Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1948)

'Pompeii' Duo Resists Seasonal Doldrums DES MOINES — With the exception of the Orpheum, which had two reissues on a split run, theatre business here continued below normal last week. The attendance slump has been pretty general during the entire month. There has been a variety of weather, from unseasonally warm to bitter cold and from rain to snow, but none of which appeared to have any effect one way or another on theatre business. Retail stores, on the other hand, were crowded and seemed to be enjoying a brisk trade. The pictures at the Orpheum which proved the . exception to the rule were the “Last days of Pompeii and “She.” (Average Is 100) Des Moines — Hills of Home (MGM) 80 Orpheum — Last Days of Pompeii (RKO); She (RKO), reissues 160 Paramount — Rose of Washington Square (20th Fox): Buck Privates (U-I), reissues 90 Strand — Cry of the City (20th-Fox) 85 'Road House' Touches 100 For Minneapolis Lead MINNEAPOLIS — Business the past week was in the usual pre-Christmas slough of despond. The only major newcomers were “An Innocent Affair,” “Raw Deal” and “Smart Girls Don’t Talk,” and all suffered from the seasonal slump. Holdovers were “When My Baby Smiles at Me” and “Road House” in their fourth and third weeks, respectively, and “Rogues’ Regiment” and “Elysia” in their second. Aster — The Gay Intruders (20th-Fox); Whispering City (EL) 90 Century — Smart Girls Don't Talk (WB) 80 Gopher — Flirting With Fate (MGM); Great Guns (20th-Fox), reissues 90 Lyric — Road House (20th-Fox), 3rd d. t. wk 100 Pix — When My Baby Smiles at Me (20th-Fox), 4th d, t. wk 100 Radio City — An Innocent Affair (UA) 90 RKO Orpheum — Angels With Dirty Faces (WB); They Drive by Night (WB), reissues 90 RKO Pan — Rogues' Regiment (U-I), 2nd d. t. wk 95 State — Raw Deal (EL) 90 World — Elysia (SR), 2nd wk 90 Grosses Drop Below Par At Kansas City Houses KANSAS CITY — Grosses at the local first run houses continued to spiral downward as Christmas shopping reached its climax. All de luxe theatres reported trade under par. Two reissues dualed at the Midland, “San Francisco” and “A Night at the Opera,” reg istered the highest total for the week. Esquire — ^How Green Was My Valley (20th-Fox), reissue: Arthur Takes Over (20th-Fox) 55 Midland — San Francisco (MGM); A Night at the Opera (MGM), reissues 90 Orpheum — Angels With Dirty Faces (WB); They Drive by Night (WB), reissues 70 Paramount — The Decision of Christopher Blcke (WB), 9 days 60 Roxy — Isn't It Romantic? (Pdra); Disaster (Para).. 55 Tower, Uptown, Fairway — Kiss the Blood OH My Hands (U-I) 60 Grosses Near Average In Omaha Film Parade OMAHA — Local grosses couldn’t get over the average mark as Christmas attractions and a couple of days of unfavorable weather held the boxoffice take down. Omaha — So Evil, My Love (Para) 90 Orpheum — Hoad House (20th-Fox); Music Man (Mono) 100 Paramount — Julia Misbehaves (MGM) 85 RKO Brandeis — The Return of October (Col); Leather Gloves (Col) 90 State — Let's Live a Little (EL); Mllion Dollar Weekend (EL) 100 Town — Sinister journey (UA); Her Husband's Affairs (Col); Killer at Large (EL); split with The Black Arrow (Col); Montana Mike (Mono) 100 OMAHA Film salesmen thankfully pulled in for the holidays after one of their worst stretches on the road. Ice made travel a constant worry. Murray Greenbaum wrecked his auto near Brainard, Neb., and suffered a slight knee injury . . . Leon Mendelson and William Wink, Warner salesmen, are on vacation. Leon’s daughter, Elaine, will be home from the University of Missouri for the holidays . . . Carl Johnson, Red Oak, Iowa, exhibitor, went to Rochester for a routine checkup . . . A. Myric, president of the lowa-Nebraska Independent Theatre Owners, took his wife to the same spot. Rolland Swanson, Columbus, Neb., is the new assistant U-I booker. He succeeds William Laird wh‘o became a salesman recently . . . Bill Miskell, Tri-States district manager, went to Des Moines at midweek for a sales meeting . . . Manager Larry Caplane of the RKO Brandeis passed out bonuses of one week’s salary to all members of the staff who had been on the job at least six months. The same evening the staff gathered for a party at the theatre. Omaha and Orpheum employes held their Christmas party at the Orpheum, Paramount employes at the Paramount . . . Morris Smead, Council Bluffs exhibitor, left on his annual extended winter trip to California, which will include as always seeing the Rose Bowl game . . . There were two .surprises at the 20th-Fox Christmas party. The appearance of salesman Hymie Novitsky who recently underwent an operation and that of Harold Beecroft, assistant to the division manager. Elmer Svendsen, Alta, Iowa, exhibitor, also drives a consolidated school bus . . . Mary Pahls, Eagle Lion secretary, is spending Christmas with her parents in Kansas . . . RKO held its Christmas party at the office . . . J. S. Sanders, owner of the Princess, Sanborn, Iowa, is down with the flu. Joe Jacobs, Columbia manager who collects neckties, now is getting a kick out of wearing a special tie with the Columbia emblem on it . . . Walter Hoffman, 20th-Fox exploiteer from Minneapolis, was in the city . . . Lionel Wasson, former manager of the Paramount Theatre, is back in the city . . . Silent films of the 1920s again are being shown at Joslyn Memorial . . . Stan Blackburn, Paramount Theatre manager, has put out a local call for a cigar store Indian for exploitation purposes. Ed Gannon closed his old theatre at Schuyler with the opening of the new Sky . . . H. S. Spindler of Crawford, Neb., has purchased the theatre at Culbertson . . . Given the assurance by the local musicians that there will be no more trouble, Tri-States Theatres has gone ahead and booked three stage shows for 1949. Visitors along Filmrow: Don Campbell, Central City; Carl Johnson, Red Oak, Iowa; Ben Jureck, Cedar Rapids, Neb.; Wesley Mansfield, Ida Grove, Iowa; Edward Kugel, Holstein; F. W. Nalteus, Holstein, Iowa; Otto Schneider, Osceola; Raymond Brown, Harlan, Iowa; Prank Cook, David City; John Fisher, Valley; H. O. Qualsett, Tekameh; D. H. Heyne, Hooper; Mort Ives, Shelby, Iowa; Frank Good, Red Oak, Iowa; George Baughman, Cambridge; Eugene Bohnker, Charter Oak, Iowa; Walter Jancke, Lincoln; Wally Johnson, Friend. mOTIOn PICTURE SERVICE cq t PRODUCES of ISNYDC «r. in mnnciscom oi.. KMSICI HYBRID POPCORN Best Quality Seazo Cocoanut Oil Seasoning Popcorn Boxes, 10c Size Plain and Printed Popcorn Bags 3/4 Lb. and 1 Lb. Sizes THEATRE SUPPLY • COMPANY • 217 W. 18th HA. 7849 K. C. Mo. 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