The Exhibitor (Nov 1941-May 1942)

8 THE EXHIBITOR “Gold Rush” Big B’way Noise Plenty Of Holdovers Current New York— A week featured mostly by holdover attractions saw very good busi¬ ness along Broadway, according to usually reliable reports reaching The Exhibitor. Grosses reported were: “GOLD RUSH" (UA) — Revised re-issue of Chaplin picture at the Globe rang up a smash $14,600 Saturday and Sunday. House record was broken Saturday, with Sunday even better than Saturday. “MY FAVORITE BLONDE” (Paramount)— The Paramount had its best third week-end since stage show policy was started with a $26,500 Saturday and Sunday. Third week estimate is $53,000. Stage show is headed by Tommy Dorsey and Orchestra. “RUDYARD KIPLING’S JUNGLE BOOK" (UA) — Third Saturday and Sunday at the Rivoli got $9,800, with the third week estimated at $20,000. “REAP THE WILD WIND” (Paramount) — Fourth Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Music Hall with usual stage show got $56,500. “TO THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI” (20th Cen¬ tury-Fox) — With usual stage show, the Roxy did $35,301 on its fourth Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. “DANGEROUSLY THEY LIVE” (Warners)— Strand reported $22,150 cn the second Friday, Sat¬ urday, and Sunday with stage show headed by Dick Stabile and orchestra and personal of John Garfield. Business was equally brisk at other Broadway spots such as the Astor with fourth week of “Gone With The Wind”; Criterion, with Metro’s “Joe Smith, American”, third week ; and the Capitol with Metro’s “Courtship of Andy Hardy”, second stanza. “Yankee Doodle" Meeting New York — As the first gun in the cam¬ paign being launched by Warners on “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” Mort Blumenstock, eastern head of advertising and pub¬ licity, is calling in the field men for a series of conferences the latter part of this week. The field staff includes Jack Goldsmith and T. O. Baldridge, southern territory; Bill Lewis, southwest; Monroe Rubinger and Irving Yergin, midwest; Phil Engel, New England; Sam Clark and Marty Weiser, coast; Ted Todd, Prairie; and Glenn Ireton, Canada. Home office men at the meetings, in addition to Blumenstock, will include Mitchell Rawson, Lee Blumberg, Gil Golden, and Paul Lazarus. The picture, starring James Cagney, is to have its world premiere in a Broadway house on July 4. Theatre has not yet been set. New York — “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is set as the first Warner picture of 1942-43 to be sold separately and handled spe¬ cially, it was learned last week. It will be booked only for special en¬ gagements as was “Sergeant York” in its first year, until the succeeding season of 1943-44, it is understood. Sharf-Bergman New York — George S. Sharf, Metro at¬ torney, and Theresa Bergman, New York, announced their engagement here last week. The wedding will take place on May 17 at the Waldorf Astoria. Drafted? Let The Exhibitor Fol¬ low You to Camp. It Has All the News Of the Industry — And the News Of Your Own Home Town As Well. Caravan Getting Bigger NEW YORK — An unprecedented number of film stars are coming for¬ ward daily to enlist in the forthcom¬ ing Hollywood Victory Caravan, three hour musical revue, which will tour 13 key cities for Army and Navy Re¬ lief, and which opens its trip in Wash¬ ington on April 30. The already impressive list of stars was augmented by the following: Bob Hope, Spencer Tracy, Frances Lang¬ ford, Jerry Colonna, Ray Middleton, Claudette Colbert, Charlotte Green¬ wood, Pat O’Brien, and Joan Blondell. The only casualty in the list previously announced is Cary Grant, forced out of the trip by unavoidable production commitments. Others present are: Joan Bennett, Charles Boyer, Janies Cagney, Olivia De Havilland, Laurel and Hardy, Merle Oberon, Eleanor Powell, Rise Stevens, Desi Arnaz, Frank McHugh, Bert Lahr, and Ray McDonald. ITOA Waiting On Percentage New York — At a meeting last week Harry Brandt, ITOA president, discussed the percentage terms asked by Samuel Goldwyn and Walt Disney, and the mem¬ bership decided to adopt a policy of “watchful waiting” to see what other producers are going to do in regard to percentages before taking any action. Brandt reported that the Victory Films were getting a better play in all theatres in recent weeks, and predicted that the future defense shorts would be of higher quality due to their Hollywood produc¬ tion. Nomination of officers of the ITOA will be held at the next meeting, and a social function is planned. Local 702 Scores New York — Every major laboratory in the east was in the Motion Picture Lab¬ oratory Technicians’ Local 702 fold last week when the union received official re¬ cognition as the bargaining agent for em¬ ployees of the Paramount lab in Astoria, L. I. Paramount home office officials notified John Rugge, president, Local 702, that his body had been granted jurisdiction over the lab’s approximately 80 employees. Negotiations for a contract, which is ex¬ pected to be effective as of May 1, will open next week. It is understood that the union will ask for the same wage scale as now exists in all eastern film labs. The IATSE, to which Local 702 belongs, took a hand in the negotiations. 20th-Fox Holdings Revealed New York — Spyros Skouras holds 5,250 shares of 20th Century-Fox common stock, and Wendell L. Willkie, newly elected chairman of the board, holds 1,000 shares of common, according to the supplemen¬ tary proxy statement issued to stockhold¬ ers last week. Neither Skouras nor Willkie owns any preferred stock. Editor Speaks In Ayres Case Clarifies Schenck Story Error New York — The following letter, dated April 15, was received last week by Nicholas M. Schenck, president, Loew’s, Inc., from Daniel J. Mahoney, general manager, Miami Daily News: “I have your statement with reference to the Lew Ayres case. I have read it care¬ fully, and every word you say is true. I am distressed beyond measure at the way the story was bungled. It couldn’t have happened had I been on the job and you had not had to leave town. “Explicit orders were given that this story was not to be run until you checked it and I was under the impression that it had been checked by you until I saw it in the paper. It was so different from your story to me I am heart sick about it. After listening to your story about Ayres and the fine things you said about him, I was actuated only by one thought, and that was to give the public a true picture of this lad who perhaps is being condemned unjustly. “My idea was to have a woman do the story because she would get a woman’s point of view and be fairer than a man in these trying times. It was just one of those unintentional mistakes. She is a fine girl, but simply messed up this story. “I will appreciate it if you will tell Ayres for me that the statement outlined by you is a hundred per cent correct and if there is anything I can do to correct any false impression which may have been created, I will be more than glad to do it.” UA Changes Announced New York — Walter Gould, foreign man¬ ager, UA, last week announced the ap¬ pointment of Joe Goltz as manager in Mex¬ ico, and confirmed that of Sidney J. Al¬ bright as special home office representative in Australasia with headquarters in Sid¬ ney. Goltz, who leaves for his new post within 10 days, replaces J. B. Urbina, who re¬ signed because of his wife’s illness. Gould also revealed that Max Baker, former manager, Netherlands East In¬ dies, is in Australia, having left Singa¬ pore shortly before the city was occupied, and subsequently resigned to undergo an eye operation. Charlie Core, manager in the Philippines, has been interned in Manila, according to advices from the State Department. Alex Hall Arrives New York — Alexander Hall arrived for a two weeks’ vacation last week. Hearing Postponed NEW YORK — Federal Judge Henry W. Goddard last week ordered an¬ other postponement until May 19 on hearings on the Government’s pettition to compel divorcement of 20 theatres acquired by 20th CenturyFox and 16 by Paramount, which the Government contends were obtained contrary to the provisions of the con¬ sent decree. April 22, 1942