Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

'Period' a Big Leader As Milwaukee Zooms MILWAUKEE — “Period of Adjustment” at the Telenews Theatre was the dark horse last week in the gross sweepstakes, reporting 280 per cent. The week in general was considered by exhibitors from average to very good and was decidedly better than the previous week. (Average Is 100) Downer — A Coming-Out Forty (Union), 2nd wk. 150 Palace — The Best of Cinerama (Cinerama), 2nd wk. 125 Riverside — Girls! Girls! Girls! (Para), 2nd wk 225 Strand — El Cid (AA), 5th wk 175 Telenews — Period of Adjustment (MGM) 280 Times — Shoot the Piano Ployer (Astor) 100 Towne — Gigot (20th-Fox), 2nd wk 150 Warner — The War Lover (Col); The Three Stooges in Orbit (Col) 100 Wisconsin — Boccaccio '70 (Embassy) 200 Mill City Patrons Keep ‘Grimm' Rolling Along MILWAUKEE— or Man Cinerama— in the form of “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” now in its 18th week at the Cooper — kept right on rollin’ along at 200 per cent, but the Christmas lull seemed to reduce eveiTthing else to a mere trickle. “Period of Adjustment” in a second week at the Lyric seemed to be the biggest Loop hit at 130, while all the other holdovers hovered right around average. Apparently Christmas isn’t the time for Khrushchev & Company since “We’ll Bury You!” (the (only new movie in town) bombed at the St. Louis Park with a meager 80 per cent. Century — What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (WB), 4th wk 110 Cooper — The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (MGM-Cinerama), 18th wk 200 Gopher — Girls! Girls! Girls! (Para), 3rd wk 100 Lyric — Period of Adjustment (MGM), 2nd wk 130 Monn — The Longest Day (20th-Fox), 7th wk 120 State — If a Mon Answers (U-l), 2nd wk 90 St. Louis Park — We'll Bury You! (Col) 80 Suburban World — Waltz of the Toreadors (Cont'l), 2nd wk 100 World — Gigot (20th-Fox), 5th wk 90 Omaha Seems Reluctant To Let ‘Windjammer' Go OMAHA — Three holdovers did average or better business last week but the best percentage was chalked up at the Cooper Theatre, where receipts zoomed to 200 per cent for the close-out of “Windjammer” after a 13-week run. “The Manchurian Candidate” did well in its second week at the Admiral. Admiral — The Manchurian Candidate (UA), 2nd wk. 150 Cooper — Windjommer (Cinemiracle), 13th wk. . .200 Dundee — The Catered Affair (MGM), revival 90 Omaha — Girls! Girls! Girls! (Para), 2nd wk. . . . 100 Orpheum — If a Man Answers (U-l), 2nd wk 105 State — Period of Adjustment (MGM) 120 Disney Feature to Play Broadway and Brooklyn From Eastern Edition NEW YORK — Walt Disney’s Technicolor film, “In Search of the Castaways,” starring Hayley Mills, Maurice Chevalier, George Sanders and Wilfrid Hyde White, will have simultaneous openings at the Palace Theatre on Broadway and the RKO Albee, Brooklyn, December 21, as well as at 30 theatres in upstate New York, Long Island and New Jersey. Buena Vista is distributing the Disney film. Another BV release, Disney’s “Almost Angels” and the reissue of the cartoon feature, “Lady and the Tramp,” had over 250 Thanksgiving holiday playdates, the largest multiple saturation in BV history. Omaha Cinerama to Open On 21st; Sellout Likely OMAHA — A sellout seems assured for the grand opening of the Indian Hills Cinerama Theatre December 21, city manager Jack Klingel said in announcing latest plans for start of operations at the addition to the Cooper Foundation Theatres’ holdings in Omaha. The first performance will be a sixinsored benefit for handicapped children by the West Omaha Sertoma Club. The site of the theatre is in the beautiful new West Omaha suburban area. “Only a few days after the tickets were released we had reports of huge sales,” Klingel said. Producer George Pal will be among the guests at the opening. He will arrive several days ahead and is expected to attend a special preview for press, radio and television. He is the producer of “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm,” which will be the first offering at the Indian Hills. A native of Hungary, he has won several Academy Awards for his Puppetoons and other visual effects. The Indian Hills Cinerama Theatre, incorporating a circular design specially adapted to Cinerama, is a counterpart of Cooper Cinerama Theatres in Denver and Minneapolis. The manager will be Michael Gaughan, who has been manager of the Cooper Theatre in downtown Omaha. The Cooper ter minated the showing of “Windjammer” last week after 13 successful weeks and will be closed for remodeling and equipping with Ultra-Panavision 70. Klingel said the Cooper will reopen January 31 with “Mutiny on the Bounty,” probably the second most costly production in motion picture history. The Cooper was rebuilt specially for the Ultra-Panavision type of projection and is ideal for such productions because of its size and shape. The Cooper Foundation Theatre’s Dundee in West Omaha will be closed temporarily and some of its projection equipment will be transferred to the downtown Cooper, which will operate on the same reserved-seat policy with ten shows a week. Sale of tickets for the Indian Hills will be handled at the Cooper until boxoffice facilities are completed at the new theatre. City manager Klingel will continue to headquarter downtown. The rebuilt Cooper opened in October 1958 and played “South Pacific” 65 weeks. It then closed for a short period and reopened with “Ben-Hur” in February of 1960. After 48 weeks it again closed to put in Cinerama and since late in Febiaiary of 1961 it has played five pictures in this process — This Is Cinerama, Cinerama Holiday, South Seas Adventures, The Seven Wonders of the World and Windjammer. The Cinerama will have parking space. Iowa Critic Says Best Censorship Is To Ask for Refund If Film Offends OMAHA — The censorship issue has been getting an extensive going over in the Public Pulse, letters-to-the editor section of the World-Herald, both on the movies shown and the advertising in newspapers and elsewhere. One reader, Joseph L. Dunn, complained about theatre billboards near where children transfer buses. Another contributor, John Sawatzki jr., answered: “What we do not need is ‘reformers’ who want to leave mature adults with nothing more substantial than goody-goody cartoons which are supposedly acceptable for children.” Denman Kountze jr., movie and drama critic for the World-Herald, used the Public Pulse columns to contribute his views on the matter: “The essence of responsible citizenship in a democratic state is that the individual citizen think for himself, make his own decisions, then act accordingly. “If ever I viewed any facet of American life today with alarm it is the unfortunate and recurring tendency for blocs of Americans to demand police control over what is written, what appears on film, what appears on stage and television. “If one believes a book is trash, why buy it? “Why patronize a motion picture, sit through it, call it trash, then cry for civic and religious groups to pressure the mayor and police to ‘ban’ it? “Any attempt of civic and religious organizations to rule on what is good or not good for every citizen is contemptible, not to mention being un-American. “The most effective censorship of any foim of ‘litei’ature’ or show business should be aimed by individuals at the cash register. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it! If the show offends, walk out, demand your money back.” WATCH PROJECTION IMPROVE with ^^0 a Technikote ^ * PRODUCTS Now! — The Only S ANTI-STATIC SCREEN ^ XR-171 Pearl • Repels Dust I Available from your authorized I I Theatre Equipment Supply Dealer: I I Export— Westrex Corp. I I TECHNIKOTE CORP. 63 Seobring St., B'kiyn 31, N.Y. | BOXOFFICE :: December 10, 1962 NC-1