Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1941)

J^AIN dealt a severe blow to theatres in this territory. Business was off at all boxoffices as rain fell continually throughout the week. Occasionally the downpour ceased, but most people stayed close to home. The rainfall for this area is double the average for this time of a normal year . . . Ted Lewis and his show of 25 opened an engagement at the Bal Tabarin . . . Universal sneaked “Buck Privates” at the Orpheum on Tuesday. All western managers, in for a one-day meeting, attended the preview. Jack Redmond won his suit against Lawrence Goldsmith, owner of the Hopkins and Allendale theatres in Oakland. Redmond had a two-year contract to manage both of these houses and sued when Goldsmith attempted to slash Redmond’s salary. The court ruled for Jack and he collected . . . The dance team of Jeanne and Jene Edwards have inked a contract to appear in a forthcoming Paramount picture. The act came here recently from Chicago and will fulfill local dates before going to Hollywood. Paramount sent up a studio cameraman and a few assistants to get shots of San Francisco for backgrounds. Jury Commissioner Tom Mulvey suggested the Hobart Building in the center of the downtown district, as the view from there is pretty good. The Hobart manager stated that permission would have to be obtained from a real estate firm that handles the building. The real estate office directed troupe to the office of their attorney. The lawyer said O. K. — for $250! Paramount paid and then found they couldn’t even get cooperation from the weather, having to sit around for several days until the rain let up. Producers Releasing Corp. is moving March 1 to larger quarters. The company is taking the entire first floor at 125 Hyde with the exception of the space occupied by G. Karski. Alexander Film Co. is moving its office from this address to Los Angeles . . . Five East Bay theatres have contracted for Ruth Rogers cosmetics, introduced in this territory by Pacific Premium . . . Mickey Rooney and Les Peterson of M-G-M in town previous to sailing for Honolulu for a vacation . . . Harry Hollinsworth absent from his desk at RKO due to illness . . . William Huntington will open the Fowler in Fowler on the 28th. Forty soloists from the major studios will compose the Werner Janssen Symphony Orchestra which will present a concert at the Curran, March 30. This is one stop on the tour that will take the studio musicians around the west . . . R. C. MacDonald, National Screen Accessories service manager, on vacation . . . Bill Heineman and A1 O’Keefe in town for the Universal western district managers’ meeting at the St. Francis . . . D. J. McNerny, UA manager, off on a four-week jaunt that will take him to New Orleans, Miami and New York . . . Fred Budde has taken Russell Clifton’s doorman spot at the Embassy. Harvey Amusement has taken over the American in Winnemucca from Harry Oastler. Kenny Udell moves over from Sonora to manage the American and C. Macway goes into Sonora . . . Hank Kaufman, manager of exchange operations out of New York, and Pete Dailey from Hollywood, visitors at Columbia . . . Ruth Chatterton comes back to San Francisco after a long absence when she opens at the Curran, February 24, in the Shaw comedy, “ Pygmalion ” . . . Dave Nathanson checked into town after a trip through the Valley for Producers . . . Harry Rice is now sporting a membership card in the Press Club. The membership is a gift from Harry’s boss, Dan McLean. Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney will be among Hollywood visitors who will participate in the big program to promote national unity to be sponsored by the Shriners. The doings will take place at the Civic Auditorium on March 15 and will coincide with the Shrine annual St. Patrick’s luncheon. Louis B. Mayer will be the principal speaker . . . Edith Roger Dahl, wife of the famous flyer, is scoring a hit at the Club Moderne . . . The Deauville Club, which was one of the city’s outstanding spots for many years during the 30’s, has reopened as Lindy’s. The National Theatre Supply has installed new projection equipment and seats in both the El Campinil and the Casino in Antioch. The Casino, long dark, will reopen in the near future. George Stamm owns and operates both theatres . . . Clay Robinson and Bob Hale are new faces in the National Theatre Supply office. Lois English replaces Miss Fox in the same office on March 1 . . . Frank R. Stubbe, oldtime roadshow operator, is back in town looking for product . . . Marty1 Weiser, Warner exploiteer, in town. The Fox held a “Western Union Night” on Monday. James G. Decatur, oldest living telegraph operator and for years manager of the San Francisco Western Union office, was guest of the theatre together with Mrs. Henrietta Gardner, world’s champion telegraph operator. You guessed o ■ ^ Theatre Throws a Draftee Party San Francisco — The Golden Gate threw a “Draftee Party'' this week. Learning that 75 men had been called by draft board 98, Charlie Huy, Gate publicist, had 12 girls from the Peggy O'Neil dancers draw the names of 12 of the men from a hat. The 12 were taken by the girls for a swell evening — the last night before leaving for camp. The routine included the show at the Gate and stepping at the Bal Tabarin, all bills footed by the girls (backed by the Gate management). The exploitation, which received considerable local space, is expected to break soon in a national pictorial magazine. V ■ i> it, the feature picture was “Western Union” . . . Doc Henning back from Seattle with Pacific Premium contracts . . . Booking on the Row: Ray Kelsall, Victory, San Jose; Leo Reese, Lakeport, Lakeport; W. G. Allen, Sunset, Riverdale; Walter Morris, Tower, Santa Rosa. Stunning is the word for the new offices of the Golden State Theatres, that occupy an entire floor in the Insurance Bldg, across the street from the former headquarters . . . John O'Leary, 20th-Fox traveling auditor, checked out after a week on the local books . . . Jesse Wright, son of Mildred Daly, is learning the exchange business. He is working in the Warner shipping and ad sales departments . . . M-G-M previewed “The Trial of Mary Dugan.” However, at the time of the preview, the picture was called, “Crime of Mary Andrews” . . . Lester Hamilton, office manager at Pacific Premium, has been called by the Army and will report for duty the end of the month. Ben Fisher, United Artists far western manager, off to Honolulu . . . Columbia is installing fluorescent lighting in the exchange here . . . Mike Newman has started an exploitation campaign on the serial “White Eagle.” Exhibitors can win part of $100, personally put up by Newman, for their ideas . . . The Tower in Klamath Falls opens the first week in March . . . The theatre is owned by George Mann . . . “The Son of Monte Cristo” premiered here at the United Artists . . . George Page has started building at Vallejo. George was supposed to turn over his Ritz in Calistoga to Lawrence Borg on July 1, but the transfer will take place March 1. “Gone With the Wind” has returned here at the Warfield at popular prices . . . James McArthur, Monogram shipper, is taking a vacation . . . Howard Stebbins, Mono prexy, was in town twice last week — once on the way north and again on his way back to Hollywood . . . Rumor has it that M. L. Markowitz is dickering for the President Theatre, dark now for a year. Markowitz sold his last house, the Davies, to the Blumenfeld circuit about four months ago . . . Roy Palmer of the Del Rio in Cloverdale is in Veterans’ Hospital here. The Tivoli is dark again. Joe Meyers’ attempt to make it a film house ended after six weeks . . . Alvin Hatch is now operating the Princess at Half Moon Bay one day a week . . . Horror evidently pays. Three houses, one first run and two subsequents, all on Market Street, featured double bills, both ends being chillers. Boris Karloff was the man of the hour being featured at all three theatres ... Ed Bauer, who left National Theatre Supply for an architect’s job in Honolulu, writes he is settled and living the life of Riley . . . Warner previewed “Footsteps in the Dark” . . . The S. F. Art Commission is planning to bring outstanding musical comedies from Broadway to be staged in the Opera House . . . “Fantasia” is set for the Geary on a two-a-day basis. Hal Neides, formerly of the Orpheum, will handle the film. 3G-B BOXOFFICE :: February 22, 1941