higher category, according to the RKO home office. “Trail Street,” starring Randolph Scott and Anne Jeffreys, was released in March 1947 while “Badman’s Territory,” also starring Scott and Miss Jeffreys, had a May 1946 release date. Universal, which had a series of seven westerns starring Kirby Grant in 1945-46, is releasing only two westerns in Cinecolor, “The Michigan Kid” and “The Vigilantes Return,” during the current season. In addition to the cowboy series and lowbudget western films, a dozen higher budget pictures with western or outdoors backgrounds are on releasing schedules for the current season. Among these are “My Darling Clementine” and the forthcoming “Bob, Son of Battle,” from 20th-Fox; “Stallion Road” and the forthcoming, “Cheyenne” from Warner Bros.; “California” from Paramount; “Ramrod,” an Enterprise production for United Artists release; “The Plainsman and the Lady,” “Angel and the Badman” and the forthcoming “Wyoming” from Republic; “King of the Wild Horses” and the forthcoming “The Gunfighters” from Co NEW YORK — Twentieth-Fox and RKO have completed a deal involving two of the largest theatres in Kansas City — the 3,409seat Mainstreet and the 1,972-seat Orpheum. The transaction calls for 20th-Fox to turn over its 50 per cent interest in the Mainstreet, which it has owned in partnership with RKO, in return for complete ownership of the Orpheum, RKO first run outlet in Kansas City. RKO will reopen the Mainstreet, closed a decade ago, as a first run theatre. Approval of the U.S. district court of Kansas City is needed before the agreement can become effective. According to the antitrust decree, the New York statutory court also must approve the deal. The decree states that the theatreowning defendants — RKO, 20th-Fox, Paramount, Loew’s and Warners— have two years to dissolve partnership agreements in which their interest is more than five or less than 95 per cent. The decree then adds; “One defendant may acquire the interest of another defendant or independent if such defendant desiring to acquire such interest shall show to the satisfaction of the court, and the court shall first find, that such acquisition will not unduly restrain competition in the exhibition of feature motion pictures.” ' The New York statutory court will receive a report of the RKO-20th-Fox deal, along with other deals planned by these companies and the three other theatre-owning distributors by Monday afternoon, June 30. On or before that day the defendants are expected to submit reports on their theatre holdings, detailing partnerships, stock interests, plans for dissolving partnerships and deals already completed. The lawyers for the five theatre owning defendants are now busy preparing such reports. Preparation of these reports is being de lumbia and the reissue of “The Westerner” from Film Classics. The western film has managed to retain its popularity from the early days of G. M. "Broncho Billy” Anderson and William 3. Hart, through the years when Tom Mix and Buck Jones were money-making Fox stars, right up to the present. Concentrating on riding, shooting and outdoors action instead of dialog and substantial sets, the cowboy films are relatively inexpensive to produce yet are “bread-and-butter” to many small town or neighborhood exhibitors. Except for the top-budget outdoors pictures with name players or an occasional Roy Rogers film, none of the cowboy pictures played a major Broadway house during the current season. However, there is an increasing demand for “two-gun” westerns in almost every foreign country, according to Alfred E. Daff, Universal vice-president, who returned to this country in May after making a survey of the foreign market. layed by difficulty in deciding borderline cases of what constitutes a partnership and what constitutes a pool. (Pools must be ended by July 1.) Decree Repercussion Felt In Los Angeles Area LOS ANGELES — In two instances the New York court decree had further effect on the future operations of local first run theatres. Operation of the United Artists in downtown L. A. was transferred from Fox West Coast to United Artists Theatres. Only other UAT showcase in California that has been under FWC management is the Alhambra in Sacramento which also reverted to UAT operations. The local United Artists house, under its FWC partnership management, has been a member of that circuit’s group that has served as a local first run outlet for Universal-International product, a booking arrangement which probably will continue for the time being at least. First round went to Paramount in that company’s legal battle with Fanchon & Marco theatres over the future management of the local Paramount Downtown. Federal Judge William Mathes denied F&M’s motion to dismiss Paramount’s action claiming that the theatre should be returned to Paramount management because the lease had been terminated by the court decree. The Paramount-owned theatre was leased to F&M in 1933, the deal having several years to run. Two Grand Rapids Theatres To Revert to RKO Midwest GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — The Regent and Keith’s theatres here, which have been managed by the Butterfield interests since 1933, will revert to the RKO Midwest Corp. June 29. This is in compliance with the antitrust decree handed down by the New York statutory court. 20th-Fox and RKO Swap Downtown KC Theatres 12 BOXOFFICE :: June 21, 1947