Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1933)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Monday, October 16, 1933 "Vickers" Is $93,789 Draw At Music Hall "Ann Vickers" shoved the RKO Music Hall gross up to $93,789, above the previous week's draw on "My Weakness" by about $5,000. The other big noise on Broadway was "The Bowery" at the Rivoli which got off to a flying start with $45,000, more than double the second week's take on "Emperor Jones," which preceded it. With "Stage Mother" on the screen, the Capitol, at $27,877, showed some improvement over the previous week, when Aimee Semple MacPherson kept customers away in large numIbers. "Too Much Harmony" was good for $35,800 in its second week at the Paramount. Estimated takings : Week Ending Oct. 4: "BERKELEY SQUARE" (Fox) GAIETY— (808). 55c-$l-65. 3rd week, 7 days. Gross: $9,000. "WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD" (F.N.) HOLLYWOOD — (1.545). 2Sc-85c, 2nd week, 7 days. Gross: $8,217. "ANN VICKERS" (Radio) RKO MUSIC HALL— (5.945). 35c-$1.65, 7 days. Stage show. Gross: $93,789. "I LOVED A WOMAN" (F.N.) STRAND— (2.000). 25c-85c, 2nd week, 7 days. Gross: $23,520. Week Ending Oct. 5: "THE POWER AND THE GLORY" (Fox) CAMEO— (549). 25c-40c. 7 days. Gross: $L932. "STAGE MOTHER" (M-G-M) CAPITOL— (4.700). 35c-$1.65. 7 days. Stage: Boswell Sisters. Herb Williams, Edwin C. Hill and others. Gross: $27,877. "THE POWER AND THE GLORY" (Fox) PALACE— (2.500). 25c-75c. 7 days. Stage show. Gross: $13,500. "TOO MUCH HARMONY" (Para.) PARAMOUNT— (3,700). 35c-99c. 2nd we'ek, 7 days. Stage: Ethel Merman. Borrah Minevitch and others. Gross: $35,800. "BRIEF MOMENT" (CoL) ROXY— (6,200). 25c-55c, 7 days. Stage: Gus Van. also 8 acts, Dave Schooler and band. Gross: $27,500. Week Ending Oct. 6: "S.O.S. ICEBERG" (Univ.) CRITERION— (850). 55c-$1.65, 2nd week, 7 days. Gross: $5,500. "MOONLIGHT & PRETZELS (Univ.) — 4 days "SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM" (Univ.) — 3 days RKO ROXV-(3,700). 25c-.55c. 7 days. Gross: $11.1.30, "THUNDER OVER MEXICO" (Principal) RIALTO— (2.200). 40c-65c, 2nd week. 7 days. Gross: $9,500. Week Ending Oct. 8: "DINNER AT EIGHT" (M-G-M) ASTOR-(1,012), 55c-$1.65. 6th week, 7 days. Gross: $17,749, "THE AVENGER" (Monogram) MAYFAIR-(2,300). 3Sc-85c, 7 days. Gross: $8,000. Week Ending Oct. 10: "THE BOWERY" (U.A.) RIVOLI— (2.200), 40c-8Sc, 7 days. Gross: $45,000. She's "Curvacious" Hollywood, Oct. 15.— "Curvacious," the Mae West descriptive adjective coined by Blake MacVeigh of Paramount's publicity department, will be listed in the next edition of Funk and WagTiall's dictionary. i Behind the Make-Up ► Cliff Hess, song and story writer for \'itaphone, recently had four teeth pulled. He says he is going to have the rest fixed before Mayor O'Brien puts that bridge tax through. He signed another year's contract the other day to write songs for forthcoming Vitaphone musicals. * * * Completion of the Arnold Bennett "Great Adventure" production is being held up until Larry Williams and Jack Schultz, who have just left for London, return with better atmospheric shots which are to be used for background scenes than the ones the company originally had. * >|: ^ Milton Singer, Lee Stewart's assistant at Vitaphone, is a good studio casting man. but at rod and reel casting he's different. He is back on the job now with a foot bandaged and carrying a cane. He claims he had a big fish on the hook and it pulled him off the boat and into the propeller. * * * L. W. Davee, former studio manager of the Bronx plant, is now in charge of the main studio of Eastern Service in Astoria. Jack Aichle, who has been casting, assisting director, etc., is now in charge of building and maintenance at Astoria. Arthur Koenig has been made chief property man. * * * The drug store across from Vita phone has been forced to order additional stocks of witch hazel and arnica since the 14 dancing beauties at the studio have taken up bicycling. The girls have been practicing day and night for the past two weeks for a scene in the Molly Picon three-reel musical that Joe Henabery is direct Chester Erskine, the well-known stage producer, a short time ago turned his talents toward production and recently completed one of the first of the pictures to be made in the East in four or five years. The picture is called "Midnight," and will soon be released by a major company. Erskine intends to produce four or five more this season. The old Biograph studios up in the Bronx are being rehabilitated for that purpose. John Henry McKee, formerly with Harris & Cohen, William A. Brady, Charles Frohman, the Shuberts and many other stage producers, has just completed direction of "The New Deal in Living," an NRA production. This young fellow has had a busy time of it lately, what with staging the .\merican version of "None So Blind," which is to be released by Helber Pictures, and directing "Ring Problems," a DeFrenes production. Jack is now negotiating with Pinnacle Prod, to direct four of their 1934 output. ED DAWSON "Harmony" Is $9,000 Smash Denver Draw Denver, Oct. 15.