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 Vi 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. Telephone Wabash 4575. CINCINNATI— 127 Tremont St., Ft. Thomas, Ky., Clara Hyde. Telephone Highland 1657. CLEVELAND — 12805 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights, Elsie Loeb. Telephone Fairmount 0046. DALLAS — 210 S. Harwood, V. VV'. Crisp, Southwestern editor. Telephone 7-3553. DENVER — 319 S. Clarkson St., J. A. Rose. DES MOINES — 1700 Grand, Rene McCluskey. DETROIT — 424 Book Bldg., H. F. Reves. Telephone Cadillac 9085. HOLLY'WOOD — 6404 Hollywood Blvd., Ivan Spear, Western editor. Telephone GLadstone 1186. INDIANAPOLIS— 444 North Illinois St., Don R. Rossiter. KANSAS CITY — 4804 East Ninth St., Jesse Shlyen, Midwest editor. Telephone CHestnut 7777. LITTLE ROCK — P. O. Box 253, Lynn Hubbard. Telephone 3-0156. MEMPHIS — 399 So. Second St., Carolyne Miller. MILWAUKEE — 210 East Michigan St., H. C Brunner. Telephone Kilbourn 6670-J. MINNEAPOLIS — 507 Essex Bldg., Maurice Wolff. NEW HAVEN — 42 Church St., Suite 915, Gertrude Pearson. Telephone 6-4149. NEW ORLEANS — 113 6 Behrman Ave., J. W. Leigh. NEW Y'ORK 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., Joseph Shaltz. PITTSBURGH — 1701 Blvd. of the Allies, R. F. Klingensmith. Telephone Atlantic 4858. PORTLAND, ORE. — 404 Pacific Bldg., Robert L. Thomas. 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, O.— 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 Merrlman. WINNIPEG, MAN. — 709 Selkirk Ave., Ben Lepkin. From time to time, there has been much wonderment over the exaggerated claims made by advertising man and press agent alike for the attraction they are touting. One of the best of the ad men carries with him, in a convenient notebook out of which reminders emerge from time to time, this quotation from Charles Dickens' "Nicholas Nickelby." "It being a fact in theatrical history that it is a hopeless endeavor to attract people to a theatre unless they con be first brought to believe that they will never get into it." One of the best of the exploitation and advertising men reasons it out along these lines: "My experience is the exhibitor never believes all he reads anyway. If you tell him a picture is colossal, he'll end up by believing it's an attraction. If you tell him it's a modest good, he'll conclude there must be something wrong with it by the very lack of super superlatives. Since every film handled by every press agent is better than the last, I follow the super super idea." Neither one offers as an explanation that the general skepticism and "show-me" attitude of the average showmen might be traceable to either or both of the above routines. Out of the Vacuum While the world at large stands in grave danger of collapsing, Wally Westmore, makeup expert at the Paramount studio, finds time to go profound on the intricacies of the American haircut. It's either too close to the head on the sides, long when it ought to be short, short when it ought to be long and frequently combed the wrong way. But that's not all. No, indeed. Westmore has drawn up a compilation of the ten male players who get trimmed better than all others. Want to know? They ore George Brent, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Allan Jones, Joel McCrea, Pat O'Brien, George Raft, Randolph Scott, Robert Taylor and Robert Young — presented by this space's diligent effort in strict alphabetic alignment so there won't be any trouble over the billing. kL SCANNING the assortment of poppycock which rolls off the nation's presses can become a tiresome job. Also on occasionally productive one for columnar purposes. John McDowell is a congressman. He also conducts a weekly column, "Country Editor," in the "Wilkinsburg. Pa., Gazette." That gives him a voice and outlet to observe along lines such as these; ''One of the most insidious forms of wrong news and unneutrality are the movies. There is more deliberate, planned propaganda flickering over the cinema screens of the nation than there are girls in Hollywood. I have heard some of the best known movie news commentators of the nation hysr terically shuddering and shouting over some built-up atrocity to the extent that the audience itself is about ready to shoulder arms and go out and lick somebody." Etc., etc. What the congressman knows about the girls in Hollywood is his own business. What he thinks he knows about this industry we take on as our business. This generally prevalent practice of hurling charges, loosely contrived and unsupported by facts, deserves the exposure we hope it now gets here. McDowell ought to put the information on the line or keep his mouth and his typewriter shut. Salute In many ways. Monogram hits the market with its best picture to date in "Mutiny in the Big House." The story, in its essentials, is familiar enough, dealing as it does with the penal system and how, under it, some succumb and others survive. But the direction by William Nigh is strong, production values are unusual for this company and cast assets are genuinely weighty. Those assets embrace Charles Bickford, Barton MacLone, Dennis Moore, George Cleveland, Charlie Foy, Nigel de Brulier and others and they're all good. This one is worth "A" playing time. Handiul One room of Eleanor Powell's bungalow at M-G-M is covered with framed and autographed pictures of her friends in New York and Hollywood. Merely 300-odd of Eleanor's intimate circle. 10 BOXOmCE : : October 21, 1939