20th Century-Fox Dynamo (July 22, 1939)

NEW DYNAMO 3 “SECOND FIDDLE” SHAMING EVERY O PPOSITIO N’S BID! 34 Holdovers Reported—Runs Ahead Of “Kentucky” In Many Spots In Small Towns—Nationally Outgrossing “Rose” In First Week! Irving Berlin’s “Second Fiddle” is the market’s outstanding box office success. That, in brief, sums up the first week’s release of this smash-hit. Telegraphic reports from 24 exchanges in the United States to New Dynamo reported 34 holdovers! In a total of 21 situations “Second Fiddle” was reported to have outdrawn the technicolored “Kentucky.” In each of these spots, this Darryl Zanuck musical hit had run up grosses substantially in excess of what “Rose of Washington Square” had earned. In 31 cities of varying sizes, these telegraphic reports showed, “Second Fiddle” was running up a gross that promised to rate it the K-6 season’s third best money-getters, second only to “Jesse James” and “Alexander’s Ragtime Band.” This is remarkable in view of the scorching heat that burned the country. In several sections the heaviest rainfall of the season was reported. Although “Second Fiddle” wound up its third week at the Roxy on Thursday, it was in situations outside New York where its strength was being best displayed. It was the recipient of excellent exploitation campaigns and the best of these, by far, was the one staged in St. Louis. And in that city “Second Fiddle” flabbergasted showmen with the SRO strength it showed notwithstanding five days of intense heat and two days of blinding, coal-black wind storms! In 25 cities “Second Fiddle” ran up grosses representative of the highest receipts ever earned by any picture during a week in July. Nationally, its first week’s gross came up to the highest expectations of Mr. Wobber. In Indianapolis, for instance, it outdrew its strongest opposition, also a musical, by about 45 per cent, according to authentic figures. “FRONTIER MARSHAL” IS HAILED AT THE HOME OFFICE “Frontier Marshal” is a sleeper! That was the word Mr. Wob- j her wired the branches this week following' a screening of that = final K-6 production. Division managers and other Home Office I attaches joined the sales chief in predicting “Frontier Marshal” j will prove one of the season’s headline grossers. No greater news could have been communicated to the branch I managers, for never has there been a greater demand for a wal- j loping picture with which to wind up a season. The Home Office’s | reported reaction spurred managers, salesmen and bookers to S quickly line up their important accounts and the latter were pre- } pared to get solidly behind it. | The fact that “Frontier Marshal” is reported by the Home ! Office to be an action romance with an outdoor background fur- I ther enhances the possibilities of the production, according to 1 managers and exhibitors contacted in six cities where Drive ? meetings were held since the Home Office screening. “Frontier Marshal” was to have been given its world premiere at the Roxy theatre in New York where “Second Fiddle” has just concluded a three-week engagement. This production was completed in exactly one month. Execu- tive Producer Sol Wurtzel made it, while Allan Dwan directed. The cast is headed by Randolph Scott, Nancy Kelly, Binnie Barnes and Cesar Romero. The wire to the branch managers stated that prints were being shipped on Friday. From the Coast at press-time came a wire reporting an enthusi- astic reaction among trade paper and daily newspaper critics who attended a special press preview of “Frontier Marshal.” With “Frontier Marshal” delivered, the studio is now devoting its efforts exclusively to 1939-40 productions. “Elsa Maxwell’s Hotel for Women” was to be screened at the Home Office within the next few days. “STANLEY” DRAWS RAVES FROM H. 0. SALES HEADS The “rough-cut” of “Stanley and Livingstone,” which Mr. Zanuck rushed to New York for a screening before putting it together in time for release in the second week of the K-7 season, produced an unprecedented reaction at the Home Office! That it will prove one of this company’s outstanding grossers was the unanimous opinion of Messrs. Wobber, Kupper, Sussman, Gehring and other sales executives. Branch Manager Sam Gross of Philadelphia, who happened to be in New York on the day it was screened, at the Drive meeting at his exchange on Wednesday, said: “No picture has ever thrilled me more than ‘Stanley and