Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1939)

Published Every Saturday by Associated Publications Editorial Offices: 9 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City. Louis Rydell, Advertising Manager. Wm. Ornstein, Eastern editor. Telephone Columbus 5-6370, 5-6371, 5-6372. Cable address: “Boxoffice, New York.” Western Offices: 6404 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Calif. Ivan Spear, Manager. Telephone Gladstone 1186. Publication Offices: 4804 E. 9th St., Kansas City, Mo. Telephone Chestnut 7777. Other Associated Publications: Boxoffice BAROMETER, Boxoffice RECORDS, Boxoffice PICTURE GUIDE, published annually: THE MODERN THEATRE, published monthly as a section of Boxoffice. ALBANY — 21-23 Walter Ave., M. Berrigan. ATLANTA — 148 V4 Walton St., N. W., Lee Fuhrman, Southeastern editor. Telephone Walnut 7171. boston — 14 Piedmont St.. Brad Angier, New England editor. Telephone Liberty 9305. BUFFALO — The Courier-Express, W. E. Martin. CHARLOTTE — The Observer, Mary B. Parham. CHICAGO — 332 S. Michigan Ave., Eugene D. Rich, Central editor. 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NEW YORK CITY— 9 Rockefeller Plaza. William Ornstein, Eastern editor. Telephone Columbus 5-6370, 5-6371, 5-6372. OKLAHOMA CITY — P. O. Box 4547, E. W. Fair. Telephone 7-1038. OMAHA — 4677 Marcy St., Monte Davis. PHILADELPHIA — 903 Manning St., Josepli Shaltz. PITTSBURGH— 1701 Blvd. of the Allies, R. F. Klingensmlth, Telephone Atlantic 4858. PORTLAND, ORE. — 2235 Stark St., S, E,, D. W. Polivka, ST, LOUIS — 5149 Rosa Ave., David F, Barrett. Telephone Flanders 3727. SALT LAKE CITY — 605 Utah Savings & Trust Bldg., Viola B. Hutton. Telephone Hyland 4359. SAN FRANCISCO— 1095 Market St.. Nathan Cohn. Telephone Market 6580, SEATTLE — 2321 Second Ave., Joe Cooper. Telephone MAin 7716. WASHINGTON— 1426 G. St.. Earle A. Dyer. IN CANADA CALGARY, ALTA. — The Albertan, Wm, Campbell. EDMONTON. ALTA. — The Bulletin, W. A. DeGraves, HAMILTON, 0.-20 Holton Ave., N., Hugh Millar. LONDON, O. — Free Press, Chas. E. Carruthers. MONTREAL. QUEBEC— 4330 Wilson Ave., N. D. G.. Roy Carmichael. Telephone Walnut 5519. REGINA, SASK. — The Star, Andy McDermott. .ST. JOHN, N. B. — 161 Princess St., D. Fetherston. TORONTO. ONTARIO — 242 Millwood Road. Milton Galbraith. VANCOUVER, B, C. — 615 Hastings, C. P. Rutty. VICTORIA. B. C. — 434 Quebec St. Tom Merriman. WINNIPEG, MAN.— 709 Selkirk Ave., Ben Lepkin. The practice, or perhaps it is the habit, of unconsciously drawing comparisons between a player's current film and his or her last, or several lasts, does not always turn out to be a consistent course to follow. There is the type of story and there is the type of part which must be taken into the accounting, for both leave an understandable impress on whatever conclusions finally may be drawn. Now, this' department again finds itself on that brink, this time in seeking to evaluate the relative merits and shadings of Bette Davis as "Queen Elizabeth" in "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" as against Bette Davis in "Dark Victory" or "The Old Maid." Maybe this develops into a warrantless task because all three, different as they are, are superlative performances; all three deeply emotional and fullbodied expositions of the great talent which this young woman has unfolded and continues to reveal in her each succeeding film. Taking this new occasion on its own footing, as it should. Miss Davis is the queen, in love with Essex and tragically and inextricably enmeshed in a conflict between Elizabeth, the woman, and Elizabeth, the ruler of England. There is built up an identical issue in Essex, who wants the queen, but also the crown. On this irreconcilable shore, they must inevitably part. Essex bows before the headman's axe and Elizabeth, her royal heritage safe, remains to face her final years and whatever of emotional comfort her memories of Essex may bring. The film is superb in trappings. It is in exquisite Technicolor. It is strongly intrenched in either cast or acting values, its leading players including Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Vincent Price, Henry Stephenson, Robert Warwick and Alan Hale. It has the assurance of a well-moulded and adult script from the workshop of Norman Reilly Raine and the finely attenuated direction of Michael Curtiz. "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" is a magnificent offering for the boxoffice. But, far and away, it has Miss Davis. Again the depth of her acting and its dramatic vibrancy compel all others and all things surrounding her to recede into the background. She dominates completely, easily and at all times. A Chance Lost Ali Gaga thinks Paramount misses a genuine opportunity in not casting Simone Simon in "Typhoon" to wear that "Lava Lava." He adds, "Then they could have held the world premiere in Walla Walla with Mr. Phelps Phelps as guest of honor." Ordinary Whitewash Alfred Hitchcock, in one of those yarns and this time about "Jamaica Inn;" "In the book, we found pervading grimness. So, although the interior of Jamaica Inn would, perhaps, have been a forbidding gray in actuality, we show it as white. This had its effect on Charles Laughton. It lightened his interpretation at the same time that it facilitated the work of the cameramen. I would go as far as to aay that the batch of whitewash used by the set painters has made a notable, if subtle, contribution to the mood of the entire photoplay." That's what the business needs. More and heavier coats of whitewash and there's nothing subtle about this. Authoritative The backlog file has just now turned up a Louella Parsons column in which the Hearst writer, recently submitted to treatment in the "Saturday Evening Post" goes into a defense of Hollywood performers. She was commenting on the few weeks old blast of Harry Brandt of the New York ITOA, the one in which he urged stars to wake up and dust off their ideas for the general good. Now to Louella: "If Spencer Tracy walked into Louis B. Mayer's office and told him how to run his business, you'd hear an explosion that would go round the world. If Tyrone Power should attempt to dictate policy to Darryl Zanuck, there would be an aftermath that would make the San Francisco earthquake seem tame. Errol Flynn's advice on picture-making wouldn't be welcome in the 'Warner studio and I may say that of every other Hollywood picture-making plant." You sure said it, Louella. 12 BOXOFFICE :: October 7, 1939