— "Too Much Harmony" took the top spot by giving the Denham double an average gross, $9,000. It was held for an additional three days. This house is still having at least one holdout a day. "Night Flight" also turned in $8,000, over average for the Denver by $2,000, with steady crowds all week. The Empress became a first run house for a week and had several standouts and repeated full houses to go to $7,500 for the week with "Back to Nature." Total first run business was $40,400, including the $7,500 at the Empress. Average is $28,500. Estimated takings for the week ending Oct. 12: "MY WEAKNESS" (Fox) ALADDIN— (1,500), 25c-40c, 7 days. Gross: $2,800. (Average, $3,000.) "TOO MUCH HARMONY" (Para.) DENHAM — (1,500). 25c-30c-40c. 7 days. Gross: $9,000. (Average, $4, .500.) "NIGHT FLIGHT" (M-G-M) DENVER-(2.500), 25c-35c-40c, 7 days. Gross: $8,000. (Average. $6,000.) "BACK TO NATURE" (Sheffield) EMPRES.S-(2.000), 25c-40c, 7 days. Gross: $7,500. "SOLITAIRE MAN" (M-G-M) ORI'H EUM— (2.600), 25c-35c-55c, 7 days. Stace show. Gross: $7,5(X). (Average, $8,000.) "DELUGE" (Radio) PARAMOUNT— (2.600), 25c-40c, 7 day.s. Gross: $3,200. (Average, $3,500.) "THE BIG BRAIN" (Radio) TABOR,-(2,()00). 20c-25c, 7 days. Gross: $3,400. (Average, $3,500.) "Harmony" Is $12,000 Top, Kansas City Kansas City, Oct. 15. — "Too Much Harmony" was such an outstanding draw, the Newman held it over the weekend and finished the 10 days with $12,000. Swell business was also done by "Turn Back the Clock," which tallied $11,000 at the Midland. "Morning Glory" jumped $1,500 over average for a take of $8,500 at the Mainstreet, while "Dr. Bull," in its second week, went to $3,000, the Uptown moving up its opening day to Saturday. Total first run h'ls'npss was $34,500. Average is $28,500. Estimated takings : Week Ending Oct. 5: "MORNING GLORY" (Radio) MAINSTREET— (3.049), 25c-40c, 7 days. Gross: $8,500, (Average. $7,000.) Week Ending Oct. 6: "TURN BACK THE CLOCK" (M-G-M) MIDLAND— (4,000). 25c. 7 days, plus Saturday midnight show. Gross: $11,000. (Average, $10,000,) "DR. BULL" (Fox) UPTOW.N— (2.000), 25c-40c. 6 days, 2nd week. Gross: $3,000, (Average. $2,500.) Week Ending Oct. 8: "TOO MUCH HARMONY" (Para.) NEWMAN— (2,000), 2.5c-40c, 10 days, plus Sa'urday midnight shows. Gross: $12,000. \.A\ Tagfe, $9,000.) <t T World Changes" Oct. 25 Warners will open "The World Changes," in which Paul Muni is starred, at the Hollywood Oct. 25. a 99 Penthouse,' At $58,000, Chicago High Chicago, Oct. 15. — Some of the Legionnaires here for the big conclave found time to patronize Loop theatres and as a result good takes weri hung up in at least two spots. B. & K.'s Chicago had a fine week, the gross being $58,000 with "Penthouse" on the screen and Pat Rooney and Sally Rand heading the stage show. "Penthouse" got a big play in the newspapers and went into the Roosevelt for a second week in the Loop. The other outstanding spot was the United Artists where "Voltaire" crashed through for a strong $19,000 for its first week. "Lady for a Day" also gave McVickers a healthy $12,000 for its second Loop week following a previous week at the Palace. Total first run business was $130,800. Average is $120,600. Estimated takings : ■ Week Ending Oct. 3: "THE POWER AND THE GLORY" (Fox) O'RIENTAL— (3,940), 30c-40c-60c, 7 days. Gross: $10,000, (Average, $23,000.) "VOLTAIRE" (Warners) UNITED ARTISTS— (1,700), 30c-40c,60c, 7 days. Gross: $19,000. (Average. $17,000.) Week Ending Oct. 5: "PENTHOUSE" (M-G-M) ^CHICAGO^(4,00O), 35c-50c-68c, 7 days. .Stage: Fat Rooney, Sally Rand. Cherniavsky. Gross: $58,000. (Average, $34,600.) "ONE MAN'S JOURNEY" (Radio) PALACE — (2,509, 35c-50c-75c, 7 days. Stage: Lou Holtz, June Knight. Lew Pollack & Co. Gross: $22,000. (Average, $22,000.) Week Ending Oct 6: "LADY FOR A DAY" (Col.) (Second Loop Week) MCVICKERS— (2,284). 30c-4Oc-6Oc, 7 days. Gross: $12.0C0, (Average, $13,000.) "TURN BACK THE CLOCK" (M-G-M) ROOSEVELT— (1.591). 25c-35c-50c, 7 days. Grosss $9,800. (Average, $11,000.) I TecArt Equipment Brings in $25,000 Hollywood, Oct. IS. — The twoweek auction of equipment formerly owned by the bankrupt Tec-Art Studios yielded in the neighborhood of $25,000. The trustees' original estimate was $17,000 for the entire lot. Prudential, having taken over the studio, is speeding ahead with plans to prepare the sound stages and offices for immediate production, an announcement to be forthcoming soon. "A Man's Castle" (Columbia) Hollywood, Oct. 15. This first Screen Guild production for Columbia is a tender, beautiful film in the "Seventh Heaven" mood. It reveals radiant romance amid the squalor of a squatter's colony of unemployed. Spencer Tracy projects a great heart-warming portrait. Loretta Young gives her best performance to date. Frank Borzage's direction hits the heart. It is a fine production and fine entertainment. An extended review will appear in Motion Picture Daily later. VIC SHAPIRO