National Box Office Digest (Jan 1940-Jan 1941)

4 THE BOX OFFICE DIGEST 1L hujld^u-, TAKES BACKWARD LOOK AT EARLY \m HEADLINES AS NEW YEAR COMES OYER HORIZON Random thoughts of a Highlighter glancing over a year’s Digest files: Just a year ago "Jesse James” was starting its high rolling progress at box offices, a pace that it never weakened on throughout the year. . . And that New Year’s present to Darryl Zanuck came right on the heels of a 1938 that saw “Alexander’s Ragtime Band" rootin’ tootin’ its way through all statistical opposition. . . . Top review along about a year ago was John Ford’s “Stagecoach." which had the critics doing nip-ups over the discovery that a Western could have intelligence. . . . Then smack into the arena crashed George Stevens with “Gunga Din. another one that started on high and held its eminence throughout the year. . . . Maybe there is something in that ACTION idea — when you consider that trio, “Jesse James,” “Stagecoach,” “Gunga Din." . . . Along about February the Highlighter had a heading. “Vic Fleming Takes on Tough Job. and then went on to weep silently over the problems faced by Fleming in taking over “Gone With the Wind" after he worked under George Cukor. . . . Weep no more, my laddies. . . . Happy New Year, Vic. DISTRIBUTORS WERE WORRYING BECAUSE ONLY BRITIAN WAS LEFT Continuing a ramble through those early 1939 issues of The Digest we find a few distribution chiefs warning Hollywood that there was no longer any real foreign market EXCEPT the British one. . . Omigosh. . . . Did any one dream then that even the British was doomed to black-out treatments before a year had passed? . . . But there was good news in those early months, too. We sight a headline that records the thought that never were the labor problems of production in such harmonious shape, with doves fluttering over both Bioff and producer tents. . . . Oh, yes, just to keep the record straight: Sam Goldwyn opened the year with a skirmish with United Artists. . . We could have kept the type for that headline standing in type. . . Here’s a headline that puzzles us; Harry Cohn set for biggest production year — with aces Capra, Hawks, Ruggles, Lloyd all set to deliver product. . . Capra finished “Mr. Smith,” and called the moving van, and where, oh where, have those other pictures from Ruggles, Hawks. Lloyd been hiding? ... A lot of things happen in twelve months, don’t they? . . Or. do they? Along about February Harry Rapf gave the industry a disappointment in the long-awaited glittering “Ice Follies” which nroved to be more folly than glitter. . . . Here’s a headline that should not be missed: “Jack Warner Sounds Death Knell of Double Bills. Pledges Company’s Own Theaters to Lead the Wav.” . . . Gosh did that get side-tracked, or is it the same death knell we are sounding as 1940 rolls in? . . . / \ 8 Features "Going Up” Was Now 1. Elizabeth and Essex ....WAR....113....116 2. The Roaring Twenties WAR ...113. .. 115 3. Those High Grey Walls COL 73 .... 75 4. Two Bright Boys UNIV . 72 74 5. Kid Nightengale WAR 68 74 6. Mutiny in the Bighouse MONO 71. ... 73 7. Laugh It Off UNIV 68 70 8. Way Down South RKO 64 66 And is your Highlighter’s face red. . . His unoriginal mind caused him to use what’s a knell or two between friends. COMING EVENTS CAST THEIR SHADOWS SOMEWHERE Along about March your Editor sounded the clarion call, “Let’s Be Americans,” on that dignified page 3, in warning the industry that there was trouble abrewing over the sappy falling for ideologic groups by some of our producers, many of our players, and more of our writers. . . . And here comes that imp 1940 giving weary headline writers a chance to potshot the industry with inneundos about the TWENTY Hollywood figures who will soon be stood up against a Dies firing squad. . . Maybe nobody heard the Editor when he humbly said it might be the curse of both prudence and patriotism to decide to be AMERICAN. . . We know that some did hear us though. . . . Because the grapevine told us we were double dyed boobs for touching so delicate a subject. . . “You’ll lose a lot of advertising,” we were told. . . . That’s where it hurts. . . Or does it, now that the slap-happy fellow travellers are beseiging Joe Schnitzer’s Western Costume Company for ostriche disguises. . . . And onward comes Dies. . . He needs a shining target to get that new appropriation from the new Congress, and what more shining target than the prolextarian movie stars? . . . Cheerful memory: Towards the end of March we were journeying to San Francisco’s Fair under the chaperonage of Harry Brand for that “Alexander Graham Bell" stunt. . . . That memory will stay with us. . . Never a newspaper group better handled, never a more effective international exploitation break. 8 Features "Going Down” Was Now 1. The Real Glory UA 108. .106 2. Eternally Yours UA. .. 98.... 96 3. Return of Dr. X WAR. .. 85 83 4. Espionage Agent WAR 84 80 5. Night of Nights PAR 82 79 6. Dancing Co-Ed MGM ... 80.... 78 7. Beware Spooks COL 75 73 8. Little Accident UNIV 72 70 „ / MAYBE WE HAD BETTER TURN TO YOUNG 1940 Moving along through the files The Highlighter begins to get headaches, because he finds too many pictures on which his review said, “\Nill be a sensational success in England, but a problem here.” ... It is not pleasant to think what has happened to those forecasts, because most of the pictures discussed in early 1939 months were just breaking for general English release when the big break came. ... So let’s look at some of the items of news tossed up as 1940 darkens the threshold. . . . Both Walter Lantz, Universal's cartoon creator, and Metro’s Harmon-Ising unit are polishing up the pencils on plans for feature length cartoons. . . . With “Gulliver clicking, anticipation for “Pinocchio” running high, this is only natural. . . . But we hope the boys get together on their schedules so that we don't have three or more feature length cartoons trying to hit the market simultaneously next Christmas week. . . . Spread the good cheer — and the revenue — around the year. . . . They may have gone wild in Atlanta on “Gone With the Wind’s” premiere, but all that excitement didn’t give up half the kick we got in supposedly blase Hollywood when we passed the Carthay Circle at noon Thursday and saw the grandstands already practically filled to capacity. . . . Mothers with children, and children with grandmothers. . . . Most of them supplied not only with a sandwich for lunch, but a snack or two for the dinner hour which would arrive long before the stars made their appearance. . . . We’ll bet there were a lot of kiddies who need all day Friday to sleep off their debauch. . . . Harry Sherman signs a new two year deal with Paramount. . . The renewal was to be expected after the consistent standard Sherman has maintained in his Paramount releases, but the two year term should be a comforting form of assurance to the veteran producer that his effort is appreciated. . . Congratidations to Greater Amusements, of Minneapolis and all points north thereof, on its Silver Anniversary issue. . . . Twenty-five years of unchanged ownership and publication of a trade paper in this industry means a lot of service has been delivered, and mountains of good will gained — and earned. . . . Brings back fond memories to your Highlighter when “Mort ' and Hynes used to trek in from the “sticks” to New York to peddle their idea of a “home town” type of trade paper service. . . . Glad our conscience is clear and we remember placing them on the Universal ad budget back in those early days. . . . Tough break for a number of real people when the flue lays Claire Trevor low. . . . Claire, herself, a real person who is set to go real places (Continued on Page 7)