Living- stone’ which I think will be one of the greatest money-makers this company has released.” Division Managers Kupper, Gehring and Sussman agreed that “it is a sensation and will be a box office cleanup.” The performance of Spencer Tracy swept the Home Office audience clear off its feet, according to a telephonic mes- sage to New Dynamo from Mr. Wobber. From the Coast came this wired report on “Elsa Maxwell’s Hotel for Women”: “The public has acclaimed another Zanuck triumph and discovered a sensational new 20th Century-Fox star! “Registering hit reaction that stamps it as one of the biggest box office bets of the 1939-40 season, ‘Elsa Maxwell’s Hotel for Women’ swept an audience to rare preview enthusiasm the other night in the entertainment-wise city of Pasadena. “Few ‘sneak previews’ in the history of the United Artists theatre, which has witnessed the first audience test of many of Hollywood’s greatest pictures, have matched the reception given Zanuck’s lavish Cosmopolitan Production. And never has an advance showing revealed a bigger surprise parade of grand performances by new screen personali- ties as well as time-proven luminaries. “If ever a star was born in her screen debut it was Linda Darnell, the once-in-a-blue-moon young find who capti- vated a cross-section audience that had never seen her before. Her charm, refreshing beauty and naturalness in one of the year’s acting plums were a revelation. “In the galaxy of talent destined to share plaudits throughout the world in this sure-fire box office event are two other new screen faces—Elsa Maxwell herself and Katharine Aldridge—and a host of Hollywood favorites—Ann Sothern, Jean Rogers, Lynn Bari, June Gale, James Ellison, Joyce Compton, John Halliday, Alan Dinehart, Sidney Blackmer and a score of others—giving the finest portrayals of their careers. “After paying tribute to the fascinatingly different entertainment with applause, laughter and rapt attention throughout the screening, hundreds of patrons crowded the lobby after the preview to write unsurpassed raves on opinion cards. Practically every card rhapsodized over Miss Darnell, lauded the rest of the stars and praised the all- around superiority of the production.” In St. Louis “Second Fiddle” was so far outdraw- ing every opposition that a comparison would sound ridiculous. In the smaller cities “Second Fiddle,” in view of the heat, was doing an extremely sensational business. Four new records were reported. Newspaper comments lauded the production as the best of the series in which Sonja Henie has appeared to date. Significant was the unanimous observation of critic and of those exhibitors who contacted the branches that never has Ty- rone Power’s performance been more acceptable. The highlight of every review was that Power was at his best in “Second Fiddle.” The vocalization of Mary Healy and Rudy Vallee and the comedy of Edna May Oliver are being generally referred to in superlative terms. Meantime, the airwaves were congested with renditions of Irv- ing Berlin songs from this pro- duction. A checkup showed “I Poured My Heart into a Love Song” rating first in popularity. Surprisingly enough few the- atres took advantage of the un- limited exploitation possibilities offered by the “Back to Back” dance. However, in the Midwest where livewire exhibitors reach- ed the jitterbugs through dance contests, “Second Fiddle’ 1 was got off to a smashing start. However, not since “Jesse James” has any picture been given the splendid advance cam- paigns exhibitors have locally been putting on to herald “Sec- ond Fiddle.” Next to St. Louis the best ex- ploitation campaign was staged in New Orleans where the per- sonal appearance of Mary Healy on opening day kept “Second Fidlle” on the first pages of the four local newspapers for four days before the southern pre- miere and three days of the run. Meantime, the field was greatly enthused by receipt of a wire from Mr. Wobber regard- ing “Frontier Marshal,” the final release of the season. This out- door drama was to have been given its world premiere at the Roxy theatre in New York this week-end. That “Second Fiddle” will view with “Kentucky” as the K-6 season’s third best grosser was being as a foregone conclusion by branch managers. No pictures this company has ever released at this period of a season has aroused greater en- thusiasm in the field and among exhibitors than “Second Fiddle